Slightly off Toons

Compared to The Cat in the Hat, Looney Toons: Back in Action is merely mediocre. The movie is a blend of live action and animation, starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, and the Warner Brothers stable of cartoon characters. While not nearly as offensive as The Cat in the Hat, the combination of an uninspired story, flat jokes, and an overabundance of cleavage makes this movie another poor choice for families.

Bugs, Daffy, and the rest of the Saturday morning gang are all here, and thankfully the script stays relatively faithful to the tone of the original characters. The somewhat amusing initial setup finds the cartoon characters as actors on the Warner Brothers studio lot, bargaining with studio executives and "lunching" at Hollywood eateries. The world-domination plot involving a surprisingly unfunny Steve Martin as the evil Acme chairman quickly becomes tedious, however.

What's especially frustrating about Looney Toons (rated PG for some mild language and innuendo), though, is the costuming of the human female actors: Most parents will find the outfits worn by Ms. Elfman and Heather Locklear, in a cameo, too provocative.