Loonatics Unleashed

Loonatics Unleashed is produced by Warner Bros. that is broadcast on Kids' WB!. Loonatics Unleashed debuted on May 7, 2004. The series is loosely based on the Looney Tunes cartoon characters, with the series described by Warner Bros. as an "action-comedy." Loonatics Unleashed is meant to be a mixture of the Looney Tunes shorts' irreverent style of humor and a modern action animated series, with the characters designed in an anime style.

The characters in Loonatics Unleashed were designed by Christian Tremblay and Yvon Tremblay, who created and designed SWAT Kats for Hanna-Barbera and Mega Babies.

Story
The first five episodes of Loonatics Unleashed take place in 2772, the year that a meteor struck the fictional city-planet of Acmetropolis. In that year a meteor from space strikes Acmetropolis and knocks it completely off of its original axis. However, instead of destroying the planet, the impact of the meteor and its resultant shockwave gives off supernatural cosmic energies that give some inhabitants superpowers while incapacitating others in its wake. a mysterious and powerful woman called Zadavia calls upon six of the affected residents that live in Acmetropolis to form a team of superheroes. She becomes their supervisor, dispatching them for the purpose of combating any and all threats to Acmetropolis and its citizens. The newly formed team is known as the Loonatics and reside on the 125th floor of a large tower, according to the episode "The World is My Circus". These characters are the descendants of the classic Looney Tunes characters, according to multiple press releases and official sources. Descendants of other Looney Tunes are unverified.

Later, in the episode "The Comet Cometh," the city's citizens are celebrating the one year anniversary of the Loonatics' debut, which means that it can be assumed that the episode and all future episodes take place in the year 2773. Additionally, a mysterious character, now known as Optimatus, debuts in the final moments of the episode. He states that the meteor's striking Acmetropolis in 2772 was not an incidental event but actually a deliberate attempt to destroy Acmetropolis. With the first attempt having the effects of the energy release and the Loonatics stopping a second attempt with a larger space rock in the episode, he states that he plans to attack the planet a third time. However, a date for said attempt and his moitives for trying to destroy Acmetropolis are not revealed at that time. Later, In the two-part special, "Acmegeddon," Optimatus is a key character. He targets the Loonatics, Zodavia and all of Acmetropolis, hoping to destroy them all.

Trivia

 * Preproduction stage names for some of the series' characters were:
 * Buzz Bunny (Ace Bunny)
 * Maxima, Zadavia (Zodavia)
 * Slick E. Coyote (Tech E. Coyote)
 * Roadster, Road Runner (Rev Runner)
 * Daffy Duck (Danger Duck)
 * Spaz B. Wilde, Spaz-manian "Spaz" Devil (Slam Tasmanian)


 * The name "Buzz Bunny" was announced as already being trademarked by Dutch freelance designer and illustrator Metin Seven after the initial press release for Loonatics Unleashed.


 * Although all Loonatics wear black jumpsuits and the major difference in color is noted by the triangle in the center of their chest as well as that of their communicators, In the episode "The Comet Cometh," it is further revealed that the Loonatics, out of their costumes, are realatively normal in appearance. In fact, they have fur colored similarly to their Looney Tunes ancestors.


 * The eyes of Zodavia and the Loonatics glow brightly at times, in the color similar to their individual suits. However, this is additional compulsive ability, not how they naturally look.

The "Toys"
Weapons and gear used by the Loonatics and usually made by Tech E. Coyote.

Retrofire Master Blaster
(First Used: Loonatics on Ice)

The Retrofire Master Blaster looks like a miniature frisbee at a first glance. The Loonatics only have to squeeze it twice, and the "frisbee" transforms into an arm-mounted cannon that has a special "Thaw" mode, which was originally intended for the sole purpose of melting the giant iceberg. However, when it was used, it had no effect whatsoever.

Exo-Vac 2400X
(First Used: Attack of the Fuzz Balls)

The Exo-Vac 2400X was constructed by Tech to suck up all the Fuz-Zs in Acmetropolis when the Loonatics learn that the Fuz-Zs transform into monsters whenever they eat chocolate. When Lexi and Danger are caught by Dr. Dare, the rest of the Loonatics drop off the Fuz-Zs at HQ and initiate the "Turbo Vac-Jet Mode" of the vehicle to speed to Dare's lair to rescue their captured comrades. Tech has also called the Exo-Vac the "Ultimate Urban Vacuum."

Ninjizer 500
(First Used: Cloak of Black Velvet)

When the Loonatics head into the Zeppelin to rescue Tech, who is now brainwashed by Black Velvet, Ace brings along the Ninjizer 500, which is powerful enough to cut through steel walls with its "Beam Mode." It also shoots nunchakus and shurikens, which somehow reflects the martial-arts expertise of Ace Bunny.

Grapple Gun
(First Used: Weathering Heights)

All we know about the Grapple Gun is that it was used by Ace and Tech to pull themselves and their comrades out of Weathervane's tornados.

Space Stream 8000
(First Used: The Comet Cometh)

The Space Stream was built by Tech to get to Optimatus' second meteor. On the way to the big chunk of rock, a wave of cosmic energy strikes the ship and sends it tumbling back down to Acmetropolis. Rev quickly downloads a copy of the piloting software from HQ and gets the ship moving again. The ship has a built-in Laser Amplifier that increases Ace's laser vision power to well over a billion times. However, when it was used, it only peeled off a layer of atmospheric dust. Duck has often called the Space Stream a "flying dinner plate."

Gluco-Gel 9000
(First Used: The World is My Circus)

The Gluco-Gel 9000 was designed by Tech to encase targets in a cube of gel. He first used it when he was being transformed into a Galactic Oddity by shooting the DNA Scrambler, thus destroying it. He next used it after the battle with an Oddity version of the Ringmaster by encasing the Ringmaster and Otto in gel cubes.

DNA De-Scrambler
(First Used: The World is My Circus)

The DNA De-Scrambler counteracts the effect of Otto's DNA Scrambler, returning anything that was affected by the latter to normal form. Tech first used it on the transformed children, then himself and the other Loonatics, and finally Zodavia. In the battle with the Ringmaster Oddity, it was destroyed after one of its claws crushed it.

Gravity Stabilizer Gyro
(First Used: Stop the World I Want to Get Off)

Built to nullify the effects of Massive's powers, the Gravity Stabilizer Gyro restores anything that it is pointed at to normal gravity.

Exosuits
(First Used: Sypher)

(Redesigned: Acmegeddon - Part II)

When all the Loonatic's powers have been stolen by Sypher, Tech constructs six unique exosuits that are designed to replicate and defect their individual powers. Ace's Exosuit has Laser Goggles. Lexi's Exosuit has a Supersonic Scream to mess up Sypher's ultra-sensitive hearing. Danger's Exosuit has "jellybeans" that randomly change constantly (when one hit Sypher's face, it turned into tar). Tech's suit has Electomagnetic Palms. Rev's suit has Speed Accelerator Technology. And Slam's suit has Circular Jets, so he can once again spin into a Tasmanian Tornado. All the Exosuits are colored blue.

Response
Loonatics Unleashed generated much controversy among various animation fans for its reinterpretation of the classic Looney Tunes characters, even before its broadcast debut. Some fans find the concept, style and tone of the series distasteful, citing it to be a cheap "extreme" marketing ploy to appeal to a demographic at the expense of the classic Warner Bros. characters. Others feel that Loonatics Unleashed is simply part of the Looney Tunes characters' continuing evolution in contemporary pop culture.

After complaints about the original preproduction character models' appearances, including an Internet petition of protest that was started by 11-year-old Thomas Adams, the producers of the series revised and softened the characters' appearances to make them appear less menacing. 

In spite of these criticisms, the show has remained a consistent ratings winner, and has been confirmed on sites such as Toon Zone and others as returning for a second season on the Kids WB block which will become Kids WB on The CW, part of the new CW Network being formed by the merging of UPN and the WB in September. The show is also developing a cult following and a small but loyal fan base.

A lot of petitions started to bring the show back.