Classic Looney Tunes Hit the Big Screen Again

The Looney Tunes will return to the big screen of the Michigan Theater on November 30. Starting at 11:00 a.m., some of the all-time giants in all of animation will go through some of their timeless classics for older generations who remember them on screen, and for younger generations to enjoy.

“We get parents and grandparents gathering with their kids and grandkids to introduce them to these classic characters. So, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are typically represented in the audience, but we don’t really see them coming on their own like they do for newer films,” Marquee Arts Cinema Program Director Nick Alderink told the Sun Times News. “I’ve compiled a hefty list of old cartoons that I sift through every year. Part of the process is research, tracking down the titles that are widely considered ‘classics.’”

The Looney Tunes became one of the first great animated franchises when they started in the 1930s, just as sound was just becoming practical. Originally in black and white, they quickly became a part of the typical matinee for pre-television audiences – a special treat before the main film, along with advertisements and news reels.

Pixar got its idea for high-quality shorts in front of movies from this tradition. Yet you can still be part of that old experience today, as part of a communal act of watching these classics with multitudes of strangers, starting at $8.75 per person. This year will start with a screening of A Christmas Story, also on November 30; meaning that you really could have an old-fashioned theater screening of cartoons right before a feature film the way theaters used to work, if you want.

“I think it’s less about the screen size and more about the communal experience of seeing these shorts in a theater,” says Alderink. “Even if you’ve watched a cartoon several times over a lifetime, it feels different when you’re in a room full of people laughing. As they say, laughter is contagious, and it can make the whole thing feel like you’re seeing it again for the first time.”

The Michigan and State Theaters also regularly have free family-friendly content year-round. The holiday season brings a whole bunch of family-friendly free screenings every Sunday between here and Christmas Day at 1:30 p.m. Other free holiday screenings for families will include The Muppet Christmas Carol on December 7, Home Alone on December 14, and the Polar Express on December 21.

Non-holiday films will keep going after that, too, all at 11:00 a.m. This will begin with Beauty and the Beast on December 28. Once the New Year is done with they will also be playing Lilo and Stitch on January 11, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on February 22; meaning that there will always be lots of free chances to get your kids a chance to fall in love with going again and again to one of Michigan’s best theater experiences long after Porky Pig declares “That’s all folks!”