Eric Bauza’s Final ‘Looney Tunes’ Performance Is ‘Daffy Season,’ Now in Theaters Ahead of ‘The Cat in the Hat’

The death of Eric Bauza in October shocked the entertainment industry. An impressively prolific voice actor, it would’ve been nearly impossible for anybody engaging with animation over the past 15 years to never come across his work. Bauza’s death came just two months after the delayed release of “Coyote vs. Acme,” the “Looney Tunes” feature once deemed unreleasable by Warner Bros. Discovery and later sold off to Ketchup Entertainment. The film, which grossed $101 million worldwide, is a true showcase for Bauza, who lends his voice to a plethora of iconic characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety, and Porky Pig. Bauza became something of the defining voice of modern “Looney Tunes” in his final years. Fans can see him give one final performance with the property in “Daffy Season,” a 7-minute animated short that plays before screenings of “The Cat in the Hat,” opening Friday from Skydance’s Warner Bros. Pictures. A representative for the studio confirmed to IndieWire that the short is Bauza’s final “Looney Tunes” movie. Bauza is also credited as providing additional voices for “The Cat in the Hat.” “Daffy Season” centers on Daffy Duck, voiced by Bauza. He’s joined by Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny, Gabriel Iglesias as Speedy Gonzales, and Jeannie Tirado as Lola Bunny. The plot follows Daffy, turning his beak up at his fellow Tunes as they mindlessly obsess over the game of soccer. Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve are co-directors. “Daffy Season” is the first theatrically released “Looney Tunes” short since “Daffy’s Rhapsody” played before “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” back in 2012. Before “Daffy Season,” Bauza had already provided some voice work for a “Tunes” musical feature titled “Bye Bye Bunny,” which was canceled after some years of development and production. Other “Looney Tunes” credits from Bauza include the HBO Max series “Looney Tunes Cartoons” and the features “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Bauza died at his home in Los Angeles on October 25 as a result of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. In a tribute in The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation producer Susan Rogers credited Bauza with playing a huge role in reviving the “Looney Tunes.” “There wasn’t a single short he couldn’t quote or couldn’t reference,” she said. “I don’t think you replace Eric Bauza … The hole he leaves is huge. There are many talented people out there, and the franchise will move on. But there’s only one Eric Bauza.”