How hearing the Filipino accent helped Eric Bauza become a Looney Tune

Bauza stars in The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (directed by Pete Browngardt and now in theaters), a huge deal for the western animation business as the first original 2-D Looney Tunes story to have a theatrical release, particularly when previous theatrical projects have been live-action hybrids like the Space Jam films, or compilations of shorts. A Scarborough Canadian of Filipino descent, Bauza pulls double-duty as the inseparable pair Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, who in this iteration grew up as adopted brothers, out to protect their house from a Karen-like homeowners association, their own destructive shenanigans, and then an alien invasion. This is ostensibly a bonkers production in which Bauza banters and bickers with himself.

Previously, Bauza pulled off the Looney Tunes icons in 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy (which stars LeBron James), the David Zaslav-imprisoned Coyote vs. Acme that sparked a #SaveCoyoteVsAcme saga, and the Browngardt-developed 2020 Looney Tunes cartoons that inspired the new movie. Bauza also runs the StayToonedTV YouTube channel, which dives into historical as well as present-day animation—interviewing the likes of Pixar animator Domee Shi (director of Turning Red) on Asian representation, First Nations Canadian arts journalist Jesse Wente on historical stereotypes, and ND Stevenson (creator of She-Ra and Nimona) on queerness and feminism. Outside of Looney Tunes, Bauza’s chameleonic credits include roles from well-known cartoons like The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, Bob’s Burgers, Star Trek Lower Decks, Invincible, and many more.

I recently chatted with the Looney Tunes maestro himself on Zoom, where he was joined by Porky and Daffy posters behind him. We talked about how his Filipino upbringing inadvertently prepared him for voiceover, his relationship to Daffy and Porky, the state of Coyote vs. Acme, and his dreams for the hand-drawn animation industry, and yes, he also did character voices on the spot without prompting.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Caroline Cao: Can you talk about your background as a Canadian Filipino, including how you grew up with Looney Tunes and other cartoons?
Eric Bauza: My parents are actually immigrants from the Philippines. They moved to Canada in the late 60s. I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1979. That’s a real year, kids. I'm not making that up. I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, which was at the time, the only place where you could get cartoons—not like with all these fancy streaming channels. It was kind of a tradition. My brother and I would get up in our pajamas, go pour ourselves a big bowl of cereal and just watch until they switched over to sports at lunch. So I remember watching the Bugs Bunny and Tweety shows. I was a fan of all the cartoons, really, but those were the ones that really inspired me to not just do voices, but I actually drew even before I was a voiceover artist. I was a cartoonist and I worked in animation.

CC: What was the first thing you remember drawing?
EB: Probably Bugs Bunny. I remember always wanting to draw him. And I might still have (the drawing) in, probably in some kind of storage in Canada, but I remember buying a How To Draw Bugs Bunny and Friends book. Before the Internet existed, I had to send away for these catalogs from the Chuck Jones Art Gallery, which actually showed old animation cells from these cartoons that I loved. But it was really funny, because they didn't want people to replicate the art so the images of the animation cells were the size of stamps. So I really had to [Holds hands up in circles] get a magnifying glass to learn how to draw these characters.

Bauza voices both Porky Pig and Daffy Duck in "The Day the Earth Blew Up."

Courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

CC: Even if you didn’t know you'd end up voicing Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters, how did you shape up to become a voiceover actor? You often talk about the karaoke machine in your household.
EB: Yeah, funny. I guess it's not surprising for any Filipinos in any household to have a karaoke machine. But I'm not actually a great singer. Surprise. I'm also not a Filipino male nurse for that matter, either. So I'm breaking all sorts of boundaries with my heritage, but maybe we should make a cartoon about a Filipino nurse. That might make my parents happy, but I’m okay with playing barn animals. [He gestures with both thumbs to the Daffy and Porky posters behind him.]

Yeah, we used to send messages back to our relatives in the Philippines, and we would include audio cassettes, letters, and we would send them food and goods. But I remember always looking forward to hearing my voice or using the microphone. I don't know if that's where it started, but it was a lot of fun doing voices.

And of course, you're talking to a kid who grew up with parents that were from a different country, that spoke a different language. So naturally, they had a Filipino accent. I always found it fascinating, hearing my relatives [switches to a Filipino accent] talk to me at the Thanksgiving, you know, with the Filipino Pinoy accent. If anything, that was an introduction to different voices for me.

CC: Voiceover isn’t about appearances. It’s about sound. But there’s undeniable importance in representation behind the mic. There was a poignant reaction from the Asian community when finding out you were now Bugs Bunny.
EB: I think there definitely is (that reaction) with representation across the board, in writers’ rooms, behind the camera, in front of a camera, and even in instances like this, behind the mic. Although in my opinion, Bugs Bunny just needs to sound like Bugs Bunny. I don't even think there was any preset prejudice on who does the voice. I'm just worried I'm gonna get canceled for not being a real rabbit. That's my only worry. But I like that there was a reaction, and there were people that were very proud and excited to see a person of color in the driver's seat. And for me, no matter what your heritage is, no matter what you look like, no matter what your cultural background is, if this is a story that allows you to use your voice or encourages you to use your voice—if you're shy to use your voice, or you feel like you're not heard—then I feel like it's a story that will inspire you in that way. It's a positive thing and a good thing that encourages people, who didn't think they have a chance, that it is possible. 

[In his Bugs Bunny voice] It is possible, Doc! I wonder if I can convince them to do anime Bugs Bunny with the lumpia, which of course is the Filipino egg roll.

CC: I bet there’s a fan artist who drew that somewhere.
EB: I may have seen an image or two pop up in the last week already. I'm getting it out there. 

Bauza has also voiced roles for "Bob's Burgers," "The Fairly OddParents," "Invincible," and more.

Courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

CC: I bet your family, especially your son, are excited to see the movie.
EB: I brought him into two screenings. I don't often try to force him to be biased that his dad is a Looney Tunes character, but he really enjoys it. I've been invited to his school to read stories as these characters, which is always fun. It's really funny when he sees the stuff that I'm a part of, but then we watch the original shorts, and he always goes, “Dad, is this, like, old? Is it vintage? This is retro, right?” I go, “Yeah.” He goes, “from the 80s, right?” I like how his idea of “old stuff” is just from the 80s; it doesn't extend past that. And I don't correct him.

CC: Once, you said Looney Tunes transcends all language. My late father was a Vietnamese refugee, and we grew up with Looney Tunes. I think he related deeply to Bugs Bunny because I suppose lots of Asian Americans aspire to Bugs Bunny’s wit.
EB: I think that's amazing, yeah. And speaking of transcending language, I've been contacted by voiceover artists from all around the world who embody these characters in their native language, including characters like Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, who don't speak at all. That is amazing that the humor of someone from America made their jokes funny to anyone anywhere, and I think it just follows suit when it comes to characters like Porky and Daffy.

CC: There’s something relatable about Daffy, so desperate to be liked.
EB: I think deep down inside, we're all more like Daffy, in only the good ways. [Daffy Duck’s boasting voice] I mean, who wouldn't want to be like me, to be perfectly honest?

CC: How would you say you personally relate to Porky versus relating to Daffy?
EB: Oh, I think we all have a friend like Daffy. And we all have a friend like Porky. For those who are new to Looney Tunes, and have yet to discover the different pairings in Looney Tunes—I already talked about Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner—there's also Sylvester and Tweety Bird, Bugs Bunny and Daffy. But there's also Porky and Daffy too. I always start a Porky and Daffy cartoon by saying, “Oh, man, what is Daffy gonna do to ruin Porky's life this time?” It's always been that situation: the crazy guy and the straight man. And that's what makes this movie that entertaining, because of all the pairings, these are the only two that aren't trying to really kill each other or eat each other. In this iteration, they almost seem like they're brothers raised by Farmer Jim as kids. The way this story unfolds and wraps itself up is amazing. It's a really fun roller coaster of a Looney Tunes movie.

CC: I imagine the pathos must have been challenging. Yes, Porky and Daffy are bonkers, but there’s a lot of pathos in that movie. They’re just trying to protect the house that Farmer Jim left them and fix their roof. That’s a universal feeling, and yes, to me, a little specifically Asian too, the pressure to respect your parent’s legacy.
EB: Hey, you're proud of your home if you're lucky enough to have one. Pretty much the only thing most people work towards is just having a stable home—[Daffy voice] but not when there’s a giant hole in our roof!

Bauza grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, inspiring him to become a cartoonist and, later, a voice actor.

Courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

CC: It's been two years since your last StayToonedTV video, but do you have a dream interview or animated subject matter you want to discuss?
EB: I think the topic and discussion of animation is endless. As we change and evolve in the entertainment industry, there's so many topics to discuss. I know that animation in general might even be considered a bit more of a “boys club.” I love seeing the ladies of animation take over and get to tell their stories. Again, we go back to culture and authentic casting and authentic storytelling, as we've seen even in the past Academy Awards. Flow (the Latvian film that won the Best Animated Feature Academy Award, directed by Gints Zilbalodis), right? That was completely independent and not on U.S. soil. And it just goes to show you that there's still room for a good story, a good original story. 

CC: You said, “release Coyote Vs Acme!” at the Annie Awards. It’s been said that watching The Day the Earth Blew Up might help Coyote Vs Acme get its theatrical release (after being wrongfully shelved as a tax write-off and deprived of release).
EB: I'm just a mere voiceover artist and can't make promises or even decisions in that regard. The only hope there is that we get to make more great Looney Tunes films. Tell Looney Tunes stories. These characters have been around with us for 90 years, and here's to 90 more. This movie is a bit of a miracle, right? I think the state of the industry is in a place where it's still finding its footing, even after the pandemic. But when you see something like this, it's a great thing. I think we'll encourage more brand new stories across the board. And who knows what can happen?

CC: What is your dream for the future of animation, especially hand drawn?
EB: 2-D. Let's not forget about 2-D animation. You're talking about a kid who grew up in the 90s. So everything was 2-D and anytime we got a glimpse of 3-D animation was a treat. And then, you know, I remember seeing Toy Story for the first time in theaters, and that was amazing. And who knows? That could very well happen for these characters that they get a full CG treatment. We saw a glimpse of it in Space Jam: A New Legacy. But there's something that is so much more comforting with these characters we've known to be hand drawn, and we need to see that. And there are so many talented people that worked on this film, and to know that my voice got to be paired alongside with artists like Bob McKnight and Dan Haskett and Alex Kirwan, and whoever else got to animate scenes. I think of Tom Bancroft, perhaps these are just names that you should look up and just drool and stare in awe at the fact that this was just done with pencil and paper still.

CC: Do you have a dream role you haven't played yet?
EB: Well, it's funny because I actually just was asked very briefly, and for the most part, this character only says this very famous catchphrase. I got to do it recently in a commercial, and it goes a little something like this, [gruff Batman] “I'm Batman.” So I got to say “I'm Batman” in a commercial. I don't think I'm the type to save Gotham City. I don't know if I meet that height requirement. But that was something that I got to do recently that was really fun.