The entertainment industry was stunned by Eric Bauza’s passing in October. A remarkably prolific voice actor, his work has been nearly ubiquitous in animation over the past fifteen years. His death arrived just two months after the delayed release of Coyote vs. Acme, the Looney Tunes feature once shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery and later acquired by Ketchup Entertainment. The film, which grossed $101 million globally, serves as a significant showcase for Bauza, who voiced a roster of iconic characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety, and Porky Pig.
In his final years, Bauza became the definitive voice of the modern Looney Tunes. Audiences can witness his last performance with the franchise in Daffy Season, a seven-minute animated short screening before The Cat in the Hat, which opens Friday via Skydance and Warner Bros. Pictures. A studio representative confirmed to IndieWire that the short marks Bauza’s final Looney Tunes cinematic appearance; he is also credited for additional voices in The Cat in the Hat itself.
Daffy Season centers on Daffy Duck, voiced by Bauza, alongside Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny, Gabriel Iglesias as Speedy Gonzales, and Jeannie Tirado as Lola Bunny. The story follows Daffy as he scoffs at his fellow Tunes’ mindless obsession with soccer. Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve co-directed the short, which represents the first theatrical Looney Tunes cartoon since Daffy’s Rhapsody accompanied Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in 2012.
Prior to Daffy Season, Bauza had contributed voice work to Bye Bye Bunny, a Tunes musical feature canceled after years of development. His other franchise credits 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 Los Angeles home on October 25 due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease. In a tribute published by The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation producer Susan Rogers credited him with playing a pivotal role in revitalizing the Looney Tunes brand.
“There wasn’t a single short he couldn’t quote or 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.”
