Coyote vs. Acme

Coyote vs. Acme
Starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, Tone Bell
Directed by Dave Green

"You complete me." Those were the words uttered by Heath Ledger's Joker in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster "The Dark Night" when he's being interrogated by Christian Bale's Batman, as he wondered if the Joker wanted him dead. The Joker laughed and said those words showing that, while they're way on opposite ends of the legal spectrum, they really do compliment one another. There can't be a Batman without his Joker, or Professor X without Magneto, or Spider-Man without Green Goblin. Likewise, spanning back since 1949, Wile E. Coyote can't be without the Road Runner. The two have been chasing each other down for over seventy years, and it seems almost unthinkable to wonder what would happen if the Coyote did in fact capture the Runner (although it's happened in non-canonical situations). That's the heart behind the long-delayed and almost non-released animated/live action "Coyote vs. Acme," showing that, while we sometimes hate something, we still need that something in our life to give it meaning.

Throughout the years Wile E. Coyote has tried to catch and eat the elusive Road Runner, but due to the bird's speed he could never catch him, no matter what types of products he uses from the Acme corporation. Oddly enough, each of those products have (sometimes literally) blown up in his face, and one day he hears an ad on television from Kevin Avery (Will Forte), an attorney who sues the Acme Corporation for faulty products. Coyote arrives at his firm with a box full of dysfunctional Acme products, but Kevin is willing to settle for a few hundred dollars. Coyote rips up the deal and the two go to court, aided by Kevin's niece, the fresh out of college Paige (Lana Condor). The Acme Corporation, led by Foghorn Leghorn, has their own team of lawyers including Kevin's former college associate Buddy Crane (John Cena) who threatens to destroy his business. While he doesn't want to fight the big corporation because he's fearful of failure, Coyote pushes him forward, leading all the way to the Capitol to show the world that animated characters are just as important as non-animated ones.

"Coyote vs. Acme" oddly parallels the tense behind-the-scenes drama that came with it. It was completed in 2023, but Warner Brothers announced they would not release it, but rather claim a $30 million dollar tax loss. This led to outrage by the director, stars, crew, and millions of fans who demanded the movie be shown, leading Warner Brothers to allow the filmmakers to shop the movie to other distributors. Amazon MGM, Apple and Netflix all showed interest but backed out when the $75-80 million dollar offer from the company was rejected. It returned to the shelf until 2025, when the small production company Ketchup Entertainment agreed to buy the rights for $50 million dollars (their other notable films include "Hypnotic," "Ferrari," "Hellboy: The Crooked Man" and the fellow Looney Tunes film "The Day the Earth Blew Up"). The film finally saw the light of cinemas on August 28, 2026, and while there's some pacing issues in the middle and an elongated ending, it perfectly captures the essence of Looney Tunes and provides old and young alike numerous laugh-out-loud moments with "Avengers: Endgame" style cameos from your favorite animated characters.

More than that, "Coyote vs. Acme" is an underdog story, again, much like real life (the fact that movie started with "This is based on a true story" is both meta and oddly factual) with a small production company claiming the rights to a juggernaut of entertainment that was fine with letting the movie collect dust on a shelf. Here, it's the not-so-Wiley E. Coyote who seeks retribution for the decades of hurt he suffered at the hands of Acme, taking on the giant like a mom-and-pop baking company would go up against Betty Crocker. More than an uphill battle, this is a David versus Goliath fight for the ages, and the journey to get there is filled with classic animated slapstick comedy, action, and a deeply emotional center that you wouldn't expect from 2D animated creatures.

The Looney Tunes have hit the big screen before in mixture of animation and live-action with Brendan Fraser's "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," LeBron James's abysmal "Space Jam: A New Legacy" and the truly legendary Michael Jordan-led "Space Jam." They're really big on combining the two media art forms that've been huge since the iconic "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" was released in 1988, still setting the standard for amazing animated/live action blended movies. Here, Will Forte leads the human side as a "Better Call Saul"-esqe attorney who settles for pennies for the animated characters he represents that have been hurt by the Acme Corporation, and is fine with that because he's constantly worried about failing. On the flip side, Coyote has failed for decades but he keeps pushing forward, and it sets the two as opposite ends of the same coin throughout. While it follows the traditional comedic tropes including the "all is lost" moment, I was still engrossed in the proceedings and, as a lifelong Looney Tunes fan, was enamored with how closely it paid homage to the original, including even adding shots of the classic cartoon. 

The big company, Acme, is essentially the Facebook of the past, a "too big to fail" company that doesn't care about the animated consumer but wants to make money hand over fist, and of course it'd be led by Foghorn Leghorn, a not-so-obvious comparison to another wealthy failed entrepreneur we all pretty much know. John Cena relishes his role as the villainous right-hand-man Buddy Crane, who enjoys belittling Kevin every chance he gets. It's nice seeing him not just in a villain role, but a comically one at that. 

Through it all, the movie's main theme is striving for the impossible, even if you fail. The Coyote has been doing that pretty much since the dawn of time, while Kevin has avoided it at all cost. It also shows how villains can actually be friends, and that it's not about the ending, but the journey it takes to get there. The middle of the film has some pacing issues and it could've cut about ten minutes - plus I personally didn't like the way the ending weaved - but when it's all said and done "Coyote vs. Acme" is the second-best Looney Tunes film, filled with fantastic comedy, a true-to-form honoring of the past, and a great message to boot.

The Score: A-