Coyote vs Acme

The story of Coyote vs. Acme and how it came to be in theaters feels like something the Acme Corporation itself would be behind. The film wrapped in early 2022 and was shelved by Acme—I mean Warner Bros.—so the studio could claim a $30 million write-off. For anyone who has ever created anything, that felt like a stab in the heart, as a completed film was simply tossed aside so a studio could save some money. That’s when the hero of this story arrived, as Ketchup Entertainment bought the rights for $50 million. Now we’re finally going to see what the Acme Corporation didn’t want us to see, and boy, is it good.

Everyone has chased something in their life that they just haven’t been able to get their hands on, but for some, the chase is the life. For Wile E. Coyote, that chase is the Road Runner, and for anyone who spent Saturday mornings sitting in front of the TV, you know he never quite lands his prize. But whose fault is that? Is it because he isn’t fast enough, or maybe it’s the company whose products he keeps using to achieve his goal—products that often seem to explode at the worst possible time?

Luckily for Wile E., there’s a man who can help him. His name is Kevin Avery (Will Forte), and he’s a lawyer who takes the case against the company that makes those products: Acme. Avery usually handles smaller cases, and this one is anything but small. To make matters worse, his old college friend, Buddy Crane (John Cena), is the attorney representing Acme. This case is going to be an uphill battle, but thanks to his associate Paige (Lana Condor) and the determination of the Coyote himself, Avery is ready to take it on, no matter how many anvils get thrown his way.

Written by Samy Burch and inspired by Ian Frazier’s New Yorker article, Coyote vs. Acme has sharp dialogue and visual storytelling to match, dropping references almost as fast as a coyote on rocket skates. Much like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, this is a world where toons and humans live side by side, and it’s a surprisingly harmonious one. Underneath all the chaos is a simple message about believing in yourself and never giving up.

You can tell everyone involved has nothing but love for the Looney Tunes family. The characters are presented exactly the way you want them to be, including plenty of failed attempts by the Coyote to finally land his dinner. Everything is delivered with the timing, energy, and sense of humor you expect from these characters.

Coyote vs. Acme also has humor that works on several levels. Kids will love the slapstick, while older members of the audience will be hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia. In other words, everyone wins. This isn’t just about some poor fool who keeps falling off cliffs, either, because Coyote vs. Acme is also a good old-fashioned movie about justice. Even when it ventures into that slightly drier territory, it never forgets what you really came for, which is, of course, watching someone suffer the consequences of one terrible decision after another.

This movie went through a lot just to finally reach our eyes, and the fact that it’s really good—and maybe one of the best Looney Tunes movies to date—feels like a little bit of karma after everything it went through on its way to theaters. So grab your kids, or just go by yourself, and see this movie. It takes you back to a simpler time, when a coyote’s completely inept ability to capture one single bird was somehow endlessly entertaining.

Turns out, it still is.

Brian Taylor

Member of the North Texas Film Critics Association, and lover of all things Cinema