Coyote vs. Acme is a laugh-out-loud triumph that almost didn't make it to the big screen. Warner Bros. shelved the completed movie in 2023, opting for a tax write-off instead—the same unpopular decision that had been made for Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. After public outcry, Warner Bros. allowed the filmmakers to shop the movie to other distributors, and Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights in 2025 for a reported $50 million (£37 million). Now, the film is finally reaching audiences, and every penny was well spent.
From shelved to saved: The journey of Coyote vs. Acme
The movie's release is a victory for film fans who were reminded, in blatant terms, that Hollywood is a money-making business first. But thanks to the public's reaction and the persistence of the filmmakers, Coyote vs. Acme was rescued from obscurity. Ketchup Entertainment's acquisition ensured that this wacky but heartfelt film would finally grace cinema screens.
For millennials, Coyote vs. Acme is like a new version of Space Jam, 30 years later. The comparison is easy to make, given the same basic premise: the enduringly popular Looney Tunes featuring alongside humans. While the Looney Tunes may have fallen by the wayside with youngsters today, who prefer Bluey, Paw Patrol, and SpongeBob SquarePants, this film brings them back with a bang and a glorious burst of zany energy. As with the best family films, it's hard to tell if Coyote vs. Acme leans more towards kids or adults, thanks to its effortless universal appeal.
A whip-smart premise: Wile E. Coyote sues Acme
The film is better than Space Jam, largely because of its whip-smart simple premise: what if these cartoons, so long put through the gruesome wringer for our entertainment, sought compensation for their pain and suffering? For every cartoonishly explicit injury from every dropped anvil, parachute failure, or faulty experiment with Acme-branded rocket sleds and spring-powered shoes?
Based on satirist Ian Frazier's ingenious 1990 New Yorker article, Coyote vs. Acme focuses on Wile E. Coyote, who brings a case against the Acme Corporation for corporate malfeasance and liability. The suit is based on 77 years' worth of disastrous products causing the plaintiff 'personal injury, loss of business income, and mental suffering' in his professional pursuit of the Road Runner. All the other Looney Tunes are present and correct too, in a world where Porky Pig, Tweety Pie, and Bugs Bunny mill about alongside the residents of New Mexico. The Warner Bros. lore is particularly strong, thanks to Dr. Lorre, the parody Peter Lorre character from the 1940s, whose inclusion will especially delight die-hard fans.
Star-studded cast and clever screenplay
Emmy winner and longtime Looney Tunes voice actor Eric Bauza is on board, with support from the likes of Jim Cummings on the character voice front. Coyote vs. Acme captures some of the fantastic zip of Disney's strongest animated films like Aladdin, thanks to Oscar nominee Samy Burch's (May December) clever screenplay. It mixes a strong story with relentless jokes and small details, alongside shades of light and dark, while director Dave Green makes sure the movie's human characters shine in their performances too.
Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte is excellent foil to the Looney Tunes as lazy lawyer Kevin Avery, who's long settled into pursuing only the lowest hanging fruit, winning a few hundred dollars here and there for his clients like Porky with routine claims where he accepts the first offer. With his mundane brown suit, tacky billboard adverts, and poky office, he's a great downtrodden straight man opposite the 'toons. But when Wile E. sees Kevin's TV advert after one too many thwarted attempts to catch the Road Runner, the mute cartoon turns up at his office, complete with a collection of his famous written signs to ease conversation, which are delightfully specific.
A satisfying David-and-Goliath scenario
Kevin's niece Paige (To All the Boys I've Loved Before's Lana Condor) convinces him to properly consider the merit of Wile E.'s case, and we end up inside the hallowed halls of Acme, dealing with Kevin's old college pal – from Harvard, no less – Buddy Crane (John Cena), who is now Acme's sharkish chief legal counsel. It's a satisfying David-and-Goliath scenario, perfectly added to by Foghorn Leghorn's casting as the aggressive corporation's unscrupulous CEO, while Cena fully commits to his role as the bullying baddie. When he yanks open his desk drawer after snapping a pencil in frustration, there's an entire handful of animated pencils with eyes, quivering in fear at the prospect of being picked by him.
It's in moments like this that Coyote vs. Acme proves its quality against the high standard of 1988's hybrid live-action animated classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It's smart, it's simple, and there are gags for the grown-ups, from the awkwardness of a human character announcing that you can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs in front of Foghorn, to Kevin's morose colleague Dottie (Martha Kelly) booking him in for plasma donation when it looks like everything is about to go belly up.
Verdict: A deserving phenomenon
Like last year's Oscar-winning sensation KPop Demon Hunters, the quality of this animated film has massively impressed out of seemingly nowhere. While it doesn't have the catchy music, Coyote vs. Acme deserves to be as much of a phenomenon. The film is in UK and Irish cinemas on August 28, with advance preview screenings everywhere from August 21. It's a must-see for fans of the Looney Tunes and anyone looking for a smart, funny, and heartfelt family film.
