It’s bizarre that a movie like Coyote vs. Acme might never have seen the light of day on a projector. And yet here we are.
In a time when Hollywood is ravenous for safe IP, a Looney Tunes comedy starring the likes of Will Forte, John Cena, and Lana Condor should have seemed an easy layup for box office success.
Add to that it was written by Academy Award–nominated screenwriter Samy Burch (May December) and produced by James Gunn, who Warner Bros. handed the reins of DC Studios to, it would seem Coyote vs. Acme could have been a tentpole for the storied studio, appealing to the family demographic hungry for fun for all ages. And yet, in November of 2023, Warner Bros. Entertainment shocked the industry by announcing the completed film would be shelved indefinitely, so they could claim a tax loss of about $30 million.
WB took similar write-downs for Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, leaving fans of both properties drop-jawed and powerless. Thankfully, Looney Tunes fans have been spared such profound frustration by Ketchup Entertainment, which successfully bought the distribution rights to Coyote vs. Acme. And just like that, a silly David versus Goliath story became weirdly self-reflective.
Coyote vs. Acme is the underdog tale we need right now.
Credit: Ketchup Entertainment
Directed by Dave Green, Coyote vs. Acme imagines a world like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? or 2022’s Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers. In all three films, cartoon characters live alongside live-action humans and are often treated with disdain for their lunacy. But Coyote vs. Acme takes this culture clash to a socio-political level, creating a satire that’s silly and stuffed with slapstick, but thought-provoking all the same.
Leave it to Burch, who turned the sordid tale of Mary Kay Letourneau into a deliciously uncomfortable dark comedy, to create a whistleblower legal drama centered around a chaotic coyote, known for his failures of catching a bright blue roadrunner. Their story begins when, after another failed attempt to use Acme products to snare the speedy bird, Wile E. Coyote sees a cheesy commercial for the law offices of Avery, Jones, and Maltese (each name a nod to a classic Looney Tunes animator: Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and Michael Maltese).
Will Forte stars as Kevin Avery, a lawyer who makes his living suing Acme in small claims court. In his ad, he’s giving Cellino and Barnes, promising cartoon clients quick cash for their pain and suffering. His partners, Sal Maltese (Tone Bell) and Dottie Jones (Martha Kelly), are similarly focused, seeking easy settlements that require no court time. However, when Wile E. shows up with a mountain of evidence of Acme’s faulty products, a big case sits before Kevin whether he likes it or not. And he does not!
Condor co-stars as Kevin’s ambitious, fresh-out-of-law-school niece Paige, who sees in this pile of broken gadgets not just a chance to put her skills to the test, but also to make a difference in how Acme treats its cartoon customers. You see, Acme also makes phones and cars for humans, and those all seem to be pretty safe. So, what’s going on that all their cartoon products seem wildly dangerous?
Coyote vs. Acme offers a whistleblower thriller amid its shenanigans.
Credit: Ketchup Entertainment
The film opens with a refreshing throwback sequence. In an Acme factory under strict surveillance, Dr. Peter Lorre (a caricature that resembles the late, iconic Hungarian actor) is sending out some top-secret information to an unknown outsider. He’ll get the parcel out of the building, but won’t escape himself. Instead, a nefarious fleet of menacing men will throw him an Acme hole, black and potentially bottomless. He has two options: jump or be pushed. He warns that they won’t be able to hide the truth forever, and then he jumps, vanishing to an unknown. The title card then jumps ahead 30 years.
While the main plotline follows Kevin begrudgingly taking Wile E.’s case, and facing off against a buff and arrogant lawyer played by John Cena, the b-plot follows Paige as she tries to make sense of what Acme might be hiding. Their journeys loop in classic Looney Tunes like Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Bugs Bunny, as well as appearances by Granny, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, and more.
Along the way, Kevin’s resolve strengthens and his connection to Wile E. grows — despite the fact that the latter never speaks, preferring handheld signs, furrowed eyebrows, and an imaginative use of paper dolls to get his points across. Forte is a perfect scene partner to a literal cartoon. It’s not just that the comedian has loaned his voice to a variety of cartoons, including Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, Gravity Falls, Haunted Hotel, Rick and Morty, American Dad!, Clone High, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and many, many more. It’s that Forte’s comic sensibilities can shift from deadpan to impish in the blink of an eye. He’s perfectly cast as a lovable loser called upon to be a noble hero. He’s so lovable you want to believe in him, but so damn goofy (see also MacGruber) that failure seems a very real possibility.
Credit: Ketchup Entertainment
Like Roger Rabbit and Chip and Dale’s movies, Coyote vs. Acme uses its lovable toons to counter the darkness of their crime plots. But here, rather than a jaded private investigator or a jaded has-been, Burch offers a loser who’s always been too afraid to try. As Acme’s high-priced and bullying lawyers ready for battle, it’s easy to understand Kevin’s fear. But watching him band together with a motley crew of screw-ups and goofballs is heartwarming, a reminder that sometimes that’s all we have. And we can be our own warriors, whatever the rich, polished, and I say, I say, I say, privileged throw our way.
To Green’s credit, he brings a vivid life to Looney Tunes’ signature slapstick, showing Daffy go wild, Porky get pummeled, or Wile E. get blown to smithereens with aplomb. Adding a shadow layer to their coloring strengthens the visual sense that they are in our world, impacted by the same forces we are. And this makes the courtroom scenes all the more fun.
Like Inherit the Wind or My Cousin Vinny, Coyote vs. Acme relishes the stagework of the courtroom scene. Forte fumbles brilliantly, while Foghorn Leghorn strides like the Southern country lawyer who’s become a staple in the legal drama genre. Burch shrewdly creates a spoof without losing the stakes of this case. So, as the squeaking gavel goes down, we might giggle, but our breaths catch as we wait for the verdict.
Simply put, Coyote vs. Acme is a really good movie. It likely will be ignored by Oscar. It won’t make Odyssey money. But it’s not bedraggled by pandering fan service or incoherent between its action sequences. It’s smart, silly, and ultimately inspiring. It’s the kind of movie I’d have rushed to see after school with my friends, the kind I look forward to watching with my niblings. It’s both timely and timeless, bringing classic characters to a modern space where they still make silliness make sense.
To see something like this, entertaining and poignant and daring, be chucked by a major studio for a tax write-off should scare every movie lover. So, in some sense, this movie is the call to action it advocates for in its final act. Its release, coming after much public outcry from fans and filmmakers alike, is evidence that when the cold corporations favor money over art, community, and joy, we need to be the underdog willing to spit in their eye. Because if not us, who?
