Coyote vs. Acme was originally slated for theaters a few years ago before Warner Bros., under David Zaslav, famously shelved the $70 million project for a tax write-off. This controversial cost-cutting move sparked massive public backlash, inadvertently transforming the movie's journey into a true David vs. Goliath story. Thankfully, Ketchup Entertainment stepped in to save a finished Looney Tunes film from another tax write-off like they did for the 2025 release The Day The Earth Blew Up!
The latest live action/animated film from the Looney Tunes franchise, inspired by the short story from The New Yorker, focused on the silent Wylie E. Coyote, who had enough of the constant failures of capturing the Road Runner with the weapons, traps, and bombs from ACME constantly backfiring, decides to sue the corporation with the help of a small law firm that handles tiny cases for cartoon characters and the situation became a much bigger matter than the firm anticipated.
The film is surprisingly full of twists and turns like a political thriller, mixed with a workplace office-style comedy and the typical Looney Tunes wacky humor. A very unusual mix of tones that could sink some films in the past. But Samy Buch, the screenwriter for this film, made the script fresh without overkilling the narrative and kept the focus on the key points of the story.
Another great part of the film is the animated characters' visuals fitting into the real world in the 2020s, believable with the 2D animation style. The Looney Tunes don’t feel out of place, and several Looney Tunes characters make memorable appearances.
Will Forte’s performance as Coyote’s lawyer, Kevin Avery, kept the film grounded and focused as the disillusioned lawyer. The bond between his character and the animated Coyote was very believable throughout the film. Speaking of Wylie E. Coyote, the character, known to be a bumbling failure in Looney Tunes lore, was made out to be an underdog in his journey of suing ACME. There was even a sweet moment during the third act that actually made him more likeable.
The scene stealer of the movie was John Cena portraying Buddy Crane, a former Harvard classmate of Kevin’s who’s ACME’s top-dog lawyer, sent to kill the lawsuit before it becomes a major problem for the corporation. Cena’s performance in comedy features continues to improve, and his personality is a great fit for the feature remembrance of some of his films post-WWE full-time run, like Blockers, Trainwreck, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker.
Cena was able to use many corporate heel tactics as a lawyer throughout the film. As a former performer for the WWE, Cena used that persona in order to manipulate the audience into hating his character. It's a nod to pro-wrestlers using that gimmick in promos to get a reaction out of the crowd.
Overall, Coyote vs Acme is one of the best comedies in years! This film hits all the marks. Definitely a love letter to the ambitious fans who constantly spoke out in support of getting this movie released, and to every artist whose hands ever touched this franchise.
The irony of this unique situation involving Warner Bros. using a tax write-off on this film turned out to have a heart and comedic timing compared to their other blockbusters in 2026!
See this in theaters ASAP!