A story set in the ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters.
Chuck says:
Propelle by the kind of publicity money can’t buy as well as a cleverly subversive advertising campaign, Dave Green’s “Coyote vs. Acme” arrives in theaters with great fanfare, an event that seemed destined never to occur two years ago. This was one of three films David Zaslav, the head of Warner Brothers, decided not to release in order to take a tax write-off for the beleaguered studio. Those anticipating the release of the semi-animated feature, as well as some involved in its making, began to make some noise, demanding it be released.
Ketchup Entertainment didn’t need an anvil to fall on its corporate offices to realize a golden opportunity had presented itself and they soon cut a deal to secure the rights from Warners. Hopefully, this proves to be a shrewd move for the distributor and the movie will appeal to more than just those who grew up watching Warners’ “Looney Toons” in theaters or on after-school television cartoon programs.
Based on an article – believe it or not – that appeared in “The New Yorker,” the film wastes little time reacquainting us with the travails of one Wile E. Coyote. Seen being thwarted once more in his efforts to capture the Road Runner, we are treated to moments from past cartoons showing his many mishaps. The one consistent in all of these, other than tremendous bad luck, are his continued use of products from the ACME corporation. Whether it’s a passel of anvils, a giant magnet or a pair of rocket skates, these items always malfunction in some way. (Why Mr. Coyote continues to be the company’s most loyal customer is answered later in the film.)
Cut to the law offices of Avery, Jones and Maltese. Seems accidents of this sort are so common place, the firm specializes in settling cases involving cartoon accidents. Kevin Avery (Will Forte) is content to resolve these matters quickly, getting his clients a couple hundred bucks for their pain and suffering. However, his intern Paige (Lana Condor) pushes him to set his sights on a bigger prize when Wile E. walks though their doors. Recognizing a pattern of negligence, she convinces him to go after ACME in his client’s behalf, not only to secure a settlement in the millions but to expose the corporation’s corrupt culture.
Avery is reluctant to do so, but he has a change of heart when he goes to ACME for what he thinks will be a quick settlement. He encounters Buddy Crane (John Cena), lead attorney for the corporation and a former classmate. Ridiculed and bullied while they were students, Avery is irate at their condescending demeanor towards him and his client, inspiring him to pursue the case in court. The head of ACME, Foghorn Leghorn, is far from pleased with this and instructs Crane to quash this case post haste. He does not want the company’s history exposed, wanting to keep a top-secret initiative from long ago, Project Sisyphus, under wraps.
While it’s no “Inception,” the screenplay by Samy Burch is far more complex than you’d expect. The writer puts the corrupt nature of corporate American under the microscope and with great glee exposes the inequities of the consumer economy. Of course, this is done by showing Wile E. and other characters having pianos dropped on them and such. But the callous attitude of Leghorn (great “casting”) and Crane is what drives home the indifference companies like Amazon, which ACME is clearly based on, have in pursuing the almighty dollar.
The movie is not only thematically on point but serves as a loving tribute to the Warner Brothers’ animated characters. All of the usual suspects appear at one point or another, but it’s the background characters that pop up that point to the studio’s rich history and the filmmaker’s love of them. Obscure creations appear again and again, whether simply wandering in the background or getting a settlement check from Avery, rewarding those viewers deeply steeped in the studio’s lore.
While the film contains a couple too many third-act chases for its own good, the first hour is intriguing from the beginning, one surprise tripping on the heels of another, inventive visual gags inserted along the way. The integration of real-life actors with their animated co-stars is seamless, the flesh-and-blood performers fully invested in maintaining the illusion their rubbing shoulders with the creations of Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.
A loving tribute with teeth, “Coyote vs. Acme” proves to be one of 2026’s more imaginative and fun features. Its final shot is a rather poignant reminder of why these characters endure, as the ‘toons behavior has always been a reflection of our own human frailties and hopes. As long as cruel fate thwarts the best-laid plans, Wile E, Coyote will remain relatable, because we identify not only with his misfortunes and but his perseverance as well.
3 1/2 Stars
