Coyote vs. Acme (2026) is proof that sometimes the coyote does win. It’s a second-story-piano-drop-to-the-heads-of-studio-execs of a film. You may recall, Warner Bros. shelved it in 2023 for a tax write-off. What an astonishingly stupid decision to try and throw away one of the most hilarious, inventive, and surprisingly heartfelt movies of the year.
It opens with a glorious reminder of everything Wile E. Coyote has endured in his endless pursuit of the Road Runner. Classic footage is mixed in with updated versions of familiar gags. You know, magnets that attract the wrong metal object, bombs that don’t explode when you want them to, and rocket skates with a little too much rocket. The new stunts are fantastic, cleverly abusing our favorite desert predator while building sympathy for him. After all these years, you start to realize the coyote deserves a little justice.
Will Forte plays a cartoonishly lazy attorney who needs a little kick to the pants to get his career going again. Coyote sets up that kick in Rube Goldberg-esque fashion. Literally. Forte and Coyote have terrific comedic chemistry as they start to realize they’re not so different. All of the human characters are slightly cartoonish and dedicated to their bits. The world feels real even as cartoon nonsense bubbles, bounces, blows up in real settings.
You’ll see familiar Looney Tunes characters integrated beautifully. Nearly every scene contains some tiny visual gag or background joke you might miss while laughing at something else. The whole thing is a ridiculous exercise, but it’s so well executed it’s a blast to watch. The filmmakers understand what makes Wile E. Coyote funny, from his boundless optimism to his spectacular failures. They even find a mythic parallel for his endless losing streak.
The legal proceedings give the movie an unexpectedly entertaining structure. I didn’t see that coming. The courtroom scenes are funny and escalate the tension while outside the courtroom a noirish mystery starts to develop. That may sound familiar. The film proudly flies a Who Framed Roger Rabbit flag. You see the influence in the story, cinematography, and character designs. Though Coyote vs. Acme has a lighter and much, much, much sillier tone.
The whole idea of the film is all the more fun because WB tried to bury the project. Coyote vs. Acme is about a little guy fighting back against a powerful corporation that has profited from his suffering. Kind of like Warner Bros. treating the filmmakers’ years of work like a disposable ACME product. Thankfully, Ketchup Entertainment rescued the film and gave us a chance to enjoy a tribute to one of the Looney Tunes’ greatest second-string characters.
Crack open a sixer, cheer on the coyote, and help make this a legendary cinematic backfire, with Warner Bros. and its incompetently greedy former CEO David Zaslav standing directly under the film’s growing shadow.
Rating: PG (Me: 5+)
Director: Dave Green
Starring: Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, P.J. Byrne, and Eric Bauza
Run time: 1h 43m
Post-credits scenes: None. But during the credits, there’s new animation of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner, along with a special dedication to the fans who helped save the movie.
Sequel? Not likely.
If you liked Coyote vs. Acme, check out these films:
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (6+)
- The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) (5+)
- The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981) (5+)
- Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982) (5+)
- Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988) (5+)
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) (5+)
- The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024) (5+)
- Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) (6+)
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