Coyote vs. Acme – Film Review

Director – Dave Green
Writers – Samy Burch, James Gunn, Jeremy Slater
Stars – John Cena, Lana Condor, Will Forte

Many have been waiting for this release for years! The film was initially completed in 2024 but never received a scheduled release date. It was subsequently written off for tax purposes by Warner Bros., before the studio backtracked and allowed it to be released by a different distributor. Quite how it can make better financial sense for a company to write off a film with a reported budget of between $70–72 million is fascinating.

The film tells the story of Wile E. Coyote, a self-declared genius who has spent his life pursuing the Road Runner. He has never managed to achieve his goal, but is the blame his own? Does it lie with the Coyote himself or the substandard products supplied by the Acme Corporation? After seeing an advertisement, our Coyote protagonist decides to head to the big city and take legal action against the corporation, which has played no small part in preventing him from achieving his life’s ambition. He retains the legal services of Kevin Avery (Will Forte), who inadvertently finds himself involved in the biggest case of his career, taking on the Acme Corporation and its hotshot legal team, headed by Buddy Crane (John Cena).

The film blends cartoon characters with real-world actors, much like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam and even Mary Poppins. There is nothing particularly revolutionary about the concept, but it is interesting to see how the ‘toons are integrated into this new world. They appear perfectly at home, with some even taking on office jobs alongside their human counterparts.

The film begins with the traditional Looney Tunes gags, but once Coyote moves to the city, it settles into a more conventional movie plot, with the relationship between Kevin Avery (Will Forte) and Coyote developing into an ‘odd couple’ dynamic. There are plenty of moments to satisfy fans of the classic cartoons, including a variety of cameos from Bugs Bunny and the gang. If you’re looking for complex plotlines or moments of clever meta-commentary, however, you’re unlikely to find them here. For the most part, the film is aimed squarely at a younger audience, relying on familiar gags and storyline. The highlight is seeing the return of many of your childhood favourites to the big screen and the occasional belly laugh.