‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Speeds Through a Great Riot of Laughter and Surprising Poignancy

Alci Rengifo

Family entertainment can have a tendency of being dumbed down, as if children are not meant to understand richer subtext. Of course, the point is that as a kid you’re entertained but then as an adult you take in the deeper meanings. “Coyote vs. Acme” starts off with a brilliantly funny idea related to all those gadgets Looney Toon Wile E. Coyote has ordered over the years out in the desert to try and nab the Road Runner. As it gets wildly entertaining, the movie never loses its sharpness and even social commentary. Many viewers will first be intrigued by the backstory involving Warner Bros. initially shelving the movie back in 2023 for a tax write-off, then selling the rights to Ketchup Entertainment. We should be grateful someone stepped in to save this charming, witty experience.

The action begins in 1992, when in some remote laboratory site, Dr. Peter Lorre (Eric Bauza, who pretty much voices all the major cartoons), a “toon,” is being harassed by nefarious forces trying to silence him. After he is forced to jump into one of those famous black holes you can conjure in cartoons, we cut to the present where Wile E. is stuck in the same cycle of chasing after the Road Runner, getting close, but failing spectacularly with the various Acme Corporation gadgets he keeps ordering. Left in despair, he sees an ad by Albuquerque lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte), a human specializing in cases involving cartoon violence. Wile E. sees the perfect opportunity to sue Acme for the mountain of endless rockets and other items that have left him turned into dust. Kevin would be fine just asking for his client to get $300 back for faulty rocket boots, but Wile E. wants compensation for everything we have seen him use over decades. This sparks a fury in Acme, which is run by none other than Foghorn Leghorn. The rooster’s crack human attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), who was once Kevin’s rival at Harvard, is tasked with crushing the coyote’s case. 

“Coyote vs. Acme” is one of those movies like “Space Jam” or the great “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” where it perfectly blends animation with live action, to the point where your mind stops distinguishing between the two. It says something about the times we’re living in that Warner almost made it disappear without a second thought. Director Dave Green works from a screenplay by Samy Burch, which is based on a 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, a delightful piece of satirical cheer. James Gunn is one of the producers, no doubt helping explain how this film finds a particular poignancy in Looney Toons characters. First the movie works as a funny form of self-commentary, pondering how Wile E. should logically have amassed football-size amounts of Acme gadgets. All this because of his obsessive drive to catch the Road Runner, apparently out of hunger, but maybe it’s just become a consuming passion the way other people thirst for power or explorers seek to climb great mountains. It is not as if Wile E. couldn’t find other meal options, right? 

A Looney Toons movie is required to have timeless favorites appear like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Tweety Bird and others. None of them are used as just filler and become part of a rather intense detective yarn. Bugs Bunny leaves cryptic phone messages for Kevin and arranges late night meetings out of a Bogart thriller. Daffy knows something but is consigned to a mental health institution. Desert moments of intrigue are framed as if in homage to “Breaking Bad.” The humans are also not reduced to mere gags and turn into walking embodiments of ruthless corporate America. John Cena’s Buddy Crane is the classic suit just doing his job, which entails going to any length to please his client. He slimily offers Kevin a quick settlement the underdog lawyer is eager to accept, but Wile E. instantly refuses. Now it becomes total war. When Kevin tries to get the Road Runner to appear as a witness in Wile E.’s defense, Buddy and his army of lawyers then try any method to stop that from happening. The ensuing gags are pure Looney Toons cheer, such as a plot to lure the Road Runner with a massive mountain of bird feed containing a glue trap.

Yet, what makes “Coyote vs. Acme” successful and a genuine treat for younger viewers is how it treats the audience, both younger and older, with intelligence. There are more layers to the story than just the court battle. Kevin must assess if the coyote is being honest with him, or using this whole case as a ruse to finally lure the Road Runner into a space of total entrapment. Also, after so many years chasing each other out there in the desert, might the coyote and the Road Runner have developed a deeper friendship than they realize? The movie features quite the stacked cast which also includes an endearing Lana Condor as Kevin’s niece and assistant, who tries to keep him honest as a lawyer, and Luis Guzmán as Judge Troppogrosso, overseeing the case with farcical seriousness. Yet, above the gags, we’re also taken in by the story and the upfront jabs at corporate culture. Wile E. may have a twisted passion, but Acme is run by the kind of shady figures who would be more than welcomed at the current White House. The real heroes, in the end, are Ketchup Entertainment for saving this film. As dire as the times get, there is someone out there who always cares, which is also the closing, worthy message of this delightful good time.

“Coyote vs. Acme” releases Aug. 28 in theaters nationwide.