Thank you so much, Ketchup Entertainment, for swooping in and saving Coyote vs. Acme from being hidden by Warner Bros. Pictures’ David Zaslav forever. Without you, Ketchup, Wile E. Coyote and his fellow Looney Tunes characters would never have seen the light of day. That would have been incredibly tragic, since Coyote vs. Acme is one of the best live-action/animated hybrids ever made.
Its crazy path to a theatrical release started way back in 2018, when now-DC Studios Co-Chairman and Co-CEO James Gunn thought Ian Frazier’s 1990 New Yorker article would be the perfect jumping-off point for a film. The resulting movie, directed by Dave Green (Earth to Echo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) from a screenplay by Samy Burch (story by Burch, Gunn, and Jeremy Slater), wrapped up production in 2022. When Warner Bros. opted to shelve the finished film in 2023, social media went wild. The outcry reached beyond the normal social media echo chamber and into boardrooms, and finally WB sold it off to Ketchup Entertainment in March 2025.
Ketchup’s wise decision means audiences will see Wile E. Coyote finally taking on the man – or in this case, the massive ACME Corporation worth billions. Coyote has had enough of being blown up, catapulted into solid objects, run over, pounded by anvils, dropped from hundreds of feet above the ground, and otherwise abused. For the movie’s purposes, it’s a pair of rocket skates that send him over the edge.
Coyote wants justice after decades of failing to catch his nemesis, Road Runner, while using ACME’s defective products. And when a commercial pops up advertising the law firm of Avery, Jones, & Maltese*, with Kevin Avery (Will Forte, The Four Seasons) promising to help cartoons get what they deserve, Coyote – who maintains his silence as established in the cartoons – realizes that’s who he needs to employ to go after ACME’s massive line of malfunctioning products.
Poor Kevin’s completely unprepared for the level of mayhem Coyote’s about to cause, just to be heard (via signs). Kevin and his associates are used to small change settlements with ACME’s legal team, headed by Kevin’s nemesis and fellow Harvard Law graduate, Buddy Crane (John Cena, Peacemaker). Kevin’s greatest ambition seems to be simply making it through each day as easily as possible. But Coyote has spent decades being repeatedly manhandled, sliced, and diced by ACME’s machines. A measly couple-hundred-dollar payout isn’t what he’s after. No, Coyote wants to take down ACME for everything they’ve done to keep him from catching up with Road Runner, and Kevin will be dragged into his war as the legal sledgehammer who whacks open ACME’s money vault.
What follows is a legal battle that ricochets from one zany set piece to the next, with enough anvils, explosives, and wild visual gags to keep even the most diehard Looney Tunes fan grinning.
The setup’s simple – which is perfect, since it allows the physical comedy of classic Looney Tunes cartoons to take center stage. A disgruntled customer squaring off against a corrupt megacorporation is something we can all get behind. Make that customer the beloved Wile E. Coyote and we don’t just root for him – we want to see ACME’s bigwigs spend a few decades in Coyote’s paws. Yet, that actual court battle, while entertaining, isn’t the beating heart of Coyote vs. Acme. What makes the story worth investing in is the unlikely friendship that develops between the Road Runner-obsessed Coyote and Kevin, a man who dwells on the sidelines and is suddenly pushed kicking and screaming into the spotlight.
Beneath the film’s over-the-top gags (and that’s meant as a compliment) and cartoon chaos, there’s a truly touching relationship between Coyote and his lawyer. The bond between Coyote and Kevin feels surprisingly genuine, despite the fact one half of the relationship is a silent cartoon character who prefers blowing things up over patient negotiations. This odd-couple pairing works brilliantly, thanks to the flawless integration of animation and live-action and a totally committed performance by Will Forte. Their unlikely partnership is the movie’s heart, and their friendship is so sweet and moving that you almost forget you’re watching a story set in the Looney Tunes universe.
So, yes, it’s incredibly touching, which isn’t something most people will expect. But it’s also jam-packed with scenes of pure, inspired Looney Tunes mayhem that evoke the classic cartoons.
Dave Green has established a new bar for hybrid films like this, delivering sequences that build and build until they explode off the screen. Green also made sure that Looney Tunes fans will need multiple screenings just to catch the inside jokes and spot all the recognizable cartoon characters. Coyote vs. Acme even includes Peter Lorre, the classic Hollywood character actor with a long history in Looney Tunes.
Coyote vs. Acme is a treat for kids, but it’s the adults who’ll get the biggest kick out of the film’s many Easter eggs, sharp wit, and nostalgic energy. With so many reboots and cash-grab sequels these days, Coyote vs. Acme is a genuine love letter to classic animation and a clever jab at corporate greed. It reminds us that sometimes, all it takes to fight against evil wrongdoers is unfaltering determination and hope and an unexpected ally who has your back when the odds are stacked against you.
*Avery, Jones & Maltese is a tribute to legendary Looney Tunes director Tex Avery and Wile E. Coyote creators Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese
GRADE: A-
Rating: PG for cartoon violence and some language
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes
Release Date: August 28, 2026
Cast: Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, and Jim Cummings