After nearly being shelved by Warner Brothers, Coyote vs Acme has finally released in the latest instalment of Looney Tunes in the real world fun writes Carter Smith
I absolutely love the Looney Tunes. Love ‘em. Out of all the classic cartoons from before I was born, Bugs Bunny and the gang have always beat out the rest. The love runs deep. I remember buying Space Jam with my last bit of pocket money after finding it in the DVD section near my nan and grandad’s local shop and loving it. When my family used to go camping as a kid I used to watch the old series on a portable DVD player. I used to tune in to Cartoon Network to watch its modern remake. And like most, I was bitterly disappointed when Warner Brothers turned Space Jam: A New Legacy into a cameo fest of their own products.
So maybe it shouldn’t have come as a shock in November 2023 when they shelved Coyote vs Acme – although it was already finished – as a tax write off. But it did. That’s what I get for even expecting a shred of decency from multi millionaire corporations. Fool me once.
What they failed to realise was just how infuriated people would be by the decision. They clearly didn’t learn from Paramount’s ugly Sonic fiasco. Months following the incident, fans took to social media to protest the decision to force Warner Brothers hand.
It didn’t take long as only a few months later they sheepishly went back on their decision and let studios have the chance to buy the product. In comes our saviour Ketchup Entertainment, who in May 2025 brought the film for $50 million.
Which leads us to August 2026. Coyote vs Acme has hit cinemas and we have an opportunity to stick it to Warner Brothers. The chance to prove that fan outrage actually means something is in our hands. Let’s not waste it.
The long awaited animation, live action hybrid follows Wille E. Coyote, who, after decades of dastardly plans to catch his nemesis Road Runner have gone up in explosions, decides to sue Acme for every time he has been foiled by their wacky gadgets – which is a whole lot.
He goes to the help of billboard slob lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) and his glass-half-full niece Paige (Lana Condor) to stick it to the big corporations ran by Foghorn Leghorn and their lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena). Think Erin Brockovic but less push-up bras and more eyes shooting out their head
The irony of a film about capitalism and the bossing around by big corporations being shelved by a big corporation for a tax write off must have gave director Dave Green a good laugh. The jokes wrote themselves.
What ensues is the classic Looney Tunes slapstick antics. Coyote takes countless smacks to the face, Road Runner evades everyone’s attempts at capturing him and the ensemble of characters pop by like an MCU cameo. I wasn’t cheering each time they came, but It caused a good smile seeing these characters on the big screen.
It would have been a sticky situation if the film we were all batting for ended up being a travesty, but luckily Coyote vs. Acme is a whole lot of fun.
Screen 10 at the my Odeon is always serving up great harmless fun. Never had a bad time in there. Less can be said for screen 3 at my independent cinema the Phoenix. Always having a bad time in there.
- Coyote vs Acme is available to watch at cinemas
