I love happy surprises, don’t you? And I am happy to report here what many of you already know: that Coyote vs. ACME is a hit, with both audiences and critics. It almost wasn’t seen by anybody, due to the head-scratching cartoon logic of Warner Bros/Discovery exec David Zaslav, who shelved the movie in Nov. 2023 for a corporate tax write-off, and whose name will now sink into deserved obscurity since he is retiring in the turbulent wake of the studio’s acquisition by Paramount. Zaslav walks away with a severance package worth $606 million (wouldn’t it be ironic if the taxman took notice).
But the real irony is that the three-year-long delayed release of Coyote vs. ACME—a Looney Tunes retelling of the David vs. Goliath story—was itself the result of a real-life confrontation between a determined band of WB animators (and their fans) and a corporate Goliath that had no regard for the movie-going public or the beloved cartoon franchise that had been entertaining kids and adults for generations. One gets the impression that the suits at WB/Discovery/Paramount/ACME (hehe!) are still baffled by humanity’s continuing fondness for the Looney Tunes.
But that is why Coyote vs. ACME works—it seems pulled from the headlines we see every day. Unlike the contrived and artificial Space Jam, and the ambitious but muddled Looney Tunes Back In Action, Coyote vs. ACME actually has a reason to exist, and its story is one that only Wile E. Coyote could tell… of determination and courage, of unyielding hope and hopeless stubbornness.
Credit belongs to director Dave Green and a cast led by Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte for having the good judgment to play the legal premise of Wile E.’s lawsuit straight, preserving the tone of the 1990 lampoon by Ian Frazier, "Coyote vs. ACME", which appeared in The New Yorker magazine. Underachieving attorney Kevin Avery (Forte) takes the case and, with help from his associates at the cash-strapped firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese, tries to get a quick win by scratching out a piddling settlement for the coyote, who flat-out refuses the cheap gesture and insists on the suit going before a judge. This means attorney Avery has to do some actual work, and his research leads him down a rabbit hole of corporate intrigue that recalls an earlier animation/live action hybrid, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. And like WFRR, the stakes become high and the good guys find themselves in actual jeopardy. And here is where a vital and enduring element of the Looney Tunes legacy comes into focus: Wile E. Coyote—eternally sly, devious, reckless and vain—is one of the good guys. In fact, it's his positive qualities—determination, intelligence, fearlessness, persistence and stamina—that inspires the legal team to fully take on the evil empire, i.e., ACME.
The action and comedy is driven by a steady current of explosive gags and subtle inside jokes. Actual clips of Roadrunner cartoons from the Chuck Jones/Michael Maltese era are spliced into the narrative, recalling the brilliance of the WB Golden Age that today seems as elusive as the supersonic poultry himself. And the movie knows that its beating heart rests with this Looney Tunes legacy, thus it weaves its toony anarchy into the world of suits and money with the same skill that the Marx Brothers used whenever they collided head-on with dignified society. And it also carries a message that warms the heart, mainly, that it’s important to chase a dream, but it’s even more important to have a friend. I can’t say more without resorting to spoilers, so suffice to say that the movie does reach deep and surprises with a feel that is, in true Looney Tunes fashion, subversive.
Here are some thoughts at large. A complaint I have with feature-length animation, particularly the comedies, is that they often rely on quick cuts and fast action that is SO fast that it's hard to follow. I can’t enjoy the quality of the animation and the abundance of hidden details when the action is in my face whizzing by in a hyperactive blur (I’m looking at you, Zootopia 2). Coyote vs. ACME avoids this excess most of the time, but there are occasions when Wile E. moves at a velocity that is unfollowable, out-of-character and illogical. After all, if the coyote could move like that, he would have caught the Roadrunner a long time ago. Recall the cartoons from the Classic era—only the Roadrunner possessed the swiftness that could have him out of the frame in a split-second; the coyote, however, was just like us: slow and in need of an added contrivance to bring him up to speed. Fortunately, most of his screen time does have him moving at a natural speed; there is even one agonizingly close attempt at seizing the Roadrunner that is rendered in slo-mo, a memorable moment that is in the movie’s trailer.
I mentioned how the cast wisely takes the coyote and his lawsuit seriously and additional mention should go to Will Forte. I had to look up and confirm that he had indeed been in SNL because his portrayal of lead counsel Kevin Avery is a case study in understatement and devoid of the broad, shtick-driven hamminess that's common to his fellow alums. Outfitted in a tan suit jacket and close-cropped beard, he actually looks like a wannabe coyote, and the arc upon which his character evolves shows that, despite his frustrations with his client, Kevin is actually learning and growing from his time strategizing with the coyote. And a personal shout-out goes to Luis Guzmán, who plays the judge. Years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting him at a production wrap party (John Leguizamo’s House Of Buggin) and he was outgoing and funny—a genuine delight to talk to. It’s obvious he loves his work and he plays the judge with a bemused sternness that lends dignity to the absurdity of the trial.
And, on an especially personal note, I couldn’t help but notice that the script is saturated with wordplay and references to toon personnel. That Kevin works at the firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese is the first big cue. But the first name of Ms. Jones, played by Martha Kelly, is Dottie. Is this a coincidence, or is this a “wink-nudge” Easter egg intended for yours truly? Naturally, I’m hoping it’s the latter. ^•^
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2 weeks, 3 days ago
18 Oct 2026 04:01 CEST
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