After years of uncertainty, Coyote vs. Acme finally arrives on August 28th, bringing Wile E. Coyote’s long-running battle with the Acme Corporation into the real world. The film stars Will Forte as a down-on-his-luck lawyer who takes Coyote’s case against Acme after the company’s products repeatedly leave the hapless predator injured and humiliated.
The project became one of Hollywood’s most notorious unreleased movies after Warner Bros. Discovery shelved it despite the film being completed. The decision sparked an unusually public campaign from filmmakers, fans and politicians, who argued that a finished movie deserved an opportunity to find an audience.
The eventual release represents a remarkable turnaround for a production that once appeared destined to disappear. Rather than simply another collection of cartoon gags, the movie uses Coyote’s legal battle to explore corporate responsibility, perseverance and the frustrations of an ordinary character taking on a powerful company.
Richard Crouse and The New York Times Weigh In
Beloved film critic Richard Crouse is enthusiastic about the finished product, awarding Coyote vs. Acme 3½ out of four stars. His review praises the movie for successfully combining live-action comedy with the anarchic spirit of the Looney Tunes characters.
Crouse argues that the film’s central joke works because Coyote’s endless failures become something more meaningful when translated into a courtroom story. He describes it as a movie that “hits the anvil on the head,” suggesting that its themes may be obvious but remain effective.
The New York Times takes a more measured view, examining whether the feature can sustain the character’s familiar one-joke premise across a full-length movie. The review nevertheless recognizes the unusual charm of watching the familiar cartoon world collide with a live-action legal comedy.
What Other Critics Are Saying
The A.V. Club sees the movie as an unexpectedly entertaining expansion of the Looney Tunes universe, particularly when it allows Coyote’s physical comedy to take center stage. Its review suggests the movie works best when it embraces the absurdity that made the character famous.
IndieWire is more critical, arguing that the live-action framework can sometimes feel at odds with the heightened cartoon logic of the source material. Still, the review finds enough energy and affection for the characters to make the experiment worthwhile.
The Daily News highlights the film’s surprisingly serious themes, particularly its ideas about corporate power and standing up against seemingly impossible odds. That combination of slapstick and substance may ultimately be Coyote vs. Acme‘s biggest surprise—and perhaps the reason audiences are finally getting the chance to see it.
This weekend will be the litmus test for the film as it hopes to attract a large number of families and kids to the theatres.
