Coyote vs. Acme: Film Review

The Who Framed Roger Rabbit? comparison is easy because of its popularity, but Coyote vs. Acme genuinely favors the Zemeckis film in both story and quality. They’re related by virtue of one being a detective story and the other being a courtroom drama. While there are both more of a direct hate expressed and more sleaze to the cartoons’ appearances in Rabbit, the idea of cartoon characters being considered lesser is also consistent in both films, a first for a live-action Looney Tunes venture - the Tunes, instead of being well-known characters from a beloved television show, are regular “cartoons” with no social capital here. Understanding this, both films treat their animated characters with immense respect by injecting them with real pathos and not just using them for simple, easy, nostalgic comedy.

For Coyote Vs. Acme, though, this dissolution of their celebrity not only adds a potent underdog element to its courtroom narrative, but it also improves the film for two reasons: it creates an enjoyable intrigue surrounding when and how familiar faces will appear and, more importantly, it makes the film more believable. The impressive incorporation of these characters into the background environment adds strong texture to the film, ultimately allowing the humor to come from the story, not just the presence of cartoons. The live-action performances are stronger because of it, as well. It also makes it more rewatchable since it always feels like there’s more than one joke happening at any given moment.

The iconic Space Jam and the less iconic Looney Tunes: Back in Action were both childhood favorites of mine, but having rewatched both in the last few months for my middle school class, both Looney Tunes live-action hybrid features lack in areas where Coyote vs. Acme shines. Space Jam is overwhelmingly simple, with nothing but a thin story and Michael Jordan, neither of which can sustain its brief 86-minute runtime. Back in Action is too convoluted - Daffy quits Warner, he somehow gets Bugs involved with finding a stuntman’s missing father whose ex is a spy, Acme has a diamond that goes missing, etc. - making its 91-minute runtime feel incredibly scattered. Coyote vs. Acme is the most assured of the live-action/animation hybrid Looney films, simply because the story makes sense, and while its 103-minute runtime feels slightly overlong, almost none of the film is unwelcome.

There’s an air of honor that permeates this script, illuminating the over 8-decade long “careers” of the Warner Bros. cartoons and our perpetual laugh at their expense. The writers have stated that this script is a way to apologize to Coyote and the Tunes for having laughed at their misfortune for decades, and while that does seem a more secondary goal, the appreciation comes through. The film does a great job of balancing this fan service and story. Every scene dissecting Coyote and Roadrunner’s relationship is a win for me, but I found myself just as impacted by Coyote’s friendship with his lawyer. There are some fun emotional callbacks to the original cartoons early in the story when Coyote is reminiscing about his decades of Roadrunner chasing, but the script is smart to not live in nostalgia for too long.

At its core, Coyote Vs. Acme is a film about a zealous man, overtaken by consumerism, seeking justice for his community having been taken advantage of by an evil corporation - a phrase which carries the same redundancy as “chai tea” - and you thought the Big Evil Corporate Movie Studio™️ wasn’t nervous? 

Yes, it’s a Looney Tunes movie. Yes, somebody explodes every minute-and-a-half. But, in a shockingly resonant layer, this universe positions these characters as having been used and exploited, with the solution to every grievance being only a couple hundred dollars. The judge even disrespects cartoons by having a separate, squeaking gavel used only for cartoon cases. It’s through Coyote’s bravery that these wrongs are reckoned with in the story, and it’s through the bravery of the filmmaking team that a film with such a corporate sheen is so successfully anti-corporate. Hell, the opening joke of the movie is direct shade to Warner Bros, using their own title cards against them. If that ain’t bravery, I don’t know what is.

Ketchup Entertainment is the best thing that has ever happened to Looney Tunes. In line with The Day the Earth Blew Up, Coyote vs. Acme gives an important spotlight to legendary characters who’ve never spent time at the top of the call sheet and shows more care for the interiority of these animated animals than any previous Looney Tunes film. I don’t know if its icon status will ever surpass that of the classic Space Jam, but Dave Green, Samy Burch, and the entire filmmaking team can rest well knowing they’ve made a better movie (and won a remarkable battle).

Viewed on 8/12/26 via screener

Published on 8/18/26