Some films are never sure things, even after they’re completed. Coyote Vs Acme is one such film. Made back in 2023, it was shelved by Warner Bros Discovery as a tax write-off. However, Ketchup Entertainment managed to buy the rights and saved the film from never being seen, and we can thank them for doing that, because this hybrid of live action and animation is a blast, not only for capturing the magic of the Looney Tunes world but also elevating the film from just another reboot of old characters to a tale of a big corporation wanting to rule while the little man struggles. It’s an absolute blast.

Wile E. Coyote has spent a lifetime trying to capture the Road Runner but is let down by failing Acme devices. Seeing an advert on TV, he turns to a lazy lawyer, Kevin Avery, to sue the corporation for years of defective products, yet the little guy finds it’s an uphill battle to take on such a huge company unless they can get the one person who has witnessed all the faulty goods to testify: Road Runner.

Directed by Dave Green, whose previous work includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and based on a ‘New Yorker’ magazine article from the 90s, this has Who Framed Roger Rabbit vibes written all over it. The mix of live action and animation may never reach the levels of the now-classic 1988 movie; it has its heart in the right place, being an affectionate homage to the wonderful slapstick of the Road Runner shorts, as well as a courtroom drama that is far more mature than it has any right to be.

Starting off with an updated Road Runner short, we watch as Wile E. Coyote tries and fails to finally get his hands on the speedy bird, with rocket-propelled skates that end up with the Coyote ending up on a rocket that is chasing the skates he is using. This manages to be the perfect throwback to those wonderful days of watching the cartoons and laughing at the antics, a silent movie of slapstick lunacy.

We then get the modern world, where lawyer Kevin Avery handles small claims from other cartoon characters against Acme, doing as little work as possible. When Wile E. arrives with this much bigger claim, he is reluctant to take it on, but soon, with the help of his cousin, Paige, he takes on the behemoth company with their legal team led by Buddy Crane, a force of a man and their CEO, Foghorn Leghorn.

The film neatly balances ludicrous, often surreal slapstick moments with a serious undercurrent: it seems impossible to take on big companies unless you are willing to give up everything. It also does something really special, in that it has pathos, and in one particular scene, you find yourself tearing up in a moment where there are no words spoken, but you can tell that enemies can be friends. It’s the power of a really strong script and a love of the characters that can produce a reaction like this.

If you are a fan of the Looney Tunes, you are in for a treat as all the old favourites are here, from Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Tweety Pie. The voice talent of Eric Bauza, who has taken on the reins once held by Mel Blanc, does an incredible job of hitting the vocal tones of each of these creations brilliantly, and you will find yourself feeling you have been taken back to the good old days of the shorts that made these characters legendary.

The live-action actors work well with their animated counterparts, with Will Forte, the former Saturday Night Live performer who recently has scored high in the TV show, The Four Seasons, is perfectly slubbonly as Avery, while wrestler John Cena has become very adept at taking on roles that may not be totally likeable, playing the slimy Buddy Crane.

Coyote Vs Acme is funny, inventive and hugely entertaining, and while it may have flaws and not be as technically brilliant as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it’s a massive step forward after the disaster of the Space Jam sequel, keeping the Looney Tunes world alive, and hopefully the younger audiences will watch this and want to explore that world. So thank you, Ketchup Productions, for keeping this minor gem alive, and you do wonder why a film this good would be shelved when so much dross is released.

4 out of 5

Director: Dave Green

Starring: Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, Eric Bauza, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzman, P.J. Byrne, Candi Milo, Jim Cummings

Written by: (also screen story) Samy Burch, (screen story) James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, (based on the New Yorker article) Ian Frazier

Running Time: 101 mins

Cert: PG

Release date: 21st August 2026