To say that this movie has faced its own uphill battle would be an understatement. Once destined to become a tax write-off for Warner Bros, Coyote vs. ACME was saved by Ketchup Entertainment for $50 million. To think that this movie was deemed unworthy for consumption is wild to me. This movie totally rules, and you should 100% go and see it.
The short sales pitch is that this movie is the lovechild of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Better Call Saul. After decades of failing to capture the Road Runner with ACME’s cartoon explosives and contraptions, Wile E. Coyote finds himself dejected, defeated, and alone. Until he gets a sign in the form of a sleezy TV ad, asking if you’ve been harmed or maimed by one of ACME’s products. Idea! Coyote will just sue ACME in open court, and not just for a few items, but for every item. This goes right against the working ethic of Kevin Avery (Will Forte), a small-time lawyer in Albuquerque who is more than happy to just settle his cases against ACME for a few hundred bucks and move on with not trying. Of course, this plan does not go to plan, and he finds himself going up against the biggest corporation on the planet with a ‘toon who can’t even speak.
This is a movie that ticks a lot of boxes. Yes, it’s a Looney Tunes movie, so expect plenty of comical, over the top hijinx that’ll make you laugh. But it’s also clever and witty, doubling as an exposee on corporate greed, conspiracy, and explotation. It’s also a movie with heart, about not being a quitter, doing your best, and about friendship. It’s a film that both adults and kids will like, as there’s a good story and lesson to be learned, but plenty of laughs, whether that be of the cartoon violence nature, or the witty satire.
Being a hybrid animation/live-action film, the movie gets really creative with how it breaks our understanding of physics and logic, as those rules simply do not apply to the cartoon denizens. There are plenty of Looney cameos throughout; some of them are merely background easter eggs, but some get a lot more to do considering this is a movie about Coyote. He doesn’t speak, but the actors who voice the iconic Looney Tunes do a great job, including Eric Bauza, who voices most of the characters, sometimes to the point of being unregonizable from Mel Blanc’s original recordings, Candi Milo, and even Jim Cummings shows up to voice one character (although, understanding him may be a challenge!). Rounding out the core live action cast are Lana Condor as Paige, Kevin’s niece and John Cena as Buddy Crane, the big shot lawyer working for ACME.
The fact that this movie is out on a big screen and not hiding in a vault somewhere is a minor miracle. It’d be one thing if the movie was bad; but it’s absolutely not. Go see this, go support a movie that almost never got to see the light of day. It’s a great ride, I was smiling the whole way through.
