Live-action/animation hybrid 'Coyote vs. Acme' premieres after years in development
The film, blending live actors with Looney Tunes characters, follows a lawyer representing Wile E. Coyote in a lawsuit against Acme Corp., and opened in theaters after a prolonged production history.
Warner Bros. released the live-action/animation hybrid "Coyote vs. Acme" on Friday, a project that spent nearly three decades in development before a $70 million budget was approved in 2022. The story is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where human residents coexist with classic Looney Tunes figures such as Tweety, the Tasmanian Devil and Porky Pig.
Will Forte stars as a small-time personal-injury attorney who takes on the mute Wile E. Coyote, portrayed as a client seeking damages from the Acme Corporation for defective gadgets that have repeatedly failed him in his pursuit of the Road Runner. The film’s antagonist is Acme’s chief legal counsel, played by John Cena, and the plot expands to a courtroom and congressional setting where the corporation attempts to silence the coyote.
Director Dave Green integrates the animated characters with live-action settings, though reviewers note that major Looney Tunes icons appear only briefly. The screenplay, written by Samy Burch, shifts between courtroom drama, corporate-conspiracy thriller and comedic chase sequences. The Motion Picture Association rated the film PG for cartoon violence and some language; its runtime is 101 minutes.
"These companies think they can do whatever they want and get away with it," Forte’s character says in the film, reflecting the narrative’s critique of corporate power. The movie received mixed reviews, with some critics describing it as uneven and overly earnest, and assigning it a one-star rating out of four.