Warner Bros. releases live-action/animation hybrid "Coyote vs. Acme" satirizing corporate litigation
The new film blends live action with classic Looney Tunes characters in a legal-drama parody, portraying a lawsuit against the fictional Acme corporation and commenting on corporate power.
Warner Bros. has released "Coyote vs. Acme," a hybrid live-action and animated feature that adapts Ian Frazier’s 1990 New Yorker essay "Coyote v. Acme" into a legal-thriller spoof. The story follows Wile E. Coyote, who sues the fictional Acme corporation for defective products, hiring an anxious Albuquerque lawyer, Kevin Avery (Will Forte), and his idealistic intern, Paige (Lana Condor). The film pits the duo against Acme’s flamboyant CEO, voiced by Foghorn Leghorn, and its aggressive attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), while featuring cameo appearances by other Warner Bros. cartoon characters.
Director Dave Green and writer Samy Burch expand the short-form cartoon premise with a full plot, exploring themes of corporate overreach and the personal growth of the characters. The narrative highlights Acme as a stand-in for modern mega-corporations that outsource labor, produce short-lived goods, and rely on legal settlements rather than changing practices. The film’s release follows a dispute in which Warner Bros. initially delayed the project to claim a tax write-off.
"Acme is the very archetype of today’s mega-corporations that outsource jobs to cheaper countries, manufacture goods designed to last only until their warranties lapse, force you to wait on hold to talk to an AI bot and find it cost-efficient to pay off occasional lawsuits rather than change corporate practices," the review notes.
Critics have praised the movie’s blend of slapstick gags with a more substantive storyline, noting that it maintains the surreal humor of the original cartoons while adding a commentary on corporate influence in the legal system.