The Mayhem of “Coyote vs. Acme” Delights

Coyote vs. Acme (Dave Green, 2026) 4½ out of 5 stars

The seedy law firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese is taken by surprise when its new client, one Wile E. Coyote, refuses to accept the small settlement that lead partner, Kevin Avery, negotiates with the big, bad megacorporation down the street. That would be Acme, responsible for just about everything in this world, including the many gadgets the plaintiff has been using for years to attempt to catch (and eat) his nemesis, the Road Runner. Poor furry malcontent; said appliances never work, and he is out for retribution. He won’t stop until Acme truly pays.

Such is the premise of Coyote vs. Acme, the brand-new animation/live-action hybrid from Warner Bros., the studio that gave us the original Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies of yore, which have delighted viewers for decades. It’s a wonderful mix of nostalgia (just look at the name of the law firm) and inventive new gags, the whole thing buoyed by committed performances from the likes of Will Forte (Strays), John Cena (The Suicide Squad), and Lana Condor (Pretty Lethal), though this last actor has to overcome the stereotype of the over-achieving Asian assistant (to be fair, she’s actually a lawyer and Kevin’s niece, so there’s that).

Director Dave Green (Earth to Echo) and his team of talented writers (including James Gunn) and animators are clearly having a great time, playing in a creative sandbox originally brought alive by the titans of the past, including Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and Michael Maltese. Beyond Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, we also get Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, and Tweety. If none of these characters mean anything to you, then it’s possible the movie is not for you, though the plot is sure to still entertain. But with the added context of the shorts that came before, Coyote vs. Acme proves even more consistently clever and engaging, starting with the “based on a true story” opening credit.

The entire piece was inspired by Ian Frazier’s eponymous 1990 satirical article in The New Yorker, and like the source text, takes its devotion to the cause seriously. Even better, the film insists on not only doing it with gusto, but also genuine sentiment. Never thought you’d care deeply for the would-be apex predator chasing the speedy bird? Well, you were wrong.

Despite all the above praise, there are occasional times when the story drags, but they are few. Instead, the primary takeaway is one of brisk forward momentum. Don’t go too fast, however, as you wouldn’t want the anvil to fall on your head, or the rocket skates to slam you into the side of a mountain, or any of the other major malfunctions that motivate the narrative. My advice? Sit back and let the coyote suffer.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Chris Reed is the editor of Film Festival Today. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.