Coyote vs. Acme (United States, 2026)

When I was growing up in the 1970s, the Looney Tunes characters were popular. Every kid knew the names of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, and, of course, Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius) and his nemesis, Road Runner. Bugs and Porky might have had the most iconic signature lines ("What's Up, Doc?" and "That's All Folks," respectively), but it was Wile E. Coyote's endless litany of failure that captured my attention. By the 2020s, Wile E., like most of Warner Bros.' cartoon characters, had become little more than a nostalgic touchstone. This isn't entirely the fault of the studio—shifts in pop culture norms have eliminated the animated stable's cultural saturation—but Warner Bros. hasn't been the best steward. Contrast this with how Disney has shepherded Mickey Mouse through the decades. Coyote vs. Acme has become the prime example of Warner Bros.' mishandling of their once-prized property. 

The film's underlying premise has promise: Wile E. Coyote, fed up with his various Road Runner-capturing devices blowing up, backfiring, and generally failing to function, decides to sue their manufacturer, Acme, for damages. Aside from the David vs. Goliath allegory, the narrative holds plenty of satirical potential. The decision to make the film using the Who Framed Roger Rabbit style (merging live action and animation more effectively than in Space Jam or its sequel) allows the Looney Tunes mainstays to retain their cartoonish appearances. 

The movie was greenlit, filmed, and had completed post-production when Warner Bros. canceled the release. The specifics of how executives decided that Coyote vs. Acme was a losing proposition remain unclear, but the end result was that the studio shelved the film permanently in exchange for a tax write-off. The subsequent backlash likely surprised them, and the public outcry was so intense that they backtracked and put the movie's rights up for sale. Their exorbitant asking price was rejected throughout Hollywood, and the film's future again looked imperiled until indie distributor Ketchup Entertainment made a successful offer. Now, roughly four years after being filmed, Coyote vs. Acme is finally receiving a theatrical release. 

In essence, Coyote vs. Acme functions as a nostalgia trip. It is hard to see it having much appeal for those with no previous history with the Looney Tunes characters, or those who confuse Daffy with Donald. As a result, this is a situation where the target audience for a cartoon-based motion picture skews older. Kids may enjoy it, but watching the movie, I felt that it was targeted more at my generation than that of my children. It is evident that the creators, who include director Dave Green and storywriters James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Samy Burch, have a deep respect for the original cartoons and an abiding affection for the characters, especially Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. Segments of the film pay homage directly to the shorts in ways that will make older viewers feel like they are five years old again, sitting in front of a television in the living room on a Saturday morning. 

The movie doesn't function simply as an extended version of one of the iconic duo's shorts. Such a thing, if it were even possible, would feel even more bloated than the big-screen adaptations of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Instead, the narrative focuses on Wile E.'s attempts to bring down Acme. To do this, he hires an ambulance-chasing lawyer, Kevin Avery (Will Forte), and his idealistic niece, Paige (Lana Condor), to go up against Acme's high-powered attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), in front of a judge (Luis Guzmán). It turns out that Wile E., super genius that he is, has an ulterior motive for the lawsuit—one that involves, as always, a speed-demon that goes "Meep Meep." 

Individual reaction to the film's comedy will vary. Those who still chuckle at the Road Runner cartoons will find plenty of opportunities for laughter. Those who don't find anything funny about the antics of the anthropomorphized Looney Tunes loser in five-minute bites are unlikely to suddenly discover humor in this big-screen version. As for the live-action segments, I have some quibbles. I kept thinking that the John Cena and Will Forte characters should have been more amusing. Forte, in particular, feels disconnected from the material. For someone best known for his years on Saturday Night Live, he seems to have lost his comedic touch here, although he was always a better writer than actor. 

No feature-length Wile E. Coyote film would be complete without a host of Looney Tunes cameos, and there are plenty. Eric Bauza, who has emerged as the current-day successor to Mel Blanc, provides the voices of Bugs and his various cohorts. Wile E. and Road Runner, however, need no voices, as both are mute. Wile E. communicates in the movie, as in the shorts, via printed signs, and Road Runner simply meeps. 

I don't think there is much expectation that the film will be a box office behemoth. Timing alone is against it. By the date of its theatrical release in late August 2026, the summer family market has drained, and the brand's ardent supporters will be awaiting a streaming release. Still, it's an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, even if some of the live action-heavy material feels like filler. Wile E. Coyote has lost none of his lovable loser personality, and his continued failures to secure a poultry dinner remain a comedic highlight. There are times when I decry nostalgia-mining as a cheap way to generate interest; in this case, however, there is such affection evident in its application that I'm willing to embrace it.

Coyote vs. Acme (United States, 2026)