Coyote vs. Acme (2026) is directed by Dave Green, featuring a screenplay by Samy Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater. It stars Will Forte, Eric Bauza, John Cena, Lana Condor, P.J. Byrne, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzman, John Early, Nancy Linehan Charles, Kenneth Choi, Ernie Vigil, Candy Milo, and Jim Cummings. 

The film follows Wile E. Coyote just as he’s on the verge of finally quitting his endless, painful quest to catch his arch-nemesis, Road Runner. Looking back on his countless failures, Coyote realizes that almost every one was caused by a malfunctioning product made by the industrial supercorporation, ACME. Seeking revenge for years of pain and suffering, Coyote cooks up a scheme that manipulates small-time personal injury lawyer Kevin Avery (Forte) into suing ACME for everything they’re worth. Reluctantly roped into a massive lawsuit he’s ceratin he’ll lose, Kevin desperately tries to settle the case early. However, Coyote’s blind anger and near-psychotic persistence soon teach Kevin the value of standing up to bullies, especially those who seem invincible. When he eventually learns that the motivations behind Coyote’s lawsuit might not be as straightforward as they seem, he sets out to teach his gangly client the value/necessity of having friends/allies.

Instead of all-stars like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, the traditionally sidelined duo of Coyote and Road Runner takes center stage. On paper, this may sound disappointing, but it works better than I ever could have expected. These two silent characters (Other than Road Runner’s iconic “Beep, beep,” of course) function wonderfully in juxtaposition to not just the slimy, smooth-talking ACME lawyers, but also the other, infinitely more talkative Tune characters. In the film’s corporate-controlled world of endless lies and propaganda, it’s refreshing to have a main character who’s all about taking action. 

This tale of an average Joe (by cartoon standards, anyway) getting stomped on by a greedy, amoral corporation is one of the most relevant stories you’re likely to see all year. However, the script/story isn’t just relevant; it’s also exceptionally well-written. For example, the central duo of Coyote and Kevin play off each other wonderfully. We fully buy into their odd-couple friendship while always being able to pinpoint the source of their conflicts. Yes, the cartoon characters are as zany as they come, but their problems are, at their core, distinctly human. Because the script isn’t afraid to make these characters suffer from a real, dead-serious sense of existential pain, it allows for some truly effective emotional beats. 

The various scenes of cartoon slapstick aren’t always particularly funny, but they’re creatively unhinged in a way that only the Looney Tunes can consistently pull off. For example, Coyote’s various Rube Goldberg-like contraptions are visually exciting and take full advantage of the fact that cartoon characters have zero obligation to obey the laws of physics. The movie isn’t as hilarious as I would’ve hoped, but it’s consistently charming. I had a stupid grin plastered across my face for almost the entire runtime, which I prefer to fewer, bigger laughs. There are a lot of stupid jokes here, no doubt. However, for every dumb joke, there’s one that’s genuinely smart, meta, or both. The various Looney Tunes characters, aside from Coyote and Road Runner, are depicted in unexpected ways that often draw hilarious parallels to the real world. For example, the choice to have Elmer Fudd as a US senator still has me laughing every time I think about it. And don’t get me started on Foghorn Leghorn as ACME’s rich and soulless southern CEO. Even using The Tasmanian Devil as a simple trial witness had me in stitches (if you didn’t know, he only speaks in gibberish). 

Overall, this is easily the best family film of the year so far, proving that Warner Bros’ original plan to essentially never let it see the light of day was, as many predicted, completely indefensible. It has a satisfying balance of zany humor and genuine pathos, making this as much of a tear-jerker as it is a gut-buster. The Looney Tunes are back once again in all their glory, and this fan couldn’t be happier. I’m not sure if I like it more than the frustratingly underrated Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), but it’s close. Only time will tell. On second thought, it’s actually no wonder why Warner Bros never wanted this to see the light of day. It’s the best takedown of greedy, soulless corporations (just like Warner Bros.) to come out in a long time. They’ll scrap an absolute classic like this for pennies on the dollar and not bat an eye if that’s what the AI-generated numbers tell them to do. It’s a big win that we’re seeing this movie at all, which is as sickening as it is triumphant. B+