Coyote vs Acme

By this point, the story has been told so many times, the reality of it feels more like fiction.

Warner Bros. - under the leadership of David Zaslav - shelved a completely finished movie as a cost-cutting measure, signaling a shift in tone and strategy regarding its animated IP as well as an unwillingness to gamble in an underperforming market. Then, with cape and costume, film distribution company Ketchup Entertainment swooped in to eventually purchase the distribution rights for, according to reports, $30 million. Where Warner Bros. saw loss, Ketchup Entertainment again saw an opportunity to capitalize on a market harboring less and less opportunity.

Over two years ago, a nearly identical story unfolded as Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights to another Looney Tunes project (also produced by Warner Bros.) - The Day the Earth Blew Up. Both projects ended up seeing critical success, boasting scores of 96% and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics and 95% and 88% among audiences, respectively.

While it remains to be seen if Ketchup Entertainment will see an actualization of its investment on Coyote, its $15 million opening weekend was absolutely a symbolic victory for the cast, crew, and fans that advocated unrelentingly for its release.

Coyote vs. Acme follows Wile E. Coyote, down on his luck after many failed attempts to capture his one true nemesis, Roadrunner, as he seeks retribution against the company whose products continue causing undue pain and suffering. He teams up with Kevin Avery (Will Forte), a lazy and partially depressed personal injury attorney with lofty goals to sue the Acme Corporation for every single product they have released.

Despite its nostalgic roots in movies such as Space Jam or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, using a hybrid 2D-3D animation style could be seen as a risky move, especially when the film relies on the audience accepting that both cartoons and actual people can coexist in the same world. But Coyote executes it flawlessly. The film highlights the charm and hilarity that makes Looney Tunes the cult classic that it is, while keeping the emotional beats grounded with live-action actors.

Nearly every recognizable Looney Tunes character gets a moment or two to shine, but none of them take the spotlight away from Wile E. Coyote, who truly is the star of the show. Keeping his mute presence very much true to the cartoons, the script and direction rely on physical and background humor to tell the story.

Ultimately, Coyote is a huge success, a fun flick the family could enjoy. It's the perfect type of movie to close out a massive summer box office. It's heartwarming, funny, and manages to capture the charm of Looney Tunes while adding something novel and fresh. The type of movie that makes you want to revisit Saturday morning cartoons.