A rescued underdog story
Coyote vs. Acme opened in U.S. theaters on August 28, 2026 and in Germany on September 17, and the simple fact that this movie is finally being released already feels like a Looney Tunes punchline. Warner Bros. shelved the completed film in 2023, only for Ketchup Entertainment to rescue it years later. That history now gives the premise an almost absurdly perfect extra layer: a battered little underdog takes a giant corporation to court for repeatedly treating him as disposable.
Two professional losers take on ACME
After decades of rockets, magnets, spring-loaded traps and other ACME products exploding in his face, Wile E. Coyote has had enough. He teams up with struggling accident lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, and sues the company. Standing across the courtroom is Buddy Crane, played by John Cena, a polished corporate attorney who knows exactly how to turn money, confidence and institutional power into a weapon. Kevin and Wile E. make a surprisingly effective pair because both are professional losers in different ways. One fails in courtrooms; the other has spent a lifetime failing in the desert.
Cartoon timing with a story behind it
Director Dave Green wisely avoids treating the Looney Tunes like museum pieces. The movie understands the physical rhythm of the classic cartoons, but it also folds that energy into a courtroom comedy that actually has a story to support the gags. The live-action and animation blend feels less like a technical showcase than a natural extension of this universe. Wile E. remains silent, obsessive, inventive and strangely sympathetic. Forte works especially well opposite him because Kevin is basically a human version of the same stubborn persistence, just without anvils falling on his head.
Big performances, real warmth
John Cena gets to play much bigger. Buddy is smug, polished and intentionally exaggerated, but the performance never completely tips the movie into empty parody. Lana Condor adds momentum as Paige, while the wider Looney Tunes cast expands the world without turning every appearance into a forced nostalgia button. The film also gives its characters just enough emotional space to keep Wile E. from feeling like a digital prop standing next to human actors.
The bite in the corporate satire
The corporate satire is where the movie becomes unexpectedly pointed. Its target is a system that measures creativity and people only by immediate financial value. Because of the film's real production history, that idea lands with obvious extra force, but the story does not depend on viewers knowing every detail behind the scenes. It still works as a straightforward underdog comedy with heart.
Verdict
It is not flawless. Some jokes are more clever than laugh-out-loud funny, the middle section briefly loses momentum, and the courtroom material could have been even sharper. Still, those are minor issues in a film that moves comfortably between slapstick, family comedy and corporate satire. The fact that audiences almost never got to see it now seems even more ridiculous. That balance gives the finale a satisfying emotional payoff without abandoning the anarchic cartoon logic entirely. For classic Looney Tunes chaos, genuine underdog energy and much more heart than expected, Coyote vs. Acme earns 8 out of 10.