I thought it was the 1970s political humorist Art Buchwald who first suggested that Wile E. Coyote sue the Acme Corporation for their defective products. Am I wrong about that? Anyway, Ian Frazier wrote a humorous essay along that line for the New Yorker back in 1990, and now it’s been turned into Coyote vs. Acme, which is the year’s best animated movie so far as well as its best legal thriller, and the best use of the Looney Tunes characters since Who Framed Roger Rabbit? That ain’t bird seed.
Our doughty canis latrans is drawing up yet another plan to catch the Road Runner when he sees a TV commercial with small-time Albuquerque personal-injury lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) pitching to cartoon characters injured by Acme products: “It’s not your fault!” It’s inspired to pair up the indefatigable coyote with the burned-out Kevin, who has given up on making a difference and instead files nuisance suits against Acme that the megacorporation happily settles for $300 or less. However, Wile E. and Kevin’s idealistic, fresh-out-of-law-school niece Paige (Lana Condor) go behind his back to file a multibillion-dollar suit against Acme, a move that pits Kevin against his former Harvard Law classmate and Acme’s chief legal counsel, Buddy Crane (John Cena).
You or your kids might be surprised at how straight-faced the movie plays the lawyer stuff. Merely plugging the Looney Tunes characters into the tropes of a legal drama is enough to give everything a fresh coat: When Wile E. refuses to settle his case for $50,000, someone drops a piano on Kevin’s car. Later, Tweety Bird (voiced by Eric Bauza) throws a bomb through the window of Kevin’s law office, on the orders of Buddy, who has threatened both his safety and Granny (voiced by Candi Milo). Kevin starts receiving anonymous tips from a mystery caller (also voiced by Bauza) who greets him with, “What’s up, Doc?” He and Paige are clever enough to seek out the tipster at Albuquerque’s annual carrot festival. The case winds up at a Congressional hearing where Elmer Fudd (once more voiced by Bauza) is a U.S. Senator, and hey, he’d be better than Josh Hawley.
Not everything works here: Some of the scenes that are purely live-action look like crap, and Forte isn’t as galvanizing a presence here as you’d want. (The former Saturday Night Live cast member did much better in a similar role in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska.) That’s easily forgiven though, because director Dave Green knows how to play this material without making it too serious or too jokey. The funniest bit comes from P.J. Byrne as one of Buddy’s junior associates, who’s tasked with spreading a giant tub of glue over the highway to catch the Road Runner and keep the bird from testifying at trial. He inhales deeply over the glue and screams, “I love being a lawyer!” I hope that joke goes over your kids’ heads.
I’d be derelict in my duties (and also look incredibly oblivious) if I didn’t mention the real-life controversy over Coyote vs. Acme, as Warner Bros. tried to shelve the project only to encounter an outcry from animation fans. A giant corporation trying to squash a movie that encourages viewers to fight the power of giant corporations is as on-the-nose as the stench coming from Pepe Le Pew, or Warners’ mooted merger with Paramount. The movie’s greater than expected box-office performance now makes Warners look even worse, as the studio’s stellar 2025 has given way to a dismal 2026. If Hollywood had scripted this reality, people like me would be saying it was too corny.
But your kids don’t need to be Hollywood insiders to appreciate this. The movie captures how tiring it can be to keep up the struggle against monoliths with more money and resources, especially when most people don’t care about your clients. (As Kevin points out, cartoon characters always recuperate a few seconds after they fall off cliffs or get blown up by TNT.) However discouraging it can be, staying in the fight is worth it. It might just result in bringing the Road Runner together with Wile E. Coyote, or a movie as funny as this.
Coyote vs. Acme
SStarring Will Forte and John Cena. Directed by Dave Green. Written by Samy Burch, based on Ian Frazier’s article. Rated PG.
