Coyote VS ACME (2026) – Miraculous

Released: 17th September
Seen: 17th September

If everything had gone according to the plans of the cinematic terrorist known as David Zaslav, this piece of art would’ve been thrown into a fire, and he would’ve been able to write off about 30 million in taxes for the Warner Brothers company. That was the plan; that was what the finish line for this film was going to be. It must be pointed out that films die all the time; they get stuck in development hell, or some disaster happens so that the people who started the film can’t complete it, or they finish the film but the company that made it goes bankrupt so the film can’t legally be released. A film being made but not being released is not an uncommon event; what is uncommon is a company making a film, getting great test screenings, and then deciding not to release it for a tax write-off that wouldn’t even cover two months of the CEO’s total salary package. What’s even less common is a film that went through this process to then get bought up by a competitor who actually releases the film into cinemas. That alone should make everyone want to support Coyote VS ACME purely as a middle finger to the absolutely brainless moron who thinks his minuscule tax break is somehow more important than a work of art that people gave up time in their precious lives to create. It also helps that Coyote VS ACME is, and boy does it feel good to say this, one of the best goddamn films of the year.

Coyote VS ACME acknowledges that, for decades now, Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius) has been trying his hardest to catch the Road Runner (Meep Meep) using a wide array of products from a mysterious company known as ACME. However, for as long as Wile E. Coyote has been using those products, they have been horrifically misfiring, resulting in multiple serious injuries, property damage and most importantly of all, a failure to catch the Road Runner. Out of options, Wile E. Coyote must turn to the last resort for people who have been wronged by a faulty product… the legal system. He retains the services of Kevin Avery (Will Forte) who, along with his assistant/niece Paige Avery (Lana Condor), reluctantly agrees to sue ACME for their faulty products even though doing so would mean taking on Kevin’s old law school rival Buddy Crane (John Cena). During the course of their litigation, Kevin, Paige and Wile E. Coyote learn of a vast conspiracy happening at ACME that impacts the well-being of all toons and also learn the value of just keeping on trying, even if it feels like every time you try, a boulder is being run back over you.

Coyote VS ACME is the kind of film that’s made to delight the entire family, as it has something for everyone. Silly slapstick for the kids, witty wordplay for the older crowd, warm and gooey feelings brought on by a Road Runner beeping out a loving message in Morse code and corporate espionage… all of it blended to create a well-crafted piece of art that also brings in the story of Sisyphus and attacks the casual brutality of megacorporations. Honestly, you can almost see why Zaslav (Massive moron) wanted to shelve this film because it’s smart as hell and doesn’t shy away from calling out evil corporate CEO’s under the guise of a Looney Tunes movie. From the minute the film starts blending zany chaos with pointed messaging about the reality of what companies like Warner Brothers do, mixing elaborate and loving recreations of classic Road Runner cartoons with jabs at how corporations just don’t care about the people they harm. It’s a powerful combination because it pulls the audience in, Coyote VS ACME gets you rooting for Wile E. Coyote (and boy will you root for him by the end of this film) and then points the anger where it belongs, at companies who care more about numbers on a spreadsheet than people. The film might as well have called the CEO of ACME David; that’s how on target it was.

All these elaborate slapstick sequences are expertly animated in ways that really make the animated world and the real world feel like they belong together. Every single person manages to act really convincingly alongside their animated counterparts and have some actual chemistry. Scenes where Wile E. Coyote and Kevin are just talking about the case work wonderfully because of how well the animation sells that Wile E. Coyote is part of this universe. Now, there are some fleeting moments where the modelling work is a bit sketchy; a lot of the animation is cel-shaded 3D animation (basically 3D animation that’s rendered to appear 2D), and there are some shots where it just looks a little off, but those are so few and far between that you have to be a pedantic asshole to notice them… yes, I am a pedantic asshole, but I also can admit it doesn’t matter because most of the animation work is incredible. Moments of classic cartoons being created in a real-world environment just bring a sense of joy; the over-the-top physical comedy work pushes the characters to their comedic limit and use them carefully in just the right amounts. It’s just so brilliantly handled that you can’t help but be amazed at how well everything goes together.

It also helps that the cast is just so comedically on the ball. Will Forte as the straight man to Wile E. Coyote’s absolute anarchy is top-notch casting that brings out the best in every one of their interactions. Lana Condor is the heart and soul of the law office and her wide-eyed optimism that things can be better truly helps give the film its heart and then there’s John Cena. I’ve gone on record that John Cena is one of the best comedic actors we have today and this film cements that. He doesn’t get much time to work with, his scenes are few and far between but every single one of them is hilarious. The man just has perfect comedic timing and understands why it’s particularly funny when a man of his size is threatening Tweety Bird. All the human actors are just absolutely brilliant and possess that rare ability to make you believe they’re really looking at a cartoon that’s just beside them. They also have to carry the bulk of the story since Wile E. Coyote doesn’t talk that much, in fact, he has a limited number of signs so he can only really communicate via our human actors who handle everything spectacularly.

What’s particularly nice to see is that this film doesn’t treat the audience like they’re dumb. This isn’t a Space Jam: A New Legacy situation where you can literally feel your brain cells dying the longer the film goes on, Coyote VS ACME is a complex legal drama and expects you to keep up with what’s going on. It lays out its case, makes smart references (comparing Wile E. Coyote to Sisyphus is one of the best comparisons I’ve ever seen) and uses them all to build to a stunningly emotional climax. Coyote VS ACME is not a film that takes the easy route, it’s actually trying to be a little smarter and try something different and it just works so well. It can have you howling with laughter at the absurdity of the situation, before having you just fully emotionally invested in the plight of Wile E. Coyote. It’s the kind of film that just makes you feel good as you walk out after knowing that you’ve seen a genuinely great film that told a fun and somewhat important story.

During the end credits of Coyote VS ACME, there’s a very specific dedication to “everyone who posted, shared, held up signs, and spoke out when it counted. This film made it to the big screen because of you.” and you can feel that appreciation in every frame of the film. Coyote VS ACME feels like a miracle; it almost got stolen from us by a man who shouldn’t be allowed to sell tickets to a discount theatre, let alone run one of the biggest entertainment companies on the planet, but here it is. That damn coyote pushed a boulder up a hill and it kept running over him. Every time Coyote VS ACME kept trying to push itself to release, it backfired and backfired… and then they did it, they got the boulder up the hill and Coyote VS ACME got released and now it’s here and it’s incredible. Coyote VS ACME is a fantastic film that should’ve been the easiest thing in the world to release, but it had to go through hell and now it’s in the history books because of what it went through and it deserves it. Go see Coyote VS ACME, they went through hell to get it to us so the least we can do is make it clear that sometimes the good guys can beat the stupid evil companies that don’t give a damn about us.