Provides Pure Pleasure for All Ages

(090926) Acme vs Coyote is a lively, imaginative film that combines live-action sequences with old-fashioned 2D animation. It also touches on several serious contemporary themes, delivering both drama and suspense alongside the expected slapstick comedy. Acme vs. Coyote is part of a long tradition of live-action/animated movies. Some of the most prominent ones include: Anchors Away (1945), Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), Cool World (1992), Space Jam (1996), and SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020). A few mostly live-action films like Kill Bill and The Mask. But the best live action/cartoon film ever made was, of course, Robert Zemeckis’ Who Killed Roger Rabbit? But Coyote vs. ACME might be the best example of the subgenre since that film.

Samy Burch (May/December-2023) wrote the delightfully clever script, with help from Jeremy Slater and James Gunn. In fact, Gunn helped develop the initial story idea. Burch also incorporated many ideas from some of the film's actors, including Luis Guzman, Jeremy Slater, Will Forte, and Ian Frasier. The script takes some jabs at corporate arrogance, our litigious culture, monopoly behavior, and the inhumanity of corporations.

The movie was actually filmed three years ago, but the studio wanted to shelve it and use it as a tax write-off after the Discovery/WB merger. After backlash and positive word of mouth, the studio sold it to another company, Ketchup Entertainment. Even though the film did fairly well (just over 20 million worldwide in the first week), it might not gross the over 100 million it needs to break even in its theatrical run. Still, the film is a rare example of art triumphing at least temporarily over crass commercialism and the worst impulses of corporate culture. Hopefully it will become a streaming cult hit like Idiocracy. It would be infinitely re-watchable on the small screen.

The basic idea is that Wile E Coyote gets fed up with losing out whenever he goes up against the Road Runner. Trying to catch the Road Runner, he follows his instincts and tries to eat him; ACME offers him a seemingly unending series of foolproof gadgets to fulfill his instincts. As we know from the cartoons, all his plans always backfire, but the film also implies that the corporation has repeatedly set him up for failure. He becomes addicted to the technology that always makes him fail, thus making him their perfect candidate to literally crash-test their products. Since many of his plans fail because of these products, he finally decides to sue the manufacturer, ACME. Surprisingly, the Coyote comes off as much more sympathetic than you would expect.

The live-action is much better than you would expect in a partially animated film. Coyote employs the law firm of “Avery, Jones & Maltese” (a tribute to Warner Bros. animators Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and Michael Maltese). Will Forte from Saturday Night Live and McGruber is impressive as Kevin Avery, the hesitant, unconfident lawyer who avoids David-vs-corporate-Goliath cases. His ACME opponent is Peacemaker’s John Cena, who really is Avery’s opposite in every way, playing an ultra-confident, arrogant corporate lawyer named Buddy Crane (TV's Boston Legal fans will get the joke). Lana Condor is also a standout as Avery’s plucky assistant who has all the idealism that Avery has either lost or never had.

There are some delightful cameos by other Warner Brothers animated characters that long-time Saturday morning cartoon fans will surely enjoy. Daffy Duck appears, and it seems he has gone insane because of his experiences with ACME. Bugs Bunny takes on the role of a deep-throat informer who feeds the legal team info. Sylvester the Cat gets a hilarious blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance, but Elmer Fudd steals the film in a cameo I won’t reveal; it is worth the wait and pays off wonderfully.

The film ends with the brilliant, ultra-aggressive cover of I Fought the Law by the Clash, which hints at the film’s outcome. While this is a highly appropriate choice, some might have wished the film ended with, or at least included, The Modern Lovers’ classic non-hit, Road Runner.

Acme vs Coyote does not aspire to be high art or to be particularly profound. But the film does what it is supposed to surprisingly well, and it is much better than it had to be. It is also one of the most purely pleasurable films I have seen in months. It's a perfect, light pre-Oscar race treat.