COYOTE VS ACME

Coyote vs. Acme confirms its status as the most important film of the year with its hilarious take down of corporate irresponsibility with the timeless and smart humour of the Looney Tunes, confirming that not only was the initial decision to cancel and write off this film was insanity, but that the film’s brilliance and humorous approach to the traditional courtroom thriller makes for one truly laugh out loud trip to the cinema.

The Looney Tunes characters have been entertaining audiences worldwide for almost a century, proving themselves to be a staple of popular culture that will never cease to delight. From cartoons to live action animated hybrid films like Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, iconic pairings of characters such as Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, and Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian, these characters and stories are iconic and never fail to generate laughter from audiences of all ages. Which makes the near-cancellation of Coyote vs. Acme all the more confusing. Practically finished and receiving outstanding test screening results, but written off and shelved by Warner Brothers for tax savings purposes, the Looney Tunes latest big screen outing was never going to be released despite the characters being one of the cornerstones of Warner Brother’s library.

What followed was an online outrage that saw fans of the characters and movie lovers alike began an online movement petitioning for the film to be released. A year and half after its cancellation, and multiple potential failed bids to buy the rights to the film, Ketchup Entertainment officially saved Coyote vs. Acme after acquiring worldwide rights to the film, and with a genius marketing campaign built around the fact that corporate America did not want you to see this film for accounting purposes, the Looney Tunes are finally returning to the big screen. And while it is evident why a major studio would want to silence such a daring film that never hesitates from calling out the corporate influence massive companies have over society, not only is the release of Coyote vs. Acme a landmark win for freedom of artistic expression, but the film has expert balancing of laugh out loud comedy and social commentary that makes for not only the Looney Tunes’ best theatrical outing to date, but one of the best hybrid live-action animated films of all time.

For years audiences have known Wile E. Coyote as the dastardly villain trying to capture and eat Road Runner, but always failing due to backfiring Acme Corporation products. But what if he wasn’t the villain? What if he was the guinea pig in an evil corporate conspiracy designed to bring him pain and suffering for their enrichment? That is the premise that Samy Burch takes in Coyote vs. Acme as he takes the beloved Looney Tunes and puts them into a courtroom drama that echoes the legal thrillers of John Grisham while referencing some of the most influential legal films about conspiracies and corruption such as JFK, Erin Brockovich and All the President’s Men. With a classic David vs. Goliath narrative as Coyote and his attorney, Kevin Avery, sue the Acme Corporation for their defective products, which is an amalgamation of all of the controlling corporations in today’s society, the screenplay plays on the hallmarks of the legal thriller such as corporate intimidation, assassination attempts, witness tampering all to silence the truth from being released, and the big final courtroom gotcha moment, all while using the classic Looney Tunes humour.

Daffy Duck is now a silenced victim of the corporate conspiracy residing in a mental asylum so no one will believe the truths he has to share, Bugs Bunny is a Deep Throat/Mr. X character helping Coyote and Kevin from the shadows uncover the truth that the Acme Corporation is trying to hide, and Tweety Bird is a hostage of the Acme Corporation threatened into carrying out their evil deeds. This is just to name a few among the plethora of Looney Tunes characters that are smartly given a role in the conspiracy at the heart of the story, that both speak to their defining characteristics and the larger messaging behind the film’s story. It all works in tandem to create a scathing commentary on corporate America, the lengths corporations will go to turn a profit, their political influence, and the lines they will cross to silence anyone who speaks out against them, which is exactly the type of story the world needs to be reminded of in today’s political and corporate landscape. For a film about corporate responsibility, the irony that it was actively nearly prevented from release due to corporate irresponsibility by the studio who produced the film is never lost for a second, and while this narrative may play too much into the genius of the story itself, there is no denying that Coyote vs. Acme is simultaneously challenging viewers and their beliefs while delivering pure entertainment.

It all may sound incredibly mature, but while the story plays with these larger ideas, at the heart of it is still the same old Looney Tunes that audiences have loved for decades. From an opening montage with Coyote’s elaborate plans to catch Road Runner failing miserably, constant Acme Corporation products blowing up or malfunctioning throughout the film, and lots of slapstick humour as Coyote tries to achieve his plan to ultimately capture the Road Runner, there is never a shortage of laughter throughout the film. Each gag has a physical slapstick aspect to it which will no doubt entertain young viewers who want a fun Looney Tunes cartoon, but at the same time there is an often deeper joke aimed at adult audiences that either plays to the legal thriller genre or the commentary of the screenplay, as evidenced by the brilliant joke that brings back Pepé Le Pew after being cancelled by Warner Brothers for his inappropriate behaviour, only to make his inappropriate behaviour the punchline of the joke. Even Steven Price’s musical score pays homage to the Looney Tunes’ history with classical music and joins in the hilarious fun of the film, with a cover of the “William Tell 1812 Overture” sung by a choir using only Road Runner’s single line of dialogue “beep beep” during the film’s grand climactic moment, helping to ensure that the legacy of these beloved characters is championed throughout while audiences see them like never before.

Sharing the screen with the Looney Tunes is a good cast led by Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor. Forte is the perfect transactional lawyer, finding the right energy to make this small town lawyer good at one thing and not wanting to stray outside of his comfort zone believable, while the dry sense of humour he captures alongside Coyote makes for a great comedic duo. Cena once again unleashes his comedic side as the lead lawyer for the Acme Corporation, twirling his hypothetical mustache with an intimidating presence as he threatens and pressures his way to secure a victory at all costs, creating the perfect villain for the film and lots of hilarious moments alongside the Looney Tunes characters. Bursting with optimism and hope, Condor effortlessly becomes the idealistic young law clerk who helps inspire Arnett’s Kevin, acting as the idealistic voice of reason amongst a cast of characters who are less than that ideal with a bubbly presence that lights up the screen. And while in small supporting roles, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly and P.J. Byrne all deliver some moments of gut bursting hilarity that take their own comedic stylings and match the energy of the Looney Tunes with ease.

Aside from the sensational story behind the film’s release playing into viewers’ reaction to the film which may cause Coyote vs. Acme to not age well as the historic release of the film is forgotten, some of the animation stumbles. The traditional two dimensional style of the Looney Tunes characters is kept instead of the modernized CGI version we got with Space Jam: A New Legacy, but this style is transitioned to three dimensional animation. Every shot of Coyote is great, capturing the diabolical nature of the character as he schemes behind Kevin’s back and the loneliness within the character to make him a protagonist that audiences can’t help but root for. Though, not all of the supporting animated characters are granted the same standard of animation as the two dimensional styling of the characters does not fully translate to the three dimensional world. It’s the only notable drawback of the film, and one that is so inconsequential in the grand scheme as everything else about Coyote vs. Acme fires on all cylinders to deliver a wildly entertaining, important and surprisingly heartfelt film from start to finish.

It’s criminal that we almost lived in a world where Coyote vs. Acme was never released, but the mirror it holds up to our world is a timely examination of corporations, their greed and control over society makes it easy to see why such a corporation initially tried to prevent its release. Not only is its narrative timely as one of the biggest media conglomerates tries to buy another and is exerting as much pressure and threats upon lawmakers in the process despite the end result threatening freedoms that society is built upon, but the brilliant mixing of the comedy hijinks of the timeless humour of the Looney Tunes with a courtroom thriller ensures that Coyote vs. Acme is non-stop entertainment from start to finish. Laugh out loud funny from start to finish while never backing down with some hard reflections on today’s corporate and political landscape while calling back to some of the most notable legal films in cinematic history, Coyote vs. Acme is nothing short of brilliant entertainment that not only delivers a truly crowd pleasing experience, but confirms that the Looney Tunes are still as relevant as they were almost one hundred years ago when first introduced to the world.