Coyote vs. Acme mixes live action, animation, courtroom comedy, and classic Looney Tunes characters into an enjoyable family film for multiple generations.
It is hard to believe that Looney Tunes has been in existence for almost 100 years, but starting in 1930 as a series of short, animated films produced by Warner Bros., the company has become synonymous with some lovable, adorable cartoon characters. One of those characters is a blue Road Runner bird who travels around the desert at a high rate of speed, saying nothing more than "Beep, Beep." The Road Runner has a nemesis named Wile E. Coyote (Eric Bauza; Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up), who spends his life trying to catch the Road Runner but always seems to fail. Deciding his losses have to do with faulty products purchased from a company called ACME, Wile decides to hire a lawyer and sue them. The event is documented in the new live-action/animated hybrid film, Coyote vs. Acme.
Catapults, rocket skates, magnetic gloves, etc., no matter what devices Wile E. Coyote uses to try and catch the Road Runner, they never work and cause him bodily harm instead of helping him obtain his ultimate prize. Fed up, Wile E. Coyote decides, after seeing an ad on television, to go to the big city and sue the ACME Company. Wile meets with the lawyer he saw on television, Kevin Avery (Will Forte; The Last Man on Earth), who merely wants to settle the case with ACME for a few hundred dollars. Wile, however, has other ideas and sues ACME with an ulterior motive in mind.
The premise behind the film is cute and serves as a cautionary tale of David and Goliath as Wile and Kevin take on Corporate America with their fancy, highly paid team of lawyers. Of course, the bad guys win at first, but as with every good vs. evil story, the bad guys tend to get their comeuppance in the end. Does that mean Coyote eventually catches the Road Runner? Not on your life!
Director Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) does an excellent job of keeping the pacing moving and of making silly moments seem somewhat serious and not like a parody of a fun cartoon. Coyote vs. Acme could have become a very foolish story with cheeky puns and animated hijinks throughout, but Green balances those moments with more serious ones that keep the movie grounded despite mixing the human elements with animated ones.
The cast is well chosen, beginning with Forte. He does a wonderful job acting against characters that aren't really there while still interacting with his live co-stars. Lana Condor (X-Men: Apocalypse) does terrific work as Paige, the slightly naive, "aw shucks" kind of person interning with her Uncle Kevin. John Cena (Fast X) plays the mean corporate attorney out to prove Coyote's claims to be false. Other cast members include P.J. Byrne (Babylon), Nancy Linehan Charles (Minority Report), and Aimee McGuire (Opus). Together with various voice actors, they make Coyote vs. Acme an enjoyable film to watch.
If you are part of the generation who grew up watching Looney Tunes, you will certainly enjoy watching this film, as some of the supporting cast members and well-placed cameos include beloved characters from the Saturday morning cartoons. The plot and the combination of live action and animation are reminiscent of the 1988 hit Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but that doesn't mean it is a bad concept, and the execution of combining the live actors with the animated ones is very well done.
While this movie will probably go over the heads of toddlers, it is good family fare for those with elementary school-aged children and could be a good bonding experience for them and their grandparents, who probably grew up watching Looney Tunes.
Grade: B-
