If possible, on the final day of MIFF I like to try and book films that are a little lighter and more fun than the usual tough, depressing dramas that are more the norm, as a way to sort of wind down from the festival and to just enjoy myself. This year I got the chance to book a ticket for Dave Green's animation / live action hybrid “Coyote vs. ACME”; a film that very nearly never saw the light of day. Back in 2023, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav decided to shelve the finished film and use it as a tax write-off instead. Fans were irate and started a campaign to have the film released. Initially, it didn't look like they were going to be successful but out of nowhere Ketchup Entertainment saved the day and acquired the film and the rest is history; the world will now be able to see “Coyote vs. ACME” for themselves and see if it was a deserved tax write-off or a new comedy classic.
Growing up in the early eighties, the classic Looney Tunes cartoons played on our television sets every weekday, late afternoon, as we were getting home from school, so I have always had a love for Bugs, Daffy, Tweety and the rest of the gang. As I have reached adulthood, I haven't followed these characters later adventures, but I will admit that I was shocked at the dumping of this film for tax purposes which I thought was disgraceful. If it ever was to come out, I had planned to see it, just as a giant “F--- YOU!” to Warner Bros., and I hoped that it would turn out to be a very successful film in the process. However when the initial trailer came out, my opinion of it was more than a little luke warm, and I thought that maybe Zaslav knew he had a dud on his hands and did end up doing the right thing by pretending it never existed. Anyway, it showed up at MIFF and I decided that I would see it, but I wasn't getting my hopes up about it. Turns out “Coyote vs. ACME” was a bloody entertaining film, packed full of laughs and surprisingly filled with a lot of heart too. I had so much fun with this film, and so did the entire audience, I am happy to say.
What makes “Coyote vs. ACME” so successful, is director Dave Green's obvious love for these classic cartoon characters. He does not change them in any way by trying to update them for today, or anything like that, these are the characters you know and love from the old Looney Tunes days. Making a film where the main character, Wile E. Coyote, does not speak, you would assume that there might have been some thought to change that and get the old boy talking here, but no, just like way back then, the only way Coyote and Road Runner ever speak (outside of “Beep Beep”) is via (a limited number of) signs. Green also keeps the pace up and the gags coming, and the majority of them are very funny and of a slapstick nature (keep an eye in the background for a multitude of sight gags). Even when the humans get mixed up in the animated gags, it is done with so much fun and silliness that it works perfectly with the tone of the film. Green just knows what type of film he is making and delivers time after time, which is essentially a live-action Looney Tunes film, filled with animated characters.
Speaking of animated characters, all of your favourites make an appearance here from Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Tasmanian Devil, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Road Runner, and there is a very, very funny joke involving the now cancelled character of Pepé Le Pew, which had my cinema roaring with laughter. But this is legitimately Wile E. Coyote's movie; he is so funny in this, and it reminds you just how great all his classic cartoons were, with his failed ACME products, some which get replayed briefly in this film. One thing that I was very happy about was Dave Green's choice to stick with 2D hand drawn animation for the Looney Tunes characters, instead of trying to jazz them up with 3D computer animation, which he does do for some of the ACME products that Coyote uses, but never the characters themselves.
In regards to the human performances, everyone understands that they are essentially making a live-action cartoon and thus adjust their performances accordingly, with John Cena (who plays ACME lawyer Buddy Crane) coming out best with his over-the-top bad guy shtick. Will Forte is great as a no-hoper lawyer, Kevin Avery, who cannot be bothered doing the legwork to become a good lawyer, only to be inspired by the never-give-up attitude of a certain Coyote that sees him change his ways for the better, and while it may be strange to say, Forte also has amazing chemistry with Wile E. Coyote, with the scenes those two are in together being the highlights of the film. And this is also where the heart of “Coyote vs. ACME” comes in too, as the two end up building a real friendship between them that they even start caring for one another. There is a really sad scene, when Kevin is fed up with all of the Coyote's nonsense and constant plans to try to catch the Road Runner, when he turns around and screams “YOU WILL NEVER CATCH HIM!!”. The look of utter despair on Coyote's face when he hears this leaves a lump in your throat; his ears go down, his eyes droop, he is so upset, it's devastating.
Did I dislike anything about “Coyote vs. ACME” ? Well I wasn't a fan of the arrogance of Foghorn Leghorn, and the explanation of why ACME products keep (deliberately) failing was a little stupid, but hey, when a film is this fun and full of life and laughs, why worry about the little negatives. If I was being critical, I do not think it quite gets to the level of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988), which is still the high bar set for animated / live-action hybrid films, but it comes closer than anything else before it.
One thing I want to mention before I sign off was that at our screening of “Coyote vs. ACME” we were lucky enough to have Eric Bauza introduce the film and do a Q&A after the screening. Bauza was the voice actor for most of the Looney Tunes characters within the film and he was just outstanding with his time and his answers. He was so full of energy answering questions while changing character voices mid-sentence; he was incredible. He was also genuinely thankful for everyone turning out to watch the film and fight to see it released. I normally do not hang around for Q&A's because I have to get to the next film, but since my next film was in the very same cinema, I stayed and was very glad I did because I was so impressed by Bauza who seems like a really genuine person; he also stayed in the MIFF Festival Hub after the screening to sign anything people might have had or just to shake their hands. Well Done.
Overall, I thought “Coyote vs. ACME” was a loving tribute to all things Looney Tunes (notice how all of the human characters are named after the key Looney Tunes creators), was incredibly funny, surprisingly full of heart, and that it definitely lived up to the hype. It would have been a travesty if this film had never seen the light of day, because it is so much more than just a tax write-off. Every one involved in this film knows exactly the type of film they are making, and it is great to just go to the movies and having a grand time, laughing your arse off at the absurdity of these fantastic classic characters as they interact in the real world and humans as well. Take your kids, take your family; I guarantee that you will have a fantastic time with “Coyote vs. ACME” (which I also saw at ACMI cinemas); it was worth the wait.
3.5 Stars.
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