---
title: "Coyote vs. Acme"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/coyote-vs-acme"
fi1m_id: "coyote-vs-acme"
imdb_id: "tt1756855"
tmdb_id: 1204680
wikidata_id: "Q106392679"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:23.282456+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

Directed by Dave Green · 1h 43m · MPA PG · Comedy, Adventure, Family

## Identity

Coyote vs. Acme

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/coyote-vs-acme
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** coyote-vs-acme
- **IMDb ID:** tt1756855
- **TMDB ID:** 1204680
- **Wikidata ID:** Q106392679
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1756855/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1204680, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106392679

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 77 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* After all those explosions, the coyote has finally found a use for paperwork

> Dave Green’s cartoon courtroom comedy is funny, affectionate and unexpectedly touching. The corporate satire settles for easy targets, but the friendship between a coyote and his lawyer gives the silliness someone to care about.

## Synopsis

Wile E. Coyote takes the Acme Corporation to court over its faulty contraptions, turning a history of cartoon injuries into a legal dispute. Will Forte plays Kevin Avery, with John Cena as Buddy Crane and Lana Condor as Paige Avery. The case brings live-action performers and animated Looney Tunes characters together in a story of corporate responsibility, an underdog’s search for redress and a friendship between a coyote and a lawyer. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn are among the characters voiced by Eric Bauza.

## Review

The useful joke in *Coyote vs. Acme* is that someone has decided to treat cartoon injuries as a problem that might require compensation. Wile E. Coyote’s complaint against the corporation gives director Dave Green a reason to put Looney Tunes slapstick inside a courtroom comedy. It is a good, funny family film, with enough affection for its battered claimant to make the familiar legal plotting tolerable. Green understands the appeal of watching impossible things happen to bodies that can take it. He also makes the coyote worth spending time with between accidents.

Samy Burch’s screenplay gets considerable mileage out of letting the two sorts of comedy coexist. A faulty contraption can supply a physical joke and a reason to question the company selling it, without requiring a speech between the two. The company’s arrogance also provides jokes that do not require another explosion. We laughed at the explosive accidents, and then wanted somebody to take the coyote’s complaint seriously. The friendship with his lawyer gives that sympathy somewhere to go without requiring the film to abandon its foolishness.

Will Forte, as Kevin Avery, helps considerably. His performance keeps the human part of the film from becoming dead time between cartoon appearances, and he accepts the silliness without looking embarrassed by it. Green leaves room for warmth in a story that could have been entirely about finding new forms of injury. The coyote and the lawyer are likeable company, which matters when the court business begins to feel familiar.

Brandon Trost’s cinematography and Steve Arnold’s production design make the shared space for humans and cartoons convincing enough to sustain the joke. The live-action world has to remain legible while animated bodies ignore its rules, and for most of the film it does. There are moments when the two look less comfortably joined, but they do not undo the pleasure of the combination. The more successful passages allow the animated characters to disrupt the live-action scenes without making their human companions seem irrelevant.

Carsten Kurpanek’s editing gives the physical comedy a welcome briskness, although it cannot make every stretch of legal business equally lively. At 103 minutes, the film is short enough to remain agreeable and long enough for the courtroom conventions to start repeating themselves. Steven Price’s music contributes to the energy, but it is the timing of a sight gag that most often earns the laugh. Burch is less successful when she leans on the legal thriller than when she develops the friendship.

The corporate satire is less satisfying. Acme’s wrongdoing is an easy thing to oppose, and the film seldom makes that opposition uncomfortable or complicated. That keeps it accessible as family entertainment, but makes a premise built around corporate malpractice rather less pointed than it promises to be. Against the unruliness of the cartoons it honours, the feature can seem a little too well behaved. Green has made an amiable underdog comedy where there was room for something more mischievous.

An audience need not be fluent in Looney Tunes references to enjoy the company here. Eric Bauza’s roster of voices offers plenty for those who are, and the familiar characters retain their comic usefulness. The in-jokes are a bonus rather than homework, so there is no need to organise a childhood refresher course beforehand. Watch it with people who still laugh when cartoon machinery goes wrong.

*Fi1m score 78, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics welcome Coyote vs. Acme as a funny, affectionate adaptation that understands the Looney Tunes appetite for destruction. Praise centres on the sight gags, the blend of animation and live action, and a courtroom premise that gives the slapstick a useful target in corporate greed. The reviews also find unexpected warmth in the underdog story and the bond between Wile E. Coyote and his lawyer. For many, the cartoon references support the comedy rather than substitute for it.

The reservations concern how much anarchy survives the move to feature length, with a wide spread between enthusiasm and disappointment. Variety enjoys the cameos but finds the comedy tame beside the original cartoons. Screen Daily is more dismissive, arguing that the screenplay cannot sustain its snarky tone. /Film also sees a missed opportunity for sharper legal satire, finding the approach too child-friendly to make enough of its premise.

## Straight answers

**How long is Coyote vs. Acme, and what is it rated?**

*Coyote vs. Acme* runs 1h 43m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and adventure film.

**Where can I watch Coyote vs. Acme in the US?**

*Coyote vs. Acme* is available to buy from Amazon Prime Video from $24.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

### Reviews we read (22)

- **Radio Times** (5/5): The critic calls it a pitch-perfect movie with endless gags that masterfully blends courtroom drama, corporate satire, slapstick and bromance, delivering top-drawer laughs and even tears through faithful transposition of cartoon mayhem. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/coyote-vs-acme-review/)
- **Empire**, Olly Richards (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a daft, inventive, hilarious comedy that is more than worth the wait after its troubled production history. They single out the deep love for the Looney Tunes world and its many Easter eggs as what makes the film work so well. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/coyote-vs-acme/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson (85/100, inferred): Praises the film's tone-perfect blend of live-action and classic Looney Tunes animation as a brisk, anarchic comedy that nails the spirit of the originals while delivering timely social commentary on corporate greed. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-08-26/coyote-vs-acme-review-will-forte-lana-condor-john-cena-dave-green)
- **The Observer**, Wendy Ide (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a giddily inventive blend of madcap Looney Tunes humour, underdog courtroom drama and buddy movie that is one of the funniest of the year. They praise its homage to Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the silly highlights from the Looney Tunes characters. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/wendy-ides-pick-of-the-other-films-coyote-vs-acme-spa-weekend-stop-that-train)
- **Little White Lies**, Kambole Campbell (4/4/4): The review praises the funny and satisfyingly cartoonish anarchy of this Looney Tunes comedy that sticks it to corporate interests, while noting it revels in Chuck Jones’ cartoon logic despite minor visual issues. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/coyote-vs-acme)
- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang (80/100, inferred): Hails it as a fleet, funny, elegant throwback with seamless animation-live action integration and reverence for the Looney Tunes universe, while noting a strong metaphorical resonance with the film's own production battles. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/24/coyote-vs-acme-movie-review)
- **The Telegraph** (80/100, inferred): The critic says thank goodness the film was rescued, calling the premise irresistible and very funny with an ingenious screenplay. They note it proves there is still life in the old Warner Bros cartoon universe and that anyone over seven will have a blast. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/08/21/coyote-vs-acme-review-looney-tunes/)
- **Time Out**, Simon Crook (4/5): This berserk comedy is hailed as an absolute blast that channels the manic spirit of classic Looney Tunes with relentless gags and a surprisingly sweet underdog story, though the studio backstory adds ironic satisfaction. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/coyote-vs-acme-review-2026)
- **The AV Club**, Jacob Oller (B): The critic praises the film as a winningly silly yet intelligent take on corporate malpractice in Looney Tunes form. He highlights the explosive slapstick, classic references, and thematic insight into struggling against overwhelming corporate odds. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/coyote-vs-acme-review)
- **Financial Times** (75/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a briskly enjoyable, tartly satirical feature mixing animation and live action in the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. They call it an altogether classy affair with Looney Tunes in-jokes and note parallels to the film's own rocky production history. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/ca8c9b92-e4cb-4b88-b10e-1fe722aaa7a8)
- **The Guardian** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds it a quirky, peculiar live-action-toon hybrid with some laughs and fanatical oddity that makes it watchable, though not a masterpiece. They highlight its satirical take on litigious culture and corporate arrogance but note it falls short of similar films like Bee Movie. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/coyote-vs-acme-review-wile-e-coyote-roadrunner)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (60/100, inferred): Calls it a nostalgic lark that deserves release and features winning cameos and a courtroom premise, but finds it tame and missing the anarchic fizz of the classic cartoons it honors. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/coyote-vs-acme-review-will-forte-wile-e-coyote-1236832065/)
- **Screen Daily** (40/100, inferred): The adaptation is seen as a nostalgic charmer that struggles to sustain its snarky tone over feature length, with a lacklustre screenplay proving as faulty as the corporation’s contraptions it satirises. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/coyote-vs-acme-review-looney-tunes-adaptation-is-like-its-wiley-protagonist-more-miss-than-hit/5219288.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic finds the film a clever mix of buddy movie, courtroom drama and political satire, rescued from shelving to deliver a warm, witty and moving experience with an important seam of political commentary. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/coyote-vs-acme-toon-courtroom-drama-one-smartest-critiques-us-politics-years)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The critic calls it a hilarious delight and one of the best live-action/animation hybrids ever. He singles out the clever gags, in-jokes, emotional resonance in the bond between Wile E. Coyote and the lawyer, and strong performances. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/coyote-vs-acme-review-looney-tunes-will-forte-john-cena-1236671221/)
- **Vulture**, Roxana Hadadi: The critic describes the film as genuinely fun and funny, the best Looney Tunes-related property in well over a decade. She singles out its humorous and surprisingly heartfelt reckoning with corporate malfeasance. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-coyote-vs-acmes-argument-against-corporate-cruelty.html)
- **Film Stories**, Simon Brew (90/100, inferred): The critic loved the film despite its troubled production history, calling it ridiculously entertaining and the funniest of the year. They single out its reverence for the original cartoons and seamless blend of slapstick, legal thriller elements, and corporate satire. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/coyote-vs-acme-review-the-movie-they-tried-to-bury/)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (80/100, inferred): The critic praises director Dave Green and screenwriter Samy Burch for creating a smart, resourceful live-action/animated comedy that respects the Looney Tunes source material while innovating on the legal thriller premise from Ian Frazier's story. They single out the film's exploration of existential themes and consumerist satire inherent in the Coyote's endless pursuits. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2026/08/28/movies/coyote-vs-acme-review-wile-e-coyote-road-runner-history-looney-tunes)
- **/Film**, Witney Seibold (6.5/10): The review finds the film merely okay and too kid-friendly overall, with an intriguing anti-corporate premise that fails to deliver on its potential as a sharper legal thriller spoof. They single out the light tone and animation choices for complaint. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2235232/coyote-vs-acme-movie-review/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic calls the film the most entertaining Warner Bros. release of 2026 and the best live-action/animation hybrid since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He praises its smart, funny, heartwarming qualities and the ingenious courtroom premise pitting Wile E. Coyote against the Acme Corporation. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/08/coyote-vs-acme-review-movie-warner-bros-shelved-2023-1237031528/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (3.5 out of 5): The critic finds the film pretty good and a feel-good story due to its release despite corporate issues, praising its commitment to Looney Tunes humor and Will Forte's performance, but notes it struggles with comedic elements and leans too much into legal thriller tropes. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/coyote-vs-acme-review-justice-looney-tunes/)
- **The Wrap**: The critic deems the film gut-bustingly hilarious, intelligent and moving, a successful parody of courtroom dramas that also delivers genuine emotional underdog impact. He singles out the comic timing of the sight gags and the screenplay's balance of story and laughs. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/coyote-vs-acme-review-warner-bros/)

## Details

- **Director:** Dave Green
- **Director:** Dave Green
- **Screenplay:** Samy Burch
- **Cinematography:** Brandon Trost
- **Editor:** Carsten Kurpanek
- **Music:** Steven Price
- **Production design:** Steve Arnold
- **Costume design:** Daniela Moore
- **Producer:** Christopher DeFaria, James Gunn
- **Cast:** Will Forte as Kevin Avery; Lana Condor as Paige Avery; John Cena as Buddy Crane; Tone Bell as Sal Maltese; Martha Kelly as Dottie Jones; Luis Guzmán as Judge Troppogrosso; P.J. Byrne as Bill Pellicanos; John Early as Henry Heslop
- **Runtime:** 1h 43m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG
- **Release (the US):** 28 August 2026
- **Genres:** Comedy, Adventure, Family
- **Budget:** $72 million
- **Box office:** $65 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMsiD1Nky5I

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: buy $24.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-14.*

Also available in: DE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988), Fi1m 89: For cartoon chaos, human vulnerability and a mystery that holds together. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/who-framed-roger-rabbit.md)
- *The Castle* (1997): Another legal underdog story whose affection for its people earns the laughs.
- *A Town Called Panic* (2009): For anyone who would happily exchange the courtroom for further animated disorder.
- *The Wrong Trousers* (1993): Ambitious inventions, precise visual jokes and a villain with excellent timing.
- *The Devil and Miss Jones* (1941): Corporate authority gets a comic examination, with proper affection for the workers.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/coyote-vs-acme