Dave Green knows how to make a cartoon character matter between the accidents. We like his warmth and comic timing, particularly in Coyote vs. Acme, though his fondness for familiar plotting can limit the fun.
Fi1m perspective
A cartoon coyote has been hurt, and Dave Green takes his complaint seriously enough to give him a lawyer. In Coyote vs. Acme (2026), that decision lets the director move between impossible injuries and the ordinary business of helping someone who has been badly treated. The legal framework is familiar, but there is pleasure in watching him take such an absurd grievance at face value. We rate Green as a director of family comedy, especially when he gives us a reason to care about whoever is being knocked about.
His feature work began with Earth to Echo (2014), a family science-fiction adventure whose found-footage approach put young actors alongside effects. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) moved him into a large-scale studio sequel, with the demands of action and an established franchise. Both films drew mixed reviews for familiar plots and uneven control of tone. With Coyote vs. Acme, the interesting step is towards a comedy in which Green has to make a friendship as appealing as the animated commotion around it.
Will Forte is an important collaborator here, playing lawyer Kevin Avery without apologising for the absurdity of his client or the case. Green gives the pair time to be likeable together, and Forte makes the live-action half worth watching in its own right. We were more moved than we expected by their friendship, because Green gives the battered coyote attention and affection between the injuries. He draws on Chuck Jones's cartoon timing, but his willingness to spend time with these characters also helps the comedy work.
The corporate satire is where we want more from him. Acme's wrongdoing is easy to condemn, and the courtroom plotting offers few surprises; a director borrowing from unruly cartoons ought to risk a little more disruption. The film's warmth makes this forgivable, but it does not make the satire sharper. Start with Coyote vs. Acme, provided a likeable lawyer and his cartoon client sound like enough for an evening.
Biography
Dave Green is an American film and music video director. Born in 1983 in the United States, he began his career directing music videos and short films, including several collaborations with Miles Fisher.
Green made his feature directorial debut with the science-fiction film Earth to Echo (2014). He subsequently directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016). In 2019 he was attached to direct the live-action/animated hybrid Coyote vs. Acme (2026) for Warner Bros., which was later acquired by Ketchup Entertainment for release in 2026. He is also attached to direct the upcoming film Hex.
