Finally, famed Looney Tunes Cartoons desert chases between Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner will return to the big screen.
You might remember that the Warner Bros. Animationmascots were introduced as cartoon shorts screened before WB motion pictures in the heyday of cinema. The slapstick adventures of Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, and the rest of the gang would go on to become nostalgic Saturday morning cartoons on television for over half a century. So it’s good to see them back on the big screen where they belong, with a feature film that was almost canceled and meant to never see the light of day.
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Thankfully, that’s no longer the case with the upcoming release of Coyote vs. ACME on August 28th, thanks to Ketchup Entertainment. The movie centers around what would happen if Wile E. Coyote were to sue the ACME Corporation for all the faulty traps it sold him in his hunts for one very fast Road Runner. It’s a live-action and animation hybrid movie starring John Cena (Little Brother), Will Forte (The Four Seasons), and Lana Condor (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), and the voice talents of this generation’s Looney Tunes stewards Eric Bauza, Jeff Bergman, and Candi Milo.
So if you also love movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, this wacky, action-packed courthouse battle of the ages is for you. Just take a look at the final trailer for the movie from Warner Bros., almost cast into oblivion by way of digitally dipping it to be deleted forever for money.
The fact that we are getting Coyote vs. ACME is a miracle and a monumental win for every generation that grew up on the Looney Tunes. For starters, the movie was shelved as a tax write-off back in 2023, which led to massive social media outrage; according to the Hollywood Reporter, it was a casualty of structural changes in leadership, “deciding against releasing that movie theatrically.” Thus, it was doomed to be canceled alongside several other planned Looney Tunes features, including the fully animated Porky Pig and Daffy Duck double-hander The Day the Earth Blew Up.
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After it was screened for the industry and media in the hopes of shopping it to other major studios by director Dave Green (Earth to Echo) and his team, hope was almost lost until Ketchup Entertainment stepped in. The independent studio had just come off a modestly successful run, which, based on Box Office Mojo stats, made $15.48 million worldwide after having acquired The Day the Earth Blew Up. The feature-length animated film was the first casualty of the WB’s cancellation spree and ended up being critically acclaimed, embraced by the media and fans alike.
Nostalgia animation news platform This Means Podcast (Instagram: @ThisMeansPodcast) chronicled both The Day The Earth Blew Up and Coyote vs. ACMErelease journeys from cancellation to underdog wins by way of finding distribution from Ketchup Entertainment on his show.
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“The Looney Tunes have NEVER looked so good, and in a plot like this that lends itself to wild visuals, zany antics, and parody; God, it’s about time!!” The This Means Podcast host shared online.
Coyote vs. ACMEtickets are on sale now, and the film opens in theaters August 28!
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