“Coyote vs. Acme” delivers family fun and plenty of laughs, without any agenda

It’s getting harder and harder to find good, clean family fun without a woke agenda in children’s movies these days. Disney has notoriously sneaked homosexual characters and other negative messaging into several cartoon movies in recent years, and even made promotional videos in which its animators brag about putting in “queer” content in an attempt to brainwash young minds in favor of LGBT indoctrination.

However, there is a terrific alternative for families in theaters right now, as upstart independent distributor Ketchup has released a richly entertaining Looney Tunes cartoon/live-action movie called “Coyote vs Acme.” Starring the legendary Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner alongside a human cast led by “Saturday Night Live” veteran Will Forte and John Cena, it builds on the wondrous technology that made “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” an instant classic nearly 40 years ago.

Surprisingly, in addition to offering plenty of madcap action, it also features heartfelt messages about the positive power of persistence and the love found in friendship. And its smart script is a miracle in providing a plot that adults can enjoy while the silly slapstick moments elicit giggles and guffaws from all ages.

“Coyote” opens at the Acme Corporation, where dangerous product testing goes awry. Meanwhile, Wile E. Coyote is still chasing the Road Runner in the hopes of finally catching and eating him after decades of futilely using defective Acme products to try to catch his quarry.

After seeing a billboard for lazy small-time Albuquerque lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) that promises winning cartoon-related court cases, Coyote hires him to get his legal revenge on the business behemoth. Trouble brews, however, when the two find themselves pitted against Acme’s ruthless lead attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena).

As the lawsuit overwhelms Kevin’s small law office, an anonymous informant offers a mysterious tip that could change everything. Coyote’s case soon becomes much bigger than either he or Kevin expected, leading to plenty of cartoon chaos, courtroom antics, and a few surprises along the way.

“Coyote vs Acme” is a joy to watch in a theater surrounded by others, because comedies that are actually laugh-out-loud funny are in severe shortage these days. Both times I’ve seen it, the theater was filled with laughter and gasps of wonderment as the special effects brought all manner of comedic mayhem to vivid life. An added level of fun comes from seeing numerous cameos by other Looney Tunes characters, including Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, and Foghorn Leghorn on the big screen for the first time in ages.

Director Dave Green does a masterful job blending the cartoon characters and their antics into the real world, while also drawing full-bodied performances from Forte and the rest of his cheap firm’s legal team and a comically menacing villain turn from Cena. Seeing Forte’s Kevin grow in both character and confidence adds a nice touch of redemption as the loser lawyer finally starts to feel like a winner.

Such a winning combination has paid off handsomely at the box office, where “Coyote” has already made nearly $40 million at the box office and a stellar 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB and a 95 percent Fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com. Yet despite its smashingly good qualities and popularity, it’s amazing to consider that “Coyote” almost never made it to theaters at all.

Warner Bros. Animation inexplicably chose not to release “Coyote” when it was first ready to premiere in 2023, instead opting to write its $70 million budget off as a tax loss. Only when some of Hollywood’s top directors were given a secret screening of it and called for it to be distributed did Warner Bros bother to sell it to Ketchup, which saved the day.

While “Coyote” is definitely fine fun viewing for children ages 8 and up, very young viewers might be a bit startled at the sight of Coyote being blown up or crushed by a grand piano. Among the other bits of slapstick violence are numerous explosions, an anvil hitting Coyote in the head, Coyote getting hit by a train and stuck to the undercarriage, Porky Pig getting hit by a wrecking ball and smashing into a building, and Coyote’s head catching on fire.

The movie does have a “d” word and one “h” word plus four OMG profanities, but with no sex or nudity or innuendos at all. Coyote displays a spirit of perseverance in his quest for both justice from Acme and dinner from Roadrunner that is admirable and inspiring to Kevin, who learns to stop being lazy in life and work hard for Coyote’s noble cause.

Best of all is the movie’s revelation that deep down, Coyote and Roadrunner actually have an affectionate friendship.

For those wondering whether it’s worth a watch without children in tow and if it lives up to the past Looney Tunes classics, the answer is a hearty, “Yes!” Just go see it. That’s all, folks!

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