Classic 96-Year-Old Franchise Officially Returns This Month With New Movie Release
After spending years trapped in development limbo, Coyote vs. Acme is finally arriving in theaters on August 28. The film's release marks the return of one of animation's most beloved franchises and gives audiences the chance to see a movie that many feared would never escape the vault.
Since its debut in 1930, one animated franchise has repeatedly reinvented itself across theatrical shorts, television, home video, streaming, and feature films. Along the way, it has introduced some of the most recognizable characters in entertainment history and helped define the language of cartoon comedy itself. Its influence can be seen everywhere from children's animation to blockbuster superhero movies, with generations of filmmakers borrowing its visual gags, comic timing, and willingness to throw realism out of a window whenever it gets in the way of a punchline.
Yet despite its longevity, the future of the franchise briefly looked uncertain in recent years. Several planned projects faced delays or cancellations, and one highly anticipated movie became famous not because audiences saw it, but because they couldn't. What should have been a routine family release instead became one of Hollywood's most unusual controversies.
Now, after a long and highly publicized journey, Coyote vs. Acme is finally heading to theaters, and its release marks the latest chapter in the 96-year history of the Looney Tunes franchise. Featuring one of the series' most beloved characters and arriving after years of uncertainty, it's giving a true animation institution another moment in the spotlight.
Coyote Vs. Acme Is The Newest Release In The Looney Tunes Franchise
Coyote vs. Acme is the latest theatrical entry in the long-running Looney Tunes franchise, and it arrives with a premise that feels perfectly suited to Wile E. Coyote's decades of suffering.
It depicts the perpetually unlucky coyote as he finally decides to take legal action against the Acme Corporation, the company responsible for supplying him with countless malfunctioning gadgets in his endless attempts to catch the Road Runner. Will Forte stars as the struggling attorney representing Wile E. Coyote, while John Cena plays the lawyer defending Acme. Lana Condor also stars in the live-action and animation hybrid.
Coyote vs. Acme joins a surprisingly varied lineup of Looney Tunes feature films. Earlier entries include Space Jam (1996), which paired Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), and the recent animated feature The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. The franchise has repeatedly reinvented itself while keeping its core cast of cartoon icons intact.
Why Coyote vs. Acme Is Worth Seeing
Coyote vs. Acme is particularly notable because it nearly never happened. Warner Bros. shelved the completed film in 2023 as part of a tax write-off strategy despite positive test screenings and significant investment in production. The decision sparked industry-wide criticism and public backlash, eventually leading to Ketchup Entertainment acquiring the film and scheduling a theatrical release.
Even without its unusual production history, Coyote vs. Acme already had plenty going for it. The concept cleverly expands one of animation's oldest running jokes. For decades, Wile E. Coyote has purchased rockets, traps, springs, catapults, and other gadgets from Acme, only for them to explode, malfunction, or somehow injure him instead. Turning that premise into a courtroom comedy is exactly the kind of absurd idea that feels perfectly at home within the Looney Tunes universe.
Early reactions to Coyote vs. Acme have also been encouraging. Critics who have seen the film have praised its energy, humor, and surprisingly emotional underdog story. Reviews have highlighted the movie's clever meta-commentary and its ability to honor classic Looney Tunes characters while building a modern narrative around them. One particularly enthusiastic review even argued that Coyote vs. Acme surpasses both Space Jam movies as a big-screen Looney Tunes adventure.