Coyote vs. Acme

The irony was a paid actor

SAADIYAH SIDDIQUI

I wonder why a big company like Warner Bros. tried to shelve a project based on a cartoon coyote wronged by a similarly huge corporation trying to take said company to court. I mean, all the test audiences said they loved it, but they still tried to turn “Coyote vs. Acme” into a tax write-off, only pulling it off the shelf this year. I guess we’ll never know.

Anyway, I’m so happy that this movie was able to see the light of day. I loved cartoons growing up, and seeing this movie reinvigorated my love for “Looney Tunes.” I was never a huge fan of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner as a kid, but I certainly see the appeal now.

I must appreciate Wile E.’s dedication to catching the Road Runner even after failing time after time, a Sisyphean task. This is a film about never giving up even when you desperately want to. While this is abundantly clear with Wile E., this theme is also present with his human lawyers, Kevin and Paige, played by Will Forte and Lana Condor respectively. Throughout the film, Wile E. and Paige force Kevin to stop wallowing in self-pity and to make something of his life, with Wile E. especially serving as a role model.

One of the best parts of this film is the depiction of the relationship between Wile E. and the Road Runner. For whatever reason, the two are incapable of giving up the other, and even if the other isn’t on-screen, you can still feel their presence.

With “Coyote vs. Acme” joining the cartoon/ live-action hybrid film hall of fame, I hope we see more content like this from “Looney Tunes” and others.