Wile E. Won

Every so often, life works out.

Take Coyote VS ACME, which almost didn’t see the light of day. I’ve written about it before, but the circumstances surrounding its release are as relevant as the movie. It was going to be a tax write-off, only to be shopped around and saved by Ketchup Entertainment. This wasn’t a minor “oopsie”, either: the film came close to not releasing, only doing so at the 11th hour. Like with James Gunn and Disney, this movie escaped death because people wanted it to happen.

It’s fitting because that’s emblematic of the movie. Coyote VS ACME is about Wile E. Coyote, who keeps failing at catching The Roadrunner, suing The ACME Corporation over their products. Initially, both Wile E. and his lawyer, Kevin, think little of the situation: Wile E. wants his prize, while Kevin’s a washed-up lawyer used to small settlements with ACME. However, as both of them do digging, they uncover a conspiracy spanning decades that has impacted hundreds of cartoons. It’s surprisingly deep and might even be this generation’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

I don’t say that lightly. Whereas that movie was an allegory for the dark underbelly of Los Angeles, this movie directly tackles the negligence of corporate deregulation. Given how modern Americana has suffered because of deregulation, that a studio movie was brave enough to discuss this is gutsy. It might even be too gutsy! But that’s a whole other can of worms.

What makes this movie compelling is that, despite being angry, it has an immense love for its material. Coyote VS ACME doesn’t hate the Looney Tunes, but rather how Warner Bros. has mishandled them. These were the gems of the studio until the 1970s, but in recent decades no one’s known what to do with them. As a result, they’ve starred in a string of ambitious and not-so-ambitious flops, including Space Jam: A New Legacy a few years ago. This movie’s commenting on that, and it isn’t hiding it.

It’s telling that Warner Bros. almost shelved it. It’s equally telling that the movie’s tracking to make double its budget at the box-office. Considering word-of-mouth movies don’t always equate to successes, for this to do well financially because of fans is welcoming. It shows that sometimes we see positive outcomes, however rare they are. I should applaud that.

It helps that the commentary has real teeth. It argues that even if cartoon characters “tolerate pain”, that doesn’t make it right. Because it can cause them psychological damage, as we see throughout the movie. It’s something you don’t think about until you make the real-world parallels to minority injustices. Sure, marginalized groups might “tolerate their abuse”, but do they really? Or are they pretending and putting on a brave face?

I can’t help relating to this personally. Jews, particularly American Jews, were subjected to Antisemitism for centuries, and many were forced to blend in. Even after WWII, they fought for acceptance and integration, possibly at the expense of their unique identity. They might’ve integrated too well, such that we’re now witnessing a wave of extreme backlash and resentment over it. In that sense, Jews are The Looney Tunes.

Soapbox aside, this movie’s commentary is exactly what’s needed right now. The amount of corporate neglect is prescient, and distrust of the power structure’s at an all-time high. This correlation isn’t accidental, either: decades of cutting corners in the name of a quick buck has led to this. And attempts at whistle-blowing by individuals in the corporate world have resulted in legal and fatal consequences, something the movie comments on. It doesn’t hold back, and I welcome that.

It helps that this movie’s really funny. Whether it’s reworking classic tunes with Looney Tunes-centric spins, or using cartoon slapstick to generate laughs, this movie has no shortage of wit. I remember laughing out loud quite frequently, which says something since I find slapstick humour to be a cheap form of comedy. But it works. Against all odds, it works! And part of that is because the cartoon characters are treated with respect.

Does that mean everything about the movie flows? No. Aside from small quibbles here and there, the animation style is more CGI than conventionally-drawn. It has the illusion of traditional animation, but you can spot the difference. I genuinely think going the extra mile to draw the characters by hand would’ve added an additional layer of charm. I say that because they’re voiced by real voice actors, as opposed to celebrities.

There are many movies with plenty of hype that I’ve had different reactions to. Some, like Mad Max: Fury Road, I didn’t think were worthy of their praise. Others, like the animated ventures from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were absolutely worthy of their praise. Coyote VS ACME falls in the middle, though closer to the latter thanks to its release history. Ironically, in an attempt to get rid of it, it was made more relevant. For that reason alone I’d recommend it.

Above all else, this is proof that, like I said earlier, life sometimes works out. Because it did here, and we should applaud that. It’s a shame other ventures won’t see the light of day because of similar write-offs, but at least it worked to the public’s advantage here. So celebrate. And Warner Bros. should be ashamed of themselves, even if I doubt they care.