There’s an argument to be made that people wouldn’t be all that interested in Coyote vs. Acme if it weren’t for the way David Zaslav tried to kill it.

By trying to shelve the project, Warner Bros. Discovery only drew attention to its habit of disappearing nearly completed movies in order to cash in on tax write-offs.

Coyote vs. Acme’s generally positive reviews are on the money; it really is one of the best Looney Tunes movies in years.

In theory, this suggests that the movie might do well at the box office and become a case study in WBD making terrible decisions. Ironically, though, all of the drama surrounding the live-action / animated hybrid film is actually part of what makes it an enjoyable watch.

Loosely based on Ian Frazier’s Coyote v. Acme piece in The New Yorker, the new movie follows Wile E.

Coyote as he concocts another harebrained scheme to kill the Road Runner. But rather than simply trying to destroy his nemesis with elaborate plans that involve various gadgets, Coyote decides to go after Acme with a lawsuit over its faulty products.

Though attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) would rather take the settlement proposed by Acme’s legal counsel Buddy Crane (John Cena), Coyote believes he can receive a much bigger payout by going to court. And with countless examples of how Acme’s products have harmed him, Coyote’s confident that he can build a strong case.

Coyote vs. Acme leans into the absurd with a world in which humans and cartoon maniacs exist alongside one another.

) This and the way a bevy of Looney Tunes characters pop up as people working regular jobs brings a delightful energy to Coyote vs. Acme that’s akin to The Muppets.

And by framing Acme as a cross between WBD, Apple, Tesla, and Lockheed Martin, the movie sets its story up to work as commentary about corporations screwing customers over with false promises. At its core, Coyote vs.

Acme is a classic Looney Tunes project, meaning that it spends much of its runtime focusing on ridiculous gags. The movie’s script — penned by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Samy Burch — features moments where Coyote and Avery grow to see one another as friends, but it’s mostly focused on showcasing how chaotic life would be in a world filled with beings who regularly defy the laws of physics with their cartoonish antics.