Hollywood has been searching for the successor to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie since it became a bona fide cultural phenomenon three years ago. But no amount of halfhearted toy movies or baldfaced IP cash grabs could capture that specific combination of earnest homage and campy meta-humor that made Barbie such a success. It’s ironic, then, that the closest Hollywood has gotten was hiding under Warner Bros.’ nose — and would’ve never made it to the big screen if the studio had gotten its way. But, luckily for us, Coyote vs. Acme is finally here, and it’s a triumph in every single way.
At this point, Coyote vs. Acme may be more well-known for its troubled journey to the big screen — first getting shelved by Warner Bros. in 2023 in an attempt at a tax write-off, then getting saved by the subsequent public backlash — but it’s immediately apparent that the movie is much more than its controversy. The movie follows Wile E. Coyote, who, after decades of fruitlessly pursuing Road Runner, decides to finally take it up with the Acme Corporation by hiring personal injury lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to sue the big company. It’s the great premise for a ton of gags (after all, what was Wile E. Coyote put on this Earth for but to suffer for our entertainment?), but Coyote vs. Acme takes its joke one step further and delivers the best live-action/animation hybrid film since 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
