MEEP MEEP!
I never really grew up watching Looney Tunes (I was always more of a Tom and Jerry type of guy) but I do remember really enjoying the Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner shorts. As you know, Coyote vs Acme was a film that was completed years ago but was shelved by Warner Bros and after the huge backlash Warner Bros decided to sell the film to another distributor. Luckily it was bought by Ketchup Entertainment who also distributed another Looney Tunes film The Day the Earth Blew Up. After years of constantly failing to catch the roadrunner due to Acme’s malfunctioning products, Wile E. Coyote comes across a commercial for a personal injury lawyer Kevin Avery that helps cartoon characters. Wile E. travels to Albuquerque and plans to sue the Acme Corporation for all their failed products while also stumbling upon a huge conspiracy inside the company.
Just the idea of Wile E. suing Acme is such a creative and hilarious premise. It’s kind of ironic that this film is about suing a giant corporation considering it was a giant corporation (Warner Bros) that shelved the film in the first place. The comedy in this film is absolutely hilarious and was clearly written by people who loved and studied the comedy from the original shorts. Even the worst joke from this film is better than the best joke from Space Jam 2. The acting from the live action actors is really enjoyable and all feel like live-action Looney Tunes characters. Big standouts include Will Forte as the washed-up attorney Kevin Avery and John Cena as the opposing Acme lawyer Buddy Crane. Speaking of, unlike the Day the Earth Blew Up which only had Porky and Daffy, this film is chock full of Looney Tunes characters. Some of them are mostly cameos but a lot them have surprisingly important roles that tie into the story. For example, Bugs Bunny is a reference to Deep Throat from All the President’s Men. It was a bit odd seeing Foghorn Leghorn as the villain but I thought he worked well as the opposing southern villain archetype. Also, Tweety as a mercenary for Acme is so freaking funny.
If I had one slight problem with the film is that I’m mixed on the animation. Most of the characters are animated in this cel-shaded 3D animation style similar to the animation in the live action Tom and Jerry film and the Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers film. This style is just fine, I wouldn’t say it’s awful but it isn’t really that amazing either. The problem I have though is that other characters such as Bug Bunny are clearly animated in 2D and the fact that there are two different animation styles makes the film look very inconsistent and a little distracting. Either have them all animated in 2D or cel shaded and not both.
Much like the Day the Earth Blew Up you can tell that the people that made the film love and respect the Looney Tunes. Coyote vs Acme is one of the best Looney Tunes films. It has such a looney premise full of looney characters and looney comedy that fits right at home with the Looney Tunes. Thank you, Ketchup Entertainment for giving Coyote vs Acme a 2nd chance.
Verdict:
+The Looney Tunes
+The comedy
+The performances
+The premise
+/-The animation
Score: A
THAT’S ALL FOLKS!
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