That last bit may be a clear shot at Warner Bros. choosing tax breaks over Looney Tunes, but the entire trailer has a whole anti-corporate feel. Forte, costumed like he’s the most embarrassing member of the Spotlight team, rages, “These companies think they can do whatever they want. We’re sick of it!” Conversely, Acme’s lawyer trots out the time-tested tactic of blaming the individual for any of the products’ shortcomings.
Also, the trailer is full of classic Looney Tunes bits, including Bugs Bunny in drag, Daffy Duck going bonkers, and, uh, Tweety Bird with a shotgun. Not sure what that last one is about.
In total, Coyote vs. Acme looks like a delightful combination of Looney Tunes bits and courtroom comedy. That last part may be particularly important, because as wonderful as the original Looney Tunes certainly are—especially the Coyote and Roadrunner shorts made by Chuck Jones—the characters don’t always work in movie form, no matter what deluded millennials say about Space Jam. In fact, Ketchup Entertainment also rescued The Day the Earth Blew Up from Zaslav’s cuts last year, but the movie barely made back its budget.
If Coyote vs. Acme can capitalize on the goodwill we feel toward the characters and combine Looney Tunes wackiness with a successful legal comedy, then maybe Ketchup Entertainment will have a hit on their hands. And everyone else will have one more reason to laugh at WB’s lousy tax strategy.
Coyote vs. Acme arrives in theaters on August 28, 2026.
