Nov 15, 2023

Watched "Coyote vs. I watched "Coyote vs.

Last week, Warner Bros. launched one of the biggest anti-marketing ad campaigns in film history.

Overnight, "Coyote vs. Acme" went from a film that no one had seen to the most talked about film in Hollywood. The studio's rash decision to can the finished film for a tax credit created widespread recognition that other films could only dream of, from animation fans campaigning for the film to debates in the US Congress.

When I was invited at the last minute to a screening of the film, I was predisposed to like it for a simple principle. Filmmakers go through hell and back to make studio films with the unspoken understanding that the public will decide their fate. It is perhaps the only trade that is still considered sacred in Hollywood.

But my predisposition to enjoy it was also a self-defense mechanism to protect myself from disappointment. Anyone familiar with the track record of hybrid animated films with classic characters knows that the road is not always paved with gold. Frankly, there is "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," and then there is the rest.

After seeing this film, I am ready to rewrite my list. Dave Green's Coyote vs. Acme is not just good or above average, it is top-notch. One expects gags, laughs, slapstick, and broad visual comedy in a Looney Tunes movie, and this film delivers on those expectations in the most satisfying way possible. It is about becoming so deeply emotionally invested in the characters that you have to hold back tears. It is the richest psychological portrayal of an animated character ever made into a film, and it gives you an emotional gut-punch that, as a longtime Looney Tunes fan, I didn't even believe was possible.

Too often today, studios treat classic characters as branding exercises. They put a T-shirt on a character, have them appear in a movie, and that's it. The idea is that just the mere appearance of the character will give them a nostalgic feel-good dopamine rush. But this is a low-yield approach. Over time, younger viewers who have only been exposed to corporate icons are more likely to be confused than amused by the characters on screen. [This is especially true of Chuck Jones, who, more than any other creator during the golden age of Hollywood animation, confronted his own troubling insecurities, conflicts, and desires through his onscreen characters. Jones' characters are among the most psychologically rich and complex character studies in the history of animation, perhaps none more so than Wile E. Coyote.

In "Coyote vs. Acme," the filmmakers do not shy away from Jones' morbid notions of the coyote. Director Dave Green and screenwriter Sammy Burch understand the character of the coyote from the inside and out. This emphasis on character sets the film apart from many other attempts of its kind.

There is so much more to say about this film. But if I may be so bold, I will take a page from Wile E. Coyote's script and offer my own blueprint for what could happen next:

1. Warner Bros. executives will look at this film with fresh eyes. Any streamer would be lucky to get this film, but why hoard it when you can create the perfect Warner Bros. film and take all the glory?

2. They intend to release it theatrically in the summer of 2024. It is not often that a film is made to please a Barbie-level audience, and it is even rarer that they have the opportunity to release it on the 75th anniversary of the character's birth.

3. Coyote vs. Acme set a new standard for Looney Tunes films. If WB consistently achieves this standard with future Looney Tunes films, they will have a new four-quadrant franchise that will "crack" more than just kids.