If there is one thing Looney Tunes character the Road Runner knows, it’s, of course, long, winding roads, but even he would offer a balking “beep beep” at the route that Coyote vs. Acme has been forced to take just to see the light of day.
A blending of live action and animation, Coyote vs. Acme centers on injury lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte), who is hired by the titular Wile E. Coyote to sue the Acme Corporation for their myriads of faulty products that have both figuratively and literally blown up in his face in his seemingly never-ending pursuit of the Road Runner. As if it was not daunting enough facing a powerful and influential corporation such as Acme, the duo must also overcome their defense attorney and former boss of Kevin, Buddy Crane (John Cena).
Directed by Dave Green and penned by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Samy Burch, the very plot of the Coyote vs. Acme is nothing short of genius, allowing for a movie that is for kids, yet it also carries a potentially powerful critique of corporate society that would be relatable to adults, and if you ask Will Forte, he will tell you the finished product is “incredible,” a sentiment shared by test audiences for the movie.
However, as I have previously covered, Coyote vs. Acme, along with several other Warner Bros. productions at the time, were shelved in favour of tax incentives. After intense public backlash, and Forte’s continued lamentations on the seemingly lost project, Warner Bros. eventually sold the distribution rights to Ketchup Entertainment, who had previously secured the rights to another Looney Tunes movie, The Day the Earth Blew Up. Coyote vs. Acme is now slated for release August 28th, and the first trailer for the highly anticipated legal comedy released just last week.
The trailer opens, fittingly, with Wile E. Coyote unboxing a pair of Acme rocket skates and donning them as he awaits the Road Runner, but of course they barely work before causing a massive, craterous explosion. What’s most interesting is the Warner Bros. logo that follows, as they must of course be given credit, but then there is what can only be perceived as a thinly veiled dig at the production company that previously tried to bury the production, zooming into the text beneath the logo, which reads, “*A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF THE ACME CORPORATION”, essentially calling Warner Bros. villains, which, in this case is as delightful as it is accurate!
From there, the trailer shows Wile E. Coyote watching Forte’s Kevin on TV saying that anyone injured by an Acme product is not at fault, claiming, “There’s probably someone to blame,” then cutting to Cena’s villainous Buddy Crane. We also discover that Kevin is jaded by having to repeatedly settle cases with Acme, but his niece Paige (Lana Condor) insists that this is the moment to “show people what you’re really capable of.”
The rest of the trailer, then, is largely a montage of various characters in expectedly cartoonish situations, boasting quite the roster that includes Porky Pig, Tweetie Bird, Daffy Duck, and Foghorn Leghorn, who is Buddy Crane’s boss and possibly the head of Acme. What is most impressive, though, is that they are all portrayed by the chameleonic voice of Emmy Award winner Eric Bauza, who hails from the Scarborough region of Toronto. He will also voice Miss Prissy, who we see early in the trailer and will serve on the jury, as well as characters who do not appear in the trailer, such as Sylvester the Cat, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam.
There is, however, one character Bauza voices that is saved until the very end of the trailer, none other than Bugs Bunny. Although he is largely obscured in darkness due to a light behind him, his outline is unmistakable, not to mention he utters the words, “What is up, doc?”, in a scene that is very clearly and hilariously referencing the meeting with Deep Throat in All the President’s Men, hinting that Bugs will provide Kevin and his team with vital information on Acme.
Needless to say, it’s incredibly exciting to finally get our first look at what others are touting as one of the best Looney Tunes movies to come out in some time, particularly in spite of Acme…I mean, Warner Bros.’ most cynical efforts. And with the Coyote vs. Acme’s release still another four months away, we can surely expect at least one more full-length trailer before its long-awaited release.