Coyote vs. ACME (PG) – 103 minutes

Road Runner constantly outpacing and outsmarting Wile E. Coyote in classic Looney Tunes’ shorts was a memorable part of my childhood.

Beep Beep was the only sound emanating from Road Runner, while Wile E. Coyote didn’t speak.

It was left to the latter to be squashed, smashed, dropped and exploded, only to bounce back, time and again.

And one mustn’t overlook the ingenious ACME products … the contraptions he used to try to conquer his nemesis.

Now, all that is revisited and prosecuted (most cleverly) in a new feature film that combines animation with live action.

It is 1992 and the head inventor of animated products at ACME, Dr Lorre, recognises he is in strife.

He says he needs to get a message out because he knows too much. As he hastens to leave, he assures Tweety, who is perched in a cage, that everything will be okay.

In fact, it is far from okay, because next thing we know Dr Lorre has disappeared down a black hole.

Then, we are in the desert outside Albuquerque in New Mexico 30 years later.

That is where Wile E. Coyote is at it again, determined to catch, conquer and consume Road Runner.

But no amount of exertion on his part is going to do it because, one after another, the omnipotent ACME devices he employs continue to fail him.

Sore and sorry for himself, he retreats to his cave where a bold TV commercial sparks his interest.

It is that of a lazy lawyer, Kevin Avery (Will Forte), who makes his money taking on nickel and dime cases when clients’ products don’t live up to their billing.

Avery lives and works among the ‘toons, so there is never any shortage of work.

It is simply “sign on the dotted line” and “bob’s your uncle”.

But when Wile E. Coyote appears in his conference room, the stakes are much higher.

With Coyote’s persistence and at the urging of Avery’s eager intern, his Oxford graduated niece Paige (Lana Condor), the practices of the world’s biggest corporation are on the line.

I speak of none other than ACME, represented by their chief legal counsel, the arrogant Buddy Crane (John Cena), with whom Avery studied law at Harvard.

Leaning on Buddy to defend their territory is ACME’s egotistical CEO, Foghorn Leghorn.

The David vs. Goliath struggle has only just begun, and during the subsequent proceedings this lazy, two-bit attorney is going to “grow a pair”.

Along the way, he and Paige will come face to face with familiar ‘toons, including Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and Granny, just to name a few

And the key to their case is none other than Road Runner.

The origins of Coyote vs. Acme date back to 1990. That was when a satirical article, written by humourist Ian Frazier, was published in The New Yorker.

It imagined the legal briefings of a case brought by Wile E. Coyote against the ACME Corporation: a suit alleging corporate malfeasance and liability.

While Frazier’s piece was a slice of sublimely articulated lunacy, its execution in cinematic form was passed from filmmaker to filmmaker.

Eventually, it landed in the lap of Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows), with Samy Burch (May December) responsible for the screenplay.

What a brilliant piece of work Coyote vs ACME is!

The integration of superb, sharp animation and live action works beautifully … seamlessly.

First up, the shenanigans of Wile E. Coyote vs Road Runner never seem to grow old.

I love the multitude of ACME devices engaged here.

Then, there is the effortless way that Forte and Condor react to the ‘toons who, behind the scenes, took on a physical manifestation by way of life-size puppets.

It works a treat.

Importantly, Forte doesn’t try to be funny, but plays it straight and in the context of this film that was important to build credibility.

Yes, credibility, even though I am talking about humans interacting with what turns out to be computer drawn sketches.

I had no issues quickly buying in.

Forte also has no trouble establishing his slacker image, which Condor readily contrasts with her driven personality.

I also had a soft spot for Avery’s deadpan office assistant, Dottie Jones, who Martha Kelly plays particularly effectively. Talk about downbeat.

With his slick suiting and puffed-up persona, John Cena readily leans into his role as ACME’s smart and conniving legal eagle.

There is much to be impressed by, to savour and delight in, in Coyote vs. ACME, which leaves a most favourable and lasting impression.

It is both a step back in time and a step forward as to what is technologically possible in the business of movie making and entertainment.

Rated PG, it scores an 8 out of 10.