Coyote Vs. Acme Leaves All The Critics Stunned

It's official: critics are loving "Coyote vs. Acme," the film that almost didn't happen thanks to a wild Warner Bros. controversy that nearly shelved the entire movie. Keep reading, and don't forget to watch our video above to find out more.

Before "Coyote vs. Acme" even hit theaters in the first place, it earned a staggering 96% on Rotten Tomatoes ... and as of this writing, that score hasn't changed one bit, indicating that critics are still just as sweet on this Looney Tunes comedy as they were initially. The film — which sees Wile E. Coyote hiring a laywer played by Will Forte to sue Acme for faulty equipment, with John Cena as Acme's representation — is beloved by critics and audiences, so what did invididual reviews say?

Looper's own Reuben Baron weighed in, writing in his review, "Measuring by sheer laughs per minute, "Coyote vs. Acme" is the funniest film of 2026 so far [...] even the most earnest "we're taking this completely seriously" dramatic moments in "Coyote vs. Acme" are still inherently funny at the same time." He continued, "It's not a perfect movie, but what it does well, it does so well that it feels like a work of super genius." Other critics, like Peter Travers for The Travers Take, agreed. "This merry, malicious long-delayed mix of cartoon and live action breaks out of legal jail to delight us all, except the Hollywood studio that tried to kill it," he said. "Go Coyote!"

This sentiment was shared by Keith Phipps, who said in his review for The Reveal, "Between jokes, the film finds room both to build a nice buddy-movie partnership between Coyote and Kevin while adding some real-world resonance via the story of a little guy going up against a corporation."

"Coyote vs. Acme" is just one of a handful of movies that got resurrected after getting canceled, and critics are mighty happy about that, apparently. Famed movie critic Leonard Maltin was one of them. "A dedicated team of filmmakers and animators have rendered an ingenious and impressive feature," Maltin wrote on his website. "Will kids who are unfamiliar respond to all of this? I have no idea. I'm just happy to see my favorite cartoon characters back on the big screen."

Others pointed to specific highlights — like Time's Stephanie Zacharek, who loved Will Forte's lead performance. "Forte makes a fabulous foil for his cartoon costars: he never tries to outdo them, preferring to bow to their lunatic majesty," she noted. "He knows they're what we've come here for." In her review for the Los Angeles Times, Amy Nicholson praised the movie's broader message. "Wile E. Coyote isn't asking for a handout," she wrote. "If anything, he's a true believer in the American Dream, willingly and literally breaking his back to put food on his table." Nick Schager at The Daily Beast followed that train of thought, calling the film "A clever and madcap underdog saga that, in light of real-world events, now resonates as a case of art foreshadowing life." 

At the end of the day, Frank Scheck said it best in his review for The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a pleasure to report that the film is a hilarious delight, one of the best live-action/animation films ever, and will be treasured by Looney Tunes fans (and who isn't one?)," he declared." Decide for yourself: "Coyote vs. Acme" is in theaters now.