Ketchup Entertainment tackles another Looney Tunes character, Wile E. Coyote. After the overwhelming success of their animated sci-fi comedy, The Day The Earth Blew Up, Warner Bros. brought the studio back on board for Coyote vs. ACME, where the infamous Road Runner hunter gets in a daring lawsuit against John Cena.
When Ketchup Entertainment released the trailer, I couldn’t help but recognize the shift in animation quality. While the studio scored big with Porky Pig and Daffy Duck’s 2D animated venture, the Wile E. Coyote movie relies on combining live-action cinematography and VFX animation.
The Apr. 22 trailer has presented a few scenes where the Looney Tunes accidentally show their CGI model. Yet, my skepticism led me to Coyote vs. ACME’s history. Could some of these mistakes be referring to the consequences of Warner Bros. 2022 tax write-off?
Coyote vs. ACME’s Relations to WB’s Tax Write-Off
Since the trailer’s release, you may have seen social media comments and entertainment coverage mentioning the Warner Bros. tax write-off. The Looney Tunes studio was discovered to be removing upcoming projects after merging with the Discovery Channel in 2022.
On Oct. 22, IndieWire learned that WBD filed and announced that the producers cut $2.5 billion worth of content during the July-September quarter. Then, in the third fiscal year, the studio increased it to $4.3 billion, wording mass layoffs as “company restructuring.” Due to CEO David Zaslav’s reckless decisions, Warner Bros. landed itself in a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount.
According to Dilemmas of Meaning, Coyote vs. ACME was one of the projects that was cut. At the time, it was the third film to be axed by the former merger, alongside Leslie Grace’s Batgirl and the Scooby-Doo Christmas sequel, Scoob! Holiday Haunt. The live-action VFX hybrid feature secured $30 million for the tax write-off.
Will Forte’s Wile E. Coyote Movie was Completed Before WB Cut
Fast forward to Feb. 2025, Coyote vs. ACME director Will Forte was interviewed by MovieWeb, discussing his comedy film, Kinda Pregnant, featuring Amy Schumer. In the second half, he discussed his feelings towards Warner Bros’ cancellation of the Looney Tunes film.
According to Forte, the WBD merger infuriated him. Before Coyote vs. ACME was dropped, the film’s production was completed. The creative team and industry leaders watched its entirety during screening. The issue was that the movie was never given an estimated theatrical and streaming release.
So how did Wile E. Coyote escape from the Warner Bros. vault? You can thank Ketchup Entertainment, which was in charge of the film’s VFX animation. They purchased the rights to Forte’s canceled Looney Tunes project on Mar. 31, 2025. Deadline reported that the studio landed the deal for $50 million.
Ketchup’s CEO, Gareth West, commented, “We are thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring the film to audiences worldwide. Coyote vs. ACME is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime and newcomers alike.”
Here’s to Hoping For Anti-Warner Bros. Movie’s Success
Coyote vs. ACME is set to release on Aug. 28 this summer. The first official trailer has shown that Ketchup Entertainment’s purchase paid off. The live-action VFX film has demonstrated its opinions on Zaslav’s Warner Bros. ACME, the company behind the lethal props in the Looney Tunes universe, parodies the studio’s consequences in a wacky lawsuit.
Wile E. Coyote plays along with Forte’s direction in a Tax Day ad announcing the trailer would drop in the upcoming week. He’s seen about to fall into a trench, holding up a sign that says, “Happy Tax Day. Check Your Write-Offs.”
From what I could tell, the movie’s animation in a few scenes does look somewhat rough, but it is fixable. In the golfing scene, Looney Tunes’ arrogant rooster, Foghorn Leghorn, has his CGI model animated for certain shots rather than his frame animation. Everything else from the trailer preview feels very clean and smooth, from the cartoon-actor interactions to the body expressions. I will be rootin’ for this Coyote vs. ACME’s box office success.
