The long-awaited Looney Tunes courtroom drama, “Coyote vs. Acme,” is finally here. The world of “Coyote vs. Acme” is one where cartoons and humans co-exist, somewhat similar to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (1988), and a departure from the separated worlds presented in “Space Jam” (1996) and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021).
It is a classic David vs. Goliath tale whose plot mirrors the movie’s struggle to make it to the big screen.
If you don’t know the backstory, “Coyote vs. Acme” was completed and ready for release in 2023, but Warner Bros. shelved it and claimed it as a tax write-off.
After an outcry from fans, Warner Bros. put “Coyote vs. Acme” up for sale. Ketchup Entertainment came to the rescue and purchased the distribution rights for about $50 million. Now we can see what happens when a burned-out lawyer takes the case of a cartoon determined to take on big business and capture a speedy nemesis.
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Although the stakes are comedically superficial, “Coyote vs. Acme” shows the importance of respecting God’s creation, overcoming sloth, and discovering your mission.
Respecting the dignity and integrity of God’s creation
Wile E. Coyote is down on his luck after many years of defective ACME products that sometimes literally blow up in his face while he attempts to capture the evasive Road Runner. He finds new purpose when he sees a television ad for a personal injury law firm specializing in cases of cartoon violence that mentions exact situations that he has experienced.
Kevin Avery (Will Forte), the senior partner at Avery, Jones & Maltese, reluctantly takes on the case with his niece and intern, Paige (Lana Condor). Both are thrust into a wacky adventure filled with conspiracies, whistleblowers, and falling pianos.
They uncover a nefarious product testing program named “Project Sisyphus” run by the ACME Corporation. Initially performed in a lab, the program exploited the resilience of cartoons and tested products on them until it destroyed their mental health (making them “looney”). The ACME Corporation switched to intentionally selling faulty products to cartoons to collect “field data” in order to improve the products they sell to humans.
The stakes for the overall plotline do not feel very high because of the cartoon backdrop, but they do bring up the topic of respecting the dignity of others and God’s creation, specifically when it comes to scientific research.
The Catholic Church teaches that all humans have inherent dignity because we are created in the image and likeness of God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1700). Scientific experiments done without the informed consent of the subject, or those who can legitimately speak for the subject, are not in line with their dignity (CCC 2295).
When it comes to experiments on animals, the Catechism teaches, “Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice, if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives” (2417).
With a similar logic of respecting the dignity and integrity of creation, Kevin and Paige become inspired to keep pursuing the truth and defend cartoons because they are beings who can give informed consent and have a reasonable limit to where they can be pushed before experiencing psychological harm.
Overcoming sloth/Discovering you mission
When we meet Kevin Avery, we discover he has the potential to be a great lawyer, but has gotten in the habit of settling for mediocrity after losing a good number of court cases early in his career.
His lifestyle is interrupted when a determined Wile E. Coyote won’t settle for a small pittance for his failed schemes. Even though Kevin discovers Coyote’s motivations are tied to an ultimate plan to capture Road Runner, he finds his mission in taking it to the big man to let them know it’s not OK to treat cartoons with less dignity because they are resilient to pain.
Even though he ends up losing his court cases, he wins the hearts of the Looney Tunes who are tired of suffering for the enjoyment of others. He has found a mission that gives him life and drives him to strive for something greater than himself.
That is the key to overcoming the sin of sloth. St. Thomas Aquinas defined sloth as a “sadness about one’s spiritual good.” This goes a bit deeper than mere laziness. It involves being disheartened at what you must do to pursue or keep your relationship with God intact.
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In his talk “Seven Deadly Sins; Seven Lively Virtues,” then-Father Robert Barron (now Bishop) offered “zeal for the mission” as an antidote to sloth. He suggests one can never get tired of asking God what their mission is for Him as one is here on Earth.
This is what happens to Kevin Avery. Even though he will continually face a big corporation, his motivation comes from helping those who can’t ordinarily help themselves.
Final thoughts
This movie goes under the “popcorn for the brain” category. It’s neither bad nor groundbreaking, but entertaining.
It takes the heart of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939), and mixes it with Looney Tunes-style humor.
Its slapstick and quick-hit witty humor will be understood more by adults, but kids can enjoy the movie as well.
The only joke that parents will want to be aware of is a misunderstanding of Daffy Duck mistaking Kevin and Paige for nude models for him to paint. They clear up the situation, but the joke eventually pays off when Porky Pig, who only wears a suit jacket, comes inquiring about the modeling job.
Nevertheless, longtime fans of the Looney Tunes franchise have the opportunity to experience a new take on an old favorite, and will be happy that they fought for this movie to see the light of day.
