Coyote vs. Acme is even funnier because Warner Bros. tried to kill it

Key Points:

• Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) initially tried to shelve the movie "Coyote vs. Acme," drawing attention to the studio's pattern of shelving nearly completed films for tax benefits, which ironically increased interest in the project.
• The film, loosely based on Ian Frazier’s New Yorker piece, follows Wile E. Coyote suing Acme for faulty products, blending live-action and animation with a humorous, absurd world where cartoon characters coexist with humans.
• "Coyote vs. Acme" has received generally positive reviews for its creative blend of traditional animation and live-action, as well as its meta commentary on corporate malpractices and WBD itself, though its story is considered formulaic.
• The movie subtly critiques WBD’s corporate culture, particularly under David Zaslav, through characters like Foghorn Leghorn as Acme’s conniving leader, highlighting missed opportunities for the studio to leverage its legacy IP more effectively.
• Despite positive reception, the film is not expected to be a box office hit, reflecting WBD’s recent underperformance with Looney Tunes projects, and its release underscores concerns about the studio’s commitment to artistic projects amid potential corporate mergers.