“Coyote vs. Acme” has a great premise.

In the feature film, Wile E. Coyote of Warner Brothers’ “Looney Tunes” (1939-1969) cartoon fame files a lawsuit against Acme Corporation for supplying him with faulty products.

For Wile E. Coyote, the ubiquitous Acme products are epic fails.

Acme dynamite blows up in his face. An Acme parachute malfunctions, plunging Wile E. Coyote to a blotch on the ground. Circular black holes appear, only to be peeled back like duct tape.

Wile E. Coyote, fur singed, eyes popping and body bedraggled, survives each mishap in his pursuit of Road Runner, who is -- “Beep, Beep” -- always just up the road, around the bend, or atop a cliff in America’s vast southwest.

Wile E. Coyote sees a television commercial and billboard for Avery, Jones, Maltese and Avery, a law firm advertising to represent those who have received Cartoon Injuries.

Will Forte as Atty. Kevin Avery, assisted by Lana Condor as Atty. Paige Avery, takes on Wile E. Coyote’s case.

Representing Acme Industries is John Cena as Atty. Buddy Crane and Foghorn Leghorn as CEO of Acme.

The existence of a secret “Project Sisyphus” is revealed, leading to a Congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., presided over by none other than Sen. Elmer Fudd. Road Runner is addressed as Mr. Runner. Very funny.

With the setup in pace, it’s off and running for “Coyote vs. Acme,” as human actors and cartoon characters share scenes. Think “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988).

The interaction between human and cartoon characters is frequently hilarious. The action is unpredictable and usually violent in the style of cartoon violence, with the characters, cartoon and human, bouncing back as if nothing happened.

There are sight gags aplenty, quip-filled dialogue and wacky humor in keeping with the original Warner Bros. cartoons.

This is a courtroom drama unlike any other.

“Coyote vs. Acme” has a behind-the-scenes story worthy of a courtroom drama. The film almost didn’t make it to the movie theaters.

The film was completed nearly three years ago, in November 2023, according to Warner Bros. Entertainment officials.

Instead of releasing the film, Warner Bros. Discovery officials wanted to write it off as a tax loss for approximately $30 million.

The studio was criticized by film-makers, animators, actors, talent representatives and movie fans for not releasing “Coyote vs. Acme.”

Online posts included the hashtags #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme and #SaveCoyoteVsAcme.

Ketchup Entertainment, which distributed Warner Bros. Animation’s “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” (2024), purchased distribution rights from Warner Bros. for approximately $50 million in 2025.

The “Coyote vs. Acme” screenplay is based on “Coyote v. Acme,” by Ian Frazier, an article published in New Yorker magazine in 1990 and in a book collection of Frazier’s essays published in 1996.

The “Coyote vs. Acme,” screenplay is by Samy Burch (Oscar nominee, original screenplay, “May December,” 2024) based on a screen story by Burch and James Gunn (screenwriter-director: “Guardians of the Galaxy,” 2014, and its sequels; “Superman,” 2025) and Jeremy Slater (screenwriter: “Fantastic Four,” 2015; “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire,” 2024; “Mortal Kombat II,” 2026).

The “Coyote vs Acme” director is Dave Green (director: “Earth to Echo,” 2014; “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” 2016).

Characters in “Coyote vs. Acme” include Granny, Tweety, Dr. Peter Lorre. Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and Yosemite Sam.

Eric Bauza (five-time Daytime Emmy Awards nominee) is fantastic, doing a majority of the cartoon character supporting cast voices.

Will Forte (five-time Primetime Emmy Awards nominee) is wonderful as the conscientious law firm attorney.

John Cena (Daytime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards nominee) brings his game face to the role as the Acme Corporation attorney.

The director and screenwriters mine the Looney Tunes’ catalogue for the many funny moments of the cartoon characters, in contrast to the seriousness of the human characters, making the movie all the more hilarious.

One quibble is that the live-action scenes appeared to be under-saturated on the movie screen in the movie theater where I saw it. The cartoon character images were darker and not as crisp, possibly because of the overlay and processing of the animation on the live action scenes. The stand-alone animation sequences seemed fine.

“Coyote vs. Acme” can be enjoyed by Looney Tunes fans of all ages. It’s the kind of film that can be seen multiple times.

“Coyote vs. Acme,” MPA rated PG (Parental Guidance suggested: Some material may not be suitable for children.) for cartoon violence and some language; Genre: Animation, Comedy, Run time: 1 hour, 43 minutes. Distributed by Ketchup Entertainment.

Credit Readers Anonymous: “Coyote vs. Acme” was filmed from March to May 2022 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The film’s fictional legal firm of Avery, Jones and Maltese is a tribute to Warner Bros animators Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.

At the end of the closing credits there is a dedication: “To everyone who posted, shared, held up signs, and spoke out when it counted. This film made it to the big screen because of you.”

At The Movies: “Coyote vs. Acme” was seen in the standard format at AMC Center Valley 16.

Theatrical Movies Domestic Weekend Box Office, Sept. 11-Sept. 13: ”Practical Magic 2,” starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in the fantasy film, opened at No. 1 with $30 million in 4,146 theaters, ending the six-week No. 1 run of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” dropping one place to No. 2 with $8.4 million in 3,303 theaters, $935.1 million, seven weeks.

2. “The Odyssey” dropped one place, $7.4 million in 1,983 theaters, $600.5 million, nine weeks. 3. “Runner,” starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson in the action comedy, $6.4 million in 2,568 theaters, opening. 5. “Coyote vs. Acme” dropped two places, $6.2 million in 3,355 theaters, $47.7 million, three weeks. 6. “Buddy” moved up one place, $3.5 million in 1,720 theaters, $21.2 million, three weeks. 7. “Insidious: Out of the Further” dropped two places, $3.3 million in 2,353 theaters, $60.5 million, four weeks. 8. “Hope,” a South Korean science fiction action thriller, $3.3 million in 1,560 theaters, $5 million since Sept. 9 opening. 9. “The Uprising,” starring Andre Garfield in a history drama based on events in 1381 England, $3.2 million in 2,068 theaters, opening. 10. “By Any Means” dropped six places, $2.5 million in 2,903 theaters, $13.4 million, two weeks.

Movie box office information is from Box Office Mojo as of Sept. 13.

Unreel, Sept. 18:

“Resident Evil,” MPA Rated R; 1 hour, 30 minutes. Zach Cregger directs Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Austin Abrams and Kali Reis in the Horror film. Synopsis: A medical courier delivers a package to a remote hospital. He is caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutant creatures to survive.

“The Weight,” MPA rated R; 1 hour, 55 minutes. Padraic McKinley directs Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe and Julia Jones in the Action Adventure film. Synopsis: Desperate to save what is left of his family during the Great Depression, a battle-scarred veteran is hired to help smuggle a fortune in gold across 100 miles of impenetrable wilderness.

“Bad Apples,” MPA rated R; 1 hour, 40 minutes. Jonatan Etzler directs Saoirse Ronan in the Comedy Mystery. Synopsis: A primary school teacher makes questionable decisions after one of her students is injured.

“Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom,” MPA rated PG; 1 hour, 20 minutes. Steve Cox and Mathew Walker direct the voice talents of Paul Whitehouse, Nina Sosanya and Justin Fletcher in the Stop-Motion Animation Comedy. Synopsis: On Halloween Eve at Mossy Bottom Farm, the clumsy Farmer ruins the pumpkin patch. Shaun tries fixing it with science experiments, but things go wrong when a wild beast appears in the woods.

“Without Blood,” No MPA rating; 1 hour, 31 minutes. Angelina Jolie directs Salma Hayek in the War Drama. Synopsis: A parable about family, war and revenge.

Movie opening date information is from Internet Movie Database as of Sept. 13.

Three Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes