Rating: PG | Runtime: 103 minutes
Release Date: August 28th, 2026 (USA)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Animation / Ketchup Entertainment
Director(s): Dave Green
Writer(s): Samy Burch / James Gunn & Jeremy Slater and Samy Burch (story) / Ian Frazier (New Yorker article “Coyote v. Acme”)

It’s a limited number of signs.

An indefatigable cartoon character who takes a licking and keeps on ticking no matter how futile his goal hires an only-does-the-bare-minimum lawyer that rejects the very idea of ambition to never risk even the tiniest of failures to battle a global corporation that’s more or less infiltrated every facet of the public’s life to the point where everyone considers them a friend incapable of the horrific cost they willfully ignore to enjoy the comfort those products afford.

Why in the world would a man like David Zaslav, presiding over the shareholder-owned company that just purchased a legacy Hollywood studio to milk its IP rather than create art (before later selling it to another, earning an astronomical personal windfall in the process), want to shelf that story instead of letting its Looney Tunes cast teach future generations to be skeptical of the motives of capitalistic parasites pretending to have their best interests in mind?

Wear that “©2023” in the end credits despite releasing in 2026 like a badge of honor, Coyote vs. Acme. You’ve earned it by rallying a pro-human art collective to vociferously force Warner Bros. to sell the already finished film to Ketchup Entertainment, and for understanding the appeal of these iconic characters by leaning into the absurd comedy we love while also injecting some jokes at their expense to acknowledge the property’s historical shortcomings.

Director Dave Green and writer Samy Burch truly capture the same spirit of magic those my age experienced with Who Framed Roger Rabbit? while a Will Forte and John Cena-led cast reminds us how you can have fun while remaining emotionally authentic. It’s an ingenious expansion upon the concept Ian Frazier began in 1990 with his satirical case briefing that speaks to consent, whistleblowing, executive corruption, and moral courage.

It also just a wonderful parable about not giving up. That you shouldn’t confuse passion with success. That the fight to do what makes you happy and fulfilled isn’t defined by its victory or failure. That you should allow yourself to be driven by hope rather than discouraged by fear. Thankless or not, we each endure our Sisyphean struggles because we know how good it will feel when we finally push that boulder over the hill. So, never stop trying. You can do it.

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Lana Condor, Wile E. Coyote, and Will Forte in COYOTE VS. ACME; courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment.