Details from IMDB:
Coyote vs. Acme
After enduring years of malfunctioning products, Wile E. Coyote teams up with a local personal injury attorney to take on ACME, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters.
Initial Thoughts:
I’ll admit something right away: I’m not the biggest Looney Tunes fan. I spent a lot of my childhood either playing video games or watching other cartoons like Transformers, G.I. Joe or Robotech (to name a few). That said, I do have a fondness for the classic Looney Tunes characters, and I was glad to see this movie make it to theatres after WB tried to scrap it for a tax credit. Bravo to Ketchup Entertainment and all the fans for saving this movie, so of course I wanted to show my support and see it; with a Friday off, I figured it was a good time to see it at a matinee.
Main Points:
Another admission: I don’t like kids, and it is one reason I don’t see many kids’ movies in theatres; they often take away from the experience. When I saw this, the theatre was mostly quiet, but one kid got up several times with his parent, and once he shot off some kind of toy that hit my armrest. He said he was sorry, and I know kids will be kids, but it was distracting and did detract. That said, I enjoyed this movie; the beginning really pulls on the nostalgia heartstrings, with lots of great gags, some neat surprises, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The movie’s messages are wonderful: fighting a huge corrupt company is always worth it, even if you fail. Also, that’s what life is about: you don’t give up no matter how many times you fail; you keep trying until you succeed. Finally, in the end, it’s about doing what makes you happy in life and being with your friends.
I hadn’t seen a good combination of live-action and animated characters in a long time, and this movie crushes it. Will Forte and John Cena are wonderful, and seeing all the Looney Tunes characters I love back on screen warmed my heart. Lots of fun side gags to catch, great action, and excellent animation. It has the usual story beats in a kids’ movie, but with enough twists and turns to keep you interested. I really loved how, in the end, Road Runner tells Wile E. Coyote that he is his friend and that he misses him; deep down, they both know the chase is the important part- that’s what their friendship means.
Final Thoughts:
I will say the biggest issue wasn’t the movie; it was realizing I’ve never been a huge Looney Tunes fan. There are at least 10 characters here I don’t know, and I found that detracted from my enjoyment, so I’d say a bigger fan of the movie will certainly enjoy it more. That said, I loved the courtroom scenes and the ending; the thank-you to the fans that helped make this movie possible is also excellent and worth staying ’till the end of the credits. For a change, I can say bring your kids to this! It was a good length, and I found myself singing the outro song as I left, in a good mood. A solid 8 out of 10 from me, and a hearty recommendation to anyone who wants to go back to their childhood for a little while. Please see this in theatres if you can, and support smaller independent production companies; you’ll be glad you did.