There's an argument to be made that people wouldn’t be all that interested in Coyote vs. Acme if it weren't for the way David Zaslav tried to kill it. By trying to shelve the project, Warner Bros Discovery only drew attention to its habit of disappearing nearly completed movies in order to cash in on tax write-offs.

The drama surrounding the film’s fraught path to theaters is part of what makes it an enjoyable watch. Loosely based on Ian Frazier's Coyote v. Acme piece in The New Yorker, the new movie follows Wile E. Coyote as he concocts another harebrained scheme to kill the Road Runner.

The film leans into the absurd with a world in which humans and cartoon maniacs exist alongside one another. When the coyote isn’t busy trying to catch his dinner, he has to deal with all the ordinary drudgery that comes with being a productive member of society, like Avery’s niece, Paige (Lana Condor). This and the way a bevy of Looney Tunes characters pop up as people working regular jobs brings a delightful energy to Coyote vs. Acme that's akin to The Muppets.

The movie’s script – penned by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Samy Burch – features moments where Coyote and Avery grow to see one another as friends, but it’s mostly focused on showcasing how chaotic life would be in a world filled with beings who regularly defy the laws of physics with their cartoonish antics. By framing Acme as a cross between WBD, Apple, Tesla, and Lockheed Martin, the movie sets its story up to work as commentary about corporations screwing customers over with false promises.

What is interesting about the film’s story is the way it makes WBD seem like a studio that's afraid of poking fun at itself. You can almost hear Gunn, Slater, and Burch having a laugh at Zaslav’s expense as Foghorn Leghorn (Eric Bauza) is introduced as Acme’s conniving leader. Those kinds of jokes are what make the movie feel like it might actually resonate with audiences.