Incredibly, “Coyote vs. Acme” will be released later this month.
The film, formerly thought lost at Warner Bros., was saved by Ketchup Entertainment, which bought “Coyote vs. Acme” and will be releasing it nationwide on Aug. 28. Ahead of that release, the team at Ketchup showed the movie to legendary animator Chuck Jones’ family – daughter Linda Jones Clough and grandson Craig Kausen. And we have their exclusive thoughts.
If you are somehow unaware of who Jones is, he is a truly incredible animator who is perhaps best known for his work with WB on the Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies shorts. He wrote, produced and directed countless classics, including 1957’s “What’s Opera, Doc?,” largely considered one of the greatest animated shorts of all time, 1953’s “Duck Amuck” and 1955’s “One Froggy Evening,” which introduced the character of Michigan J. Frog, who would eventually become the mascot for The WB television network.
His legacy, which extended far beyond his time making shorts for Warner Bros., is nearly incalculable – he directed the “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” holiday special, made the 1970 adaptation of “The Phantom Tollbooth” and created short animated bits for live-action movies like “Stay Tuned” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Jones passed away in 2002 at the age of 89, but he continues to inspire animators and fans around the world.
He also did a bunch of animated shorts with Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, the stars of “Coyote vs. Acme.”
“Chuck created a world in animation where these characters lived and played. This movie is the perfect bridge between the world that he envisioned and created and the world that we all see as reality,” said Kausen. “The characters are woven into the story so easily and seamlessly to perfection.”
“Chuck said that he did not believe Road Runner and Wile E Coyote could sustain a feature length film. I think this movie proves him wrong,” added Jones Clough.
Together, Jones Clough and Kausen asserted they were merely hoping to like the movie, but ultimately: “We ended up loving it.”
“Coyote vs. Acme” hits theaters on Aug. 28.
