Dave Green
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Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
influenced Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
Visuals Themes
A heartwarming and comedically satisfying blending of animated sensibilities in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit…
This is akin to how 1988’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (which also blended animation and live action) was told as a 1950s detective story…
Similar to how the audience fully buys into Bob Hoskin’s friendship with a long eared bunny in Roger Rabbit, Will Forte brings so much humour and heart to the role of Avery that the viewer cannot help but be moved by the lawyer’s bond with Coyote.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit, still the finest example of this type of film, is an undisputed classic.
Reminiscent of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, it allows the cartoons to feel perfectly at home in the real-world setting.
It mixes the cartoon and “real world” elements brilliantly; rarely since Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) have they been integrated so seamlessly.
Coyote vs. Acme is instead a funny mix of animation and live action that surpasses the original Space Jam (1996).
It joins the ranks of beloved upper echelon of movies that have previously employed these techniques, likeWho Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam, while still feeling fresh and unique.
The Looney Tunes have crossed the border into reality before, from the underrated Looney Tunes: Back In Action, to the nostalgic miasma of Space Jam (and its even more fetid sequel).
Many of us grew up on the Looney Tunes, be it in the old cartoons and multiple series, or old, overtaxed VHS copies of Space Jam.
…it also is, hands down, the best animated/live action hybrid since Robert Zemeckis’ classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit hit screens four decades ago (sorry, Space Jam)…
Where the Space Jam films and Back in Action are fun, iconic genre parodies, Coyote vs. Acme is the first live-action Looney Tunes movie with a message that outshines its satire.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
Directed by Joe Dante
influenced Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
Visuals Themes
Utilising the same animation/live-action hybridisation that has defined pictures like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and even other Looney Tunes films like Back in Action, Coyote sets off to Albuquerque to find a lawyer to represent him.
The Looney Tunes have crossed the border into reality before, from the underrated Looney Tunes: Back In Action, to the nostalgic miasma of Space Jam (and its even more fetid sequel).
No llegando a los niveles de locura o disparates de la infravalorada Looney Tunes: Back in Action, pero sí respetando muy bien a sus personajes y teniendo mejor química con los humanos…
Looney Tunes: Back in Action, less so.
Green and Burch, perhaps reminded of the failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, don’t spare the mayhem.
…it gives a strength to the film’s humour that was not as evident in early Looney Tunes-live-action hybrids like Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).
But where "Earth to Echo" falls short of a film like "E.T.," or even "The Goonies," is in developing its characters.
Reminiscent of J.J. Abrams' 2011 picture, " Super 8 ," with a modern, effectively used found-footage bent, the film incorporates plot elements from 1982's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," 1985's "The Goonies" and 1986's "Stand by Me" in an affectionate if derivative medley.
The movie is jockeying to be, as producer Andrew Panay has said , this generation's " Stand by Me "-meets-" The Goonies ."
Producer Andrew Panay ("Hit and Run") wanted to make a movie like "E.T." and "The Goonies" for a new generation and he's done just that.
And it also packs a lot in from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and maybe just a non-scary touch of Poltergeist along with The Goonies and a smidge of Super 8.
For better and for worse, there’s nothing to match the crass comedy of the film’s spiritual cousin “The Goonies,” or the darker developments of something like “Gremlins.”
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
influenced Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
Themes Plot Characters
…if you are a parent who favors thrillers or legal dramas like “A Civil Action” (1998), “Erin Brockovich” (2000) or “Dark Waters” (2019), you will love it.
Following the blueprint of legal dramas such as A Civil Action and Erin Brockovich, but by way of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Coyote vs Acme is an entertaining and surprisingly heartfelt family comedy.
Once a homicidal psychopath, he’s now the Erin Brockovich of the cartoon world…
She acts as the moral center of the film — a bubbly Erin Brockovich figure who’s unafraid to face Goliath.
Reminiscent of J.J. Abrams' 2011 picture, " Super 8 ," with a modern, effectively used found-footage bent, the film incorporates plot elements from 1982's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," 1985's "The Goonies" and 1986's "Stand by Me" in an affectionate if derivative medley.
Elle Fanning's super-awesome "Super 8" performance only proves the exception to this rule.
"Echo" sprints out of the gate, and sometimes relies too much on its influences (which unabashedly show tinges of " Super 8 ," "E.T.," "The Goonies" and "Stand by Me") to sell its story.
And it also packs a lot in from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and maybe just a non-scary touch of Poltergeist along with The Goonies and a smidge of Super 8.
The movie’s lack of invention includes its “Transformers”-style action sequences and plot and characters that parallel 2011’s much better sci-fi adventure featuring kids, “Super 8.” The story and the cast in the latter film — retroactively set in 1979, written and directed by J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek Into Darkness”) and co-produced by Steven Spielberg — exceed the dumbed-down “Earth to Echo” by light-years.
One doesn’t need to go too far back to find a superior Spielberg homage: J.J. Abrams’ “Super 8” was released the summer before “Earth to Echo” commenced production, and even that film’s ardent detractors would have to admit it’s far more engaging and full-bodied than what Green and Gayden can muster here.
Reminiscent of J.J. Abrams' 2011 picture, " Super 8 ," with a modern, effectively used found-footage bent, the film incorporates plot elements from 1982's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," 1985's "The Goonies" and 1986's "Stand by Me" in an affectionate if derivative medley.
As are the parallels to "Stand By Me": The friendship between Alex (Teo Halm), Tuck (Astro, aka Brian Bradley) and Munch (Reese Hartwig) is meant to represent the kind that can only exist among 12-year-old boys and that is about to be shattered by an inexplicable freeway expansion poised to obliterate their Nevada neighborhood.
The story is a small-scale (cheap) jumble of ideas filched from “E.T.,” “Goonies,” “Super 8,” “Stand by Me,” “Men in Black” and “Explorers.”
The way in wasn’t through looking at courtroom dramas like Michael Clayton, A Few Good Men, or The Verdict, but taking inspiration from The Insider, a thriller where a chemist became a whistleblower on the tobacco industry.
Taking narrative cues from Witness for the Prosecution or A Few Good Men means the proceedings don’t overstay their welcome or feel like a bunch of shorts stitched together.
It’s A Few Good Men by way of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and it works on just about every level.
Whether intentional or by happy accident, the latest Looney Tunes pic also has some comedic parallels toBetter Call Saul, what with the scrappy Albuquerque law firm, its over-the-top advertisements, and dramatic desert showdowns.
And also a satisfactory Better Call Saul shout-out. Or maybe all law offices in Albuquerque just look that way.
“Better Call Saul” fans will surely love that the film is set in Albuquerque, apparently a haven for cheapo lawyers…
The Albuquerque lawyer is a sly allusion to both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but is mostly an opportunity for the movie to offer its own take on the classic Bugs Bunny line, “I must have taken a wrong toin at Alberquoike!”
With 2008's "Cloverfield," J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves showed that the found footage aesthetic—comprised of shaky, you-are-there camerawork and rough cutting and usually relegated to hardcore horror films like the "Paranormal Activity" series and, of course, "The Blair Witch Project"—could also be employed to evoke moments of wide-eyed awe and wonder.
Unlike the very successful Spanish horror thriller "[Rec]" or even the nausea-inducing "Cloverfield," which "Echo" more closely resembles, this film doesn't maintain a consistent point of view or any logic about what's on screen.
Although it's technically not a so-called "found footage" flick (like "The Blair Witch Project" or "Cloverfield") as one of the juvenile protagonists is showing us the footage from a year earlier, the visuals are so bouncy that anyone prone to motion sickness had better stock up on Dramamine or something similar before seeing this.
The lack of interesting characters and a patchwork plot leave "Earth to Echo" less of a new "E.T." and more a "Cloverfield" for kids.
Clearly, “E.T.,” “ Cloverfield ” and “ Super 8 ” are driving the bus here, and those are all good movies from which to borrow, but the only thing this movie adds to the mix is a little innocence.
However, now they’re taking on personas evoking characters from titles like Anatomy of a Murder or All the President’s Men.
All the President’s Men, de Alan J. Pakula (en especial con ese homenaje directo a Garganta Profunda)…
The way in wasn’t through looking at courtroom dramas like Michael Clayton, A Few Good Men, or The Verdict, but taking inspiration from The Insider, a thriller where a chemist became a whistleblower on the tobacco industry.
Siendo bastante clara la influencia de cintas como The Verdict, de Sidney Lumet…
…if you are a parent who favors thrillers or legal dramas like “A Civil Action” (1998), “Erin Brockovich” (2000) or “Dark Waters” (2019), you will love it.
Following the blueprint of legal dramas such as A Civil Action and Erin Brockovich, but by way of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Coyote vs Acme is an entertaining and surprisingly heartfelt family comedy.
…with the characters feeling in a bit of a similar boat to The Muppets in 2026. Still hugely beloved by older fans, but with limited opportunity to gain new ones.
There is a saying that human performers acting with The Muppets need to decide if they are Muppets or if the Muppets are serious actors…
Rush Hour (1998)
Directed by Brett Ratner
influenced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Music
Then there’s Edwin Starr’s “War” which brings to mind Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour .
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)
Directed by Akiva Schaffer
influenced Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
Visuals
Given that this is the same style Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers utilized four years back, it’s not surprising Coyote vs. Acme went down this road.
DNEG’s animation is impressive, despite my typical ambivalence toward the “3D character model wearing a 2D coat” technique (as seen in Tom and Jerry or Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers).
Much like the fantastic Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers from 2022, Coyote vs. Acme makes the animated and live-action interaction seamless.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Directed by Jeff Fowler
influenced by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Director Jeff Fowler and company take a page from the stuffed, fan-service heavy vibes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows .
In my review of the first film, I hoped that a Sonic sequel needed to meet the “apologetically dumb fun” levels of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and the 2017 Power Rangers movie; two other retro franchise adaptations that knew what they were and revelled in their goofiness.
The way in wasn’t through looking at courtroom dramas like Michael Clayton, A Few Good Men, or The Verdict, but taking inspiration from The Insider, a thriller where a chemist became a whistleblower on the tobacco industry.
…(the press notes mention many influences including, no joke, The Insider)…
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee
influenced Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
Themes Visuals
The Looney Tunes have crossed the border into reality before, from the underrated Looney Tunes: Back In Action, to the nostalgic miasma of Space Jam (and its even more fetid sequel).
As appalling as Warner Bros.’ wastefulness is, their rationale stemmed from the dismal box office performance of Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021), which returned just $163.7M against a $150M production budget (before marketing costs).
The fact that Warner Bros. released the miserable Space Jam: A New Legacy in theaters and on streaming…
The last Looney Tunes vehicle, the utterly disastrous (on every level) “Space Jam: A New Legacy” was five years ago…
And it’s not like the Looney Tunes couldn’t have been in 2D, especially when Bugs Bunny, showing up as a mysterious informant, appears in all his hand-drawn glory, as if he personally told the studio they weren’t going to 3D character-model him again after Space Jam: A New Legacy.
Soon, Coyote, Avery, and the latter’s ambitious young niece Paige (Lana Condor) find themselves in a legal drama to rival 12 Angry Men (1957) and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).