Coyote Vs. Acme Resolves A Decades-Long Looney Tunes Mystery

Light spoilers for "Coyote vs. Acme" ahead. That's all, folks!

Despite Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav's efforts to destroy WB's animated legacy (and the Animaniacs in their Water Tower with it), the Looney Tunes have remained pop culture icons for decades. By now, they've not only shaped the medium of animation but American comedy itself in the eyes of multiple generations. Yet, until recently, they'd never really gotten the kind of feature film they truly deserve. (Sorry, fellow millennials, but "Space Jam" is not a good Looney Tunes movie.)

That's finally changed over the last two years. First, we got "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie," an incredible cartoon feature that centered on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (with Eric Bauza voicing both of them) and was easily one of the best animated movies of 2025. Now, we're getting the live-action/animated flick WBD didn't want you to see: "Coyote vs. Acme."

The result is, without a doubt, one of the best all-ages movies of 2026. Indeed, it's a film that unfolds like a hilarious, visually striking cross between "Erin Brockovich" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." And much like the latter classic, "Coyote vs. Acme" uses cartoon characters to expose the horrors of mega corporations and the failings of the justice system.

On top of that, "Coyote vs. Acme" resolves a Looney Tunes mystery decades in the making: Does the Road Runner say "meep meep" or "beep beep?" For a very long time, people have argued over which version they swear they heard watching Looney Tunes shorts growing up, with some even theorizing that the Road Runner's catchphrase was altered at some point, Now, thanks to this movie, we have a definitive answer: It's "beep beep," folks.

Specifically, the Road Runner spells out "beep beep" on a sign toward the end of "Coyote vs. Acme," just as their silent nemesis, Wile E. Coyote, employs signs to express himself. But before we get that, this mystery is alluded to throughout the movie, with several of the human characters recreating the sound, each in an unclear way. Even the soundtrack muddies the water a little, with the film's climax using a cover of the "1812 Overture" that uses a choir of "beeps."

In an interview with ComingSoon, "Coyote vs. Acme" director Dave Green talked about tackling this debate head on. According to Green, the idea came from composer Steven Price, who wanted to get inside Wile E.'s mind and reveal that he hears nothing but the Road Runner's beeping in there. "There was an argument, by the way, that we settled in the recording session on whether it was 'meep' or 'beep,'" Green explained. He continued:

"The choir did a vote, and we said, 'Well, what do you think the Road Runner says?' Everyone except for one person said it is 'meep.' But it's technically 'beep.' It's okay because sometimes it sounds like 'meep,' but it is spelled 'beep' in the movie. So, I think we've gotten away with it."

Decades-old mysteries aside, "Coyote vs Acme" is the perfect movie for 2026. What's more, it makes Wile E. Coyote feel like the most important cartoon character of all time, all the while proving that a Looney Tunes movie can be great without making Bugs Bunny the main star (like "The Day the Earth Blew Up" before it).

"Coyote vs. Acme" is now playing in theaters.