Coyote vs. Acme enters the Oscar race for Best Animated Feature

Here’s a twist for you: Coyote vs. Acme – yes, the Looney Tunes live-action/animation hybrid that had a run-in with the studio axe – is now officially in the race for Best Animated Feature at the 99th Academy Awards. If that sounds odd, you’re not wrong. It’ll be duking it out with heavyweights like Laika’s Wildwood and the near-inevitable juggernaut, Pixar’s Toy Story 5. Not exactly where you’d expect to find Wile E. Coyote after all this drama, but here we are.

Coyote vs. Acme has thrown its hat in the Best Animated Feature ring for the 2026 Oscars.

Unlikely Category, Unlikelier Journey

If the nomination’s accepted, Coyote vs. Acme would join a frankly tiny club. Only Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (nominated in 2022) has managed to bag a spot in Best Animated Feature with the same live-action/animation mix since the category cropped up a quarter-century ago. The Oscars have always had a soft spot for hybrids – think Mary Poppins or Who Framed Roger Rabbit? – but back in those days, they were running in the Best Picture lane, since this dedicated category didn’t even exist. So seeing the Academy toy with hybrids again is, by their usual standards, an anomaly.

• First live-action/animation hybrid nominee since 2022’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
• Historic hybrid films nominated in other Oscar categories: Mary Poppins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit

For a film that was quietly shelved by Warner Bros. boss David Zaslav in 2023, landing in any Oscar discussion is already defying expectation.

Coyote Outsmarts the Critics

Then there’s the bonkers bit: Coyote vs. Acme isn’t just an inside joke for cartoon fans – it’s actually scored rave reviews. It’s doing proper numbers on Rotten Tomatoes with a 96% Tomatometer and 94% audience score, which means for once, critics and viewers are both laughing at the same gags. IMDb’s 7.3/10 from more than 47,000 votes is nothing to sneeze at, either.

The review consensus singles out its gleeful, anarchic humour and the surprisingly heartfelt angle – not bad for a property that’s mostly known for anvils to the head. Audiences called it a “hilarious, nostalgic, and unexpectedly heartfelt crowd-pleaser.” There’s also the not-so-subtle anti-corporate satire running through the film, which feels even sharper considering its turbulent path to release.

Funny to see an underdog about an underdog making such a pointed comeback. The fact that Wile E. might end up with an Oscar nomination after all this is nearly as unlikely as one of his schemes working for once.