6 Looney Tunes Characters Who Deserve Their Own Movie After Coyote Vs. Acme

Warning: Spoilers for Coyote vs. Acme

The great reviews enjoyed by Coyote vs. Acme go to show that the concept of solo movies for Looney Tunes characters carry a great deal of untapped potential. A single Looney Tunes character, especially one that’s not the brand’s mascot, getting his own movie always felt like a huge gamble. And, unfortunately, despite greenlighting the project initially, even Warner Bros. ultimately lost faith in the movie, and tried to shelve it.

It was rescued, however, by fans who campaigned for it and Ketchup Entertainment, who ensured Wile E. Coyote’s movie saw the light of day. And how it’s been received thus far speaks to the idea that while most Looney Tunes films, from the Space Jam duology to Back in Action center on the franchise’s wider stable of characters, individual “Toons” are certainly capable of carrying their own movies. Despite not utterly a single line, Wile E. Coyote succeeded in delivering both laughs and some great emotional moments, such as his response to Kevin’s gutting declaration that Wile will “never” catch Road Runner.

Coyote vs. Acme stands as a great example of what the Looney Tunes franchise is capable of. And there are already signs that there’s more to come; an animated movie for Speedy Gonzalez is currently in development. Just two years before Coyote vs. Acme, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck co-led The Day the Earth Blew Up. And yet, there are still more Looney Tunes characters deserving of solo movies.

Bugs Bunny

As the face of Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny has admittedly been in the spotlight more so than any other Looney Tunes character over the course of the property’s long history. And though he was the main point of focus (in terms of the animated characters) in both Space Jam movies and Back in Action, there hasn’t been a proper Bugs Bunny movie since 1982 when the studio released Bugs Bunny’s 1001 Rabbit Tales, and even that was made up partially from existing Looney Tunes material.

Bugs Bunny is long overdue a full-length movie centered on the loveable, carrot-eating rabbit’s adventures. Given the sheer size of his rogues’ gallery, there’s no shortage of threats it could throw at him, meaning there’s plenty of villains he could thwart from the start of the film to the ending. A full movie of Bugs Bunny contending with the likes of Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian and perhaps more obscure characters like Pete Puma and Cecil the Turtle could be a great, nostalgia-filled experience.

Yosemite Sam

One of the characters to get a cameo in Coyote vs. Acme was Yosemite Sam. Like Wile, Sam is one of the franchise’s greatest villains, but that’s where their similarities end. Some Looney Tunes characters pursue their enemies simply in the interest of survival, whereas with Sam, the classic cartoons would consistently emphasize his sinister nature. Whether he’s playing the role of a pirate captain, a gunslinger, or even a medieval knight, Yosemite Sam is unapologetically selfish, greedy, and evil – and proud of it.

In contrast to Coyote vs Acme, a Yosemite Sam movie would struggle to highlight the “good” qualities of its main character, but could still have a great deal of fun with him as the protagonist. A movie that’s more concerned with the aims of the villain than the hero could be an interesting direction to take a Looney Tunes film.

Marvin The Martian

Marvin the Martian, a fan-favorite antagonist to Bugs Bunny, has been criminally underused; although The Day the Earth Blew Up was a story about Daffy and Porky being caught in an alien invasion, Marvin – the franchise’s most recognizable extraterrestrial character – was nowhere to be found. And with the exception of archival footage, Marvin had no presence in Coyote vs Acme. He was originally meant for a key role that would allow him to take the reins of Acme in Coyote vs. Acme’s ending, but his part of the story didn’t make it into the final draft.

Marvin being left out of both movies amounts to a missed opportunity, but it can be made up for later if the would-be conqueror of Earth became the star of his own movie. As for how it could work, Coyote vs. Acme serves as an excellent blueprint. Because like Wile, Marvin the Martian is a likable villain with a clear goal. But rather than catch a certain roadrunner, Marvin just wants to destroy the Earth in the name of Mars. A Marvin-led film could explore the character’s misadventures as he seeks to prove himself alongside his accident-prone, four-legged dog, K-9.

Tazmanian Devil

The Tasmanian Devil smiling at a basketball court in Space Jam 2

While it’s true that he boasts considerably fewer appearances than Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tweety Bird, the Tazmanian Devil a.k.a. Taz continues to be one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time. Known for his fits of mindless destruction and insatiable hunger, Taz has been utilized as a villain in the classic cartoons of both Bugs and Daffy, but his popularity soared to a point where he was made the central character in his own animated series, several video games, and more.

Taz’s prominence sadly reached its peak in the 1990s, but if Coyote vs. Acme really does help restore Looney Tunes to re-establish the franchise’s relevance, it’s not hard to imagine the character being a big part of its future. A live-action movie that follows the crazed animal’s rampage after he gets unleashed on a heavily-populated city could lead to all sorts of laughter and mayhem.

Foghorn Leghorn

In making Foghorn Leghorn the real mastermind behind Acme’s decades of exploiting “cartoons” like Wile, Coyote vs. Acme took a surprisingly unconventional approach to a beloved Looney Tunes character. It was an entertaining twist on the rooster, but there’s still much left to be done with the character. Despite his sizable role, Coyote vs. Acme ignored his rich histories with the two biggest characters associated with his cartoons: Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dog.

Traditionally, Foghorn Leghorn is shown to be locked in a bitter rivalry with the dog that lives on the farm with him. The pair were constantly playing violent pranks on one other, with Foghorn Leghorn usually being the one to instigate the conflict. Making things more complicated was the involvement of Henery Hawk, a chicken hawk who just wanted to catch and eat a chicken. Unbeknownst to him, Foghorn was exactly what he wanted, yet he typically became a pawn in the rooster’s ongoing feud with the Barnyard Dog.

Assuming that a Foghorn Leghorn movie would offer a more traditional take on the character, it’s likely that it would ditch the urban and courtroom setting of Coyote vs. Acme for a rural, farm life movie focused on the characters from that corner of the Looney Tunes’ world, including Henery Hawk, the Barnyard Dog, Ralph, Sam, and Prissy. Elmer Fudd would fit nicely into such a story as well.

Sylvester The Cat

Arguably the most underrated and underappreciated character in the Looney Tunes franchise is Sylvester the Cat. For years, he’s taken a backseat to the significantly more popular Tweety Bird, and has certainly been on the losing end of nearly all their encounters. But Sylvester is so much more than his reputation suggests. In addition to being the archenemy of Tweety, he’s also the longtime nemesis of Speedy Gonzalez, a frequent co-star in cartoons featuring Porky Pig, and the main character in the Hippety Hopper cartoons. Most impressively, he’s the only character in Looney Tunes history to headline four Academy Award-winning shorts.

Coyote vs. Acme gave Tweety Bird a major role in the story, but aside from a few seconds of screen-time, Sylvester the Cat was sidelined. But one thing the movie did do that could hold implications for Sylvester later is showcase Tweety’s potential as a villain. This decision goes hand-in-hand with the long-held perception among some fans that Sylvester is a misunderstood victim and that Tweety hides evil thoughts behind a facade of innocence. Perhaps one day Looney Tunes can give Sylvester a chance to be the hero.