ONE HOT TAKE: Coyote vs. Acme w/ Drew Taylor

0:00This is Belie, one network, every topic, everywhere. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to One Hot Take on One Heat Minute Productions. I'm your host Blake Howard. This is our new release show where we talk about the new as movies that are coming out, usually the stuff that we're really keen to see. And this was one that I was absolutely dying to see, and I'm so excited that it is coming to Australian cinemas in the next week or so. There's a couple of sneaks that are hanging around. My friend who I'm talking to saw this probably months ago at this point, it is Drew Taylor, who is on the line with me. Hello, and the film is Coyote vs Akmi, the resurrection of Coyote vs Akmi. Here we are. The last two. Yes, Coyote vs Akmi. Here we go. Have a listen to the trailer, and we'll come back and talk all about it. Have you been horribly injured by a product made by the Akmi Corporation?

1:25It's not your fault. There's probably someone to blame. Name of the case is Coyote vs Akmi. Finally Coyote. He is repressed. We all know who's responsible, and all of his injuries are self-inflicted. You've been settling Akmi cases for years. You can probably get you 250 bucks to that. This is your opportunity to really show people what you're capable of. These companies think they can do whatever they want. We're sick of it. Akmi, Akmi! Nothing is here. We really have nothing. We both know it would be very unpleasant if anything bigger would become public. I know.

2:28Somewhere, what is up, Doc? The Akmi Corporation is releasing this film for account purposes only. We do not condone any of the storylines depicted. So that's as simple as it is. If you have any passing familiarity with Coyote, you know that he is the most dutifully loyal supporter of every Akmi product under the sun. It has been our joy and pleasure for maybe 50 to 75 years. However long he has existed for us to watch him cobble together different products from Akmi in an attempt to catch the road runner and for them all to catastrophically fail in the most weird and wonderful creative ways. Of course he is now trying to seek legal advice. And I don't even know where to start with this story because I just want to say that I absolutely adore this movie. It was a complete slam dunk.

3:29It is very, very funny. It is joyful. I found myself just sitting there with a dumb look at my face and then I also found that it was one of the most prescient texts about corporate exploitation and malfeasance. And it was done with the corporatized brand icons of a company and then they decided that hey, we're just going to literally put this away so no one can ever see it again. Write it off as a tax rate of normal. See it. And then there's a whole other side of the story which you've been dutifully following along as a journal, which is like how this thing came out. How it finally got the chance to be released by a studio other than Warner Brothers using all of these characters and be released to the world. And now the great story is that it's making money and you're really Scott's dog stars. I read this by by like three times. It's bad. It's bad. Poor dogs. Sorry. Poor dogs. You know, poor dogs. So do you want to tell us it like it?

4:30I mean, first to tell me about it. You want to tell me you want me to tell you my involvement in this whole story. I do. I want your thoughts on the film and then your your your championing that's been happening behind the scenes. So I love the movie. I did see it months ago. I saw it in I think January. And then I went to the premiere a couple of weeks ago in LA at the beautiful director's theater director's village theater. The Coyote led the UCLA marching band through the, the auditorium. It was wonderful. But yeah, I think this is like the best movie of its kind since who friend wrote a rabbit. Pretty much. So much so funny. It just every joke hits and it's so thoughtful and emotional. I love the kind of grace note at the end. Really beautiful. And if you choose to run the jewel song where they substitute every curse word for a meat from. Bro. That's also great.

5:32But my my involvement in the story is that I I published a article a couple of years ago. About how it was getting deleted essentially it was getting wiped from the, you know, the, the ledger, the corporate, you know, accounting book. Alabaco. Alabaco. Alabaco. And it really did. I mean, my my my involvement in this was very minor. I don't want to overstate what I did. But I think that article really did rye people up in a huge way. And yeah, that, that, you know, after that article, people were really pissed. And that's where the kind of like save kind of exact me store a, you know, hashtag came from and all that. So I was happy to help. But I never thought I never thought I would see the light of day. I mean, everybody I talk to, you know, nobody had it like, you know, the VFX guys have these scenes and. Somebody else has this seat.

6:32Nobody had the full movie and they, they held two screenings on the lot, which they call the funeral screenings that people were invited to. And it seemed like that was it. So for ketchup who put out the daily earth blew up, which I don't know if you ever saw, but is very wonderful. And is a completely animated Looney to this movie that came in and saved the day and. Did this because I mean part of the story was that basically Warner Brothers was going out with the movie. People would bid on it and then they weren't really would not ask for a specific amount of money. They would just say, no, you're bit too low and just shoot it down. And so yeah, I mean, it's just absolutely crazy that it happened. But it's here. And I mean, how thankful are we to do this? It's also like, it's also like, you can't write this story. You know what I'm saying? Like if you, if you made up a story about a movie and a protagonist of the movie,

7:34that would then almost get deleted and then people fight tooth and nail to have it released and then it goes gangbusters. You would like, you go, that's why like I already. You kind of want to watch this thing over and over again. People are trying and it continues to fail. And even when there's progress, it continues to fail. It's like the character, the form of the movie, this form of the story that it's taken. Sammy Burt's screenplay and obviously Dave Green is the director. And Jeremy Slater was the, did the story as well as James Gunn before the script. And it's just like, this is just a, like, it couldn't have made more sense that this is now the final story. But it's actually just a fantastic movie. I agree. It's like, it's that exact lineage of like, who frame road to rabbit happened? No one has been able to satisfy to really do it. And it's the other thing that the loony tunes got about themselves and it seems that other people along the way have never gotten about the loony tunes is that the loony tunes are banned to any genre.

8:35Banned to anything. Like if you want to stick them in a, you know, a corporate malfeasance, you know, law drama, I'll allow John Grisham. Like they'll fit. They'll fit into it. But what I, but what I love about the movie is that they are so true to themselves. Oh yeah. I always felt like when they, when you put them in a space jam movie, they weren't quite right. Like they didn't, they didn't kind of like, they didn't act like themselves in a way. But you know, you put them in this situation where they're allowed to be them. I mean, Coyote is, is Coyote throughout the entire thing. He's just in your eyes in this kind of like law drama, courtroom drama. Um, but yeah, I mean, it's just, it captures the essence of the characters in such a wonderful way that doesn't try to distort who they are or what they're about or oh, they're, they're playing hockey now. Yeah, it's like, it's, it's not that it is like, it is true loony tunes and sanity from the beginning. And I love, I love, you know, the work that I talk about.

9:38Yeah, like before we talk about the human characters, yes, well, Louis Guzman plays a judge and he's sitting there, presiding over a case, he's sort of talking about the instructions of the, their preliminary trial. And he looks over to the jury to sort of explain the rules and Granny is their knitting and she responds to him. And I laughed, I laughed so uncontrollably. I didn't know what to do with myself. Just the granny, exactly granny going, oh, yes, you know, just like knitting. I laughed like such an idiot. I'm like, man, I didn't realize that like deep in the recesses of my brain, like the first time I watched proper like Chuck Jones, text Avery, loony tune cartoons, my grandmother had taped them on a VHS. And we would go over there as kids and she was a religious taper of like sport and things like that. But for the kids, she just had like three or four tapes where she taped like every single loony tunes cartoon. And I think we watched them until the tape was just dead. Like we just watched them. They're on a loop. It was like putting on something to calm down a ton of grandkids. And in the deep recesses of my mind, like I've seen every one of

10:42these cartoons like a billion times. And so just seeing them there in this was so great. And then to talk about Louis and then talk about Will Forte and Lana Condor and John Cena and Tom Bell and Martha Kelly, who's just wonderful. And all these great human characters talk about people like committing to the bit. And I just want to see if there was someone dressed in a Wally Coyote like outfit like that was in there. There was a little stuffy that they that somebody in green would move around. But yeah, I mean, like I think one of the funniest scenes is when John Cena confronts Tweety Bird, who spoiler alert is like kind of an informant for the Acme Corporation. And that whole exchange with with John Cena's, you know, taking on the Tweety affectation is just absolutely wonderful. Yeah. Yeah. He's doing her right work. And Foghorn Leghorn is in this movie. And it's just wonderful. I just I want to I don't want to say too much. I just want to say that Foghorn Leghorn, the blowhard that he has always been. This is the role

11:44of a lifetime for Foghorn. And I'm so glad that Dave Dave and and Sammy like and the other writers in this were like Foghorn Leghorn in as this character is just such a it's it's a great headshot. It's perfect. It's casting him appropriately to tie. Yeah, it's it's a great movie. It is a legitimately great movie. It is excellent. I had such a very good time watching it. I would genuinely be I would I didn't watch it with my kids when I viewed it. But I kind of would like to take my kids to see if they even just by Osmos' get it. Yeah. And I think they will. I do and I think it's a great introduction of those characters. Yeah, to a new audience. Yeah. Yeah, well, especially, especially Wally like he's just himself. He's just the best. He's just that my one and truly favorite characters, Eva. And the scene with the with Bugs is so good.

12:46He's great. The only scene that's mostly traditional 2D animation that's just so beautiful done by a studio out here in Pasadena called Dunkin. Yeah, just great. Just great. That's one of the great things. Will they ever do it just feels like in a company that's looking to make content? Like why was it so hard to go from like Loonie Tunes back in action however many years ago that was to something like this because the technology is undergone an entire space drama sequel like well, of course, yeah, that was but but that movie was that movie had how would you call it? Like an invective venomous reaction to it because it was awful. Like a hat and Lee awful the animation hadn't progressed like it wasn't doing anything more

13:46inventive with the animation hadn't progressed and then finding out that they're like AI slopping characters from Ken Russell's The Devils into the background of the audience in the spaceship was like it became just it became its own worst meme enemy, you know, instantaneously. Well, you thought that the war boys from Mad Max would be watching a game of Loonie Tunes basketball. I mean it makes sense to me. Yeah, that tracks that tracks. Yeah, but you know, what's his name? You say young actor who's like the main war boy in in British actor Nicole. Yeah, what was Nicole doing on that day? Just get him down there and put him in some war boy makeup, you know, maybe we don't know. We'll have to ask it. Watch the Loonie Tunes play basketball. Did he watch the look? I don't even remember who they were. Can I just say Drew, you are a fun interviewer because you ask prickly questions at

14:47sometimes but then you ask also great, patently silly questions. And I think if you could just go back to that game and scare and see if there's any characters of people that you're talking to and go now. Did you actually watch the Loonie Tunes play basketball? Were you there? We want to know about the game. We had the crowd was around. Who is who is the strong forward? Yeah, I went, yeah, really specific questions. Who was who was a saying the role of a Ken Russell? Devil. This is the Iron Giant watching the basketball game. I mean, he was. I think you could probably ask Brad. I'm sure he has thoughts about that. Thoughts that I cannot repeat. And thoughts that especially talking about a movie that is for your family will not be repeated on this. Right. No, look, I think this is a genuinely incredible story of this colossal company against the little guy. We're seeing it done so effectively and so many things. It's so fun to be in the process of finalizing my mincider series

15:49and editing and listening to content that are pre-recorded for that and watch this movie and be like, this has got a lot of those ingredients. It's got flashes of those things and I just think it's it's really it's a really terrific movie and I hope that people go and see it because it's not just the genre thing. It is just also this patently ridiculous completely for everyone slapstick laugh out loud kind of movie and yeah, I just loved it to pieces and I'm so glad to see that it's making money and and it's had this story right. What year did you say this thing was going to be cancelled? What year was your article? I think it was 24. Yeah. God. So a nearly into 2027. Like a full three years of this cycle. Yeah. Van Dave Green and those guys must be so happy. Like they must be so. They're over there. They must be. They can't believe it. Yeah. They can't believe it. I mean, even Will Forte said I'd never thought I would be here, you know. And yeah, I mean, I hope it starts kind of a LiniTunes resurgence. There's a great short that's attached to cat in the hat.

16:51Coming out a fully animated short but actually some of the same people that did the animation for this and it's really well done. It's got kind of a soccer theme when you watch it. You're like, oh yeah, the cat in the hat was supposed to come out before the world cup. But it's it's great. I mean, whenever you watch it and yeah, I mean, that's my big hope for it is that it like kind of stokes interest in these characters and this world because yeah, you're right. If all we get is a fucking space jam movie every 10 years, I mean, that would be absolutely dire. So no, but the other story and I think it was in the wake of that diabolical second space jam was at the time. There was a brief moment where they almost did skate jam with Tony Hawk. There was spy jam with Jackie Chan, which was one of the proposed ones. Yeah, come on. I mean, that would have been fun. Jackie Chan with the loony tunes. Yeah, like watching watching Jackie like colossally eat it in a stunt,

17:57like a legend at that time and Daffy Duck and others like, I mean, it would have it rise itself. It would have been yeah. And Jackie Chan would have had the best fucking time on planet Earth. What are you talking about? Yeah. Oh, that makes me upset. But it's skate jam was all that like skate jam sounds fun. You know, sure. I mean, I don't know about Tony Hawk as an actor, but sure about Michael Jordan as an actor. That's true. That's true. As a boss. I mean, there's a funny story that I recently read about Chuck Jones being invited to an early space jam screen and voicing his opinion. So loudly that he was escorted off the Warner Brothers law by security. So I think he would Chuck Jones his family, his family saw this movie and loved it. Like that is that is like the stamp of that's the that's the biggest compliment you can get because Chuck Jones, if you've never heard of Chuck Jones listening to us, those of you I assume a ton of you have, if you've never heard of Chuck Jones, just go to YouTube right now and type in Chuck Jones,

19:00Warner Brothers, or Chuck Jones, Lee Newtons, you will fall. Maybe you know, maybe you know, his work from Peter Himes 1990, whatever comedy stage tunes. I mean, which I think some of the last animation he ever did. He's you know, he did the opening to to Grimlins to a new batch. I mean, Chuck Jones really, he's a legend, energy. He's so cool that his family loved it. Yeah, they would have got it. They would have, they would have loved it. His and my father doubted a kind of coyote movie could sustain a feature. And then they said, you know, that he would have loved this and this movie proved it wrong. I mean, it's very sweet. So lovely. Yeah. Oh, that's nice. That's that's a nice way for us. And well, it's great talking to you. Thank you so much for the chat. And a 4k coming out in November of this movie. So, really, yeah, can we get my hands on that? That's where I'm going to watch it with you. Just a just a bridge, the universe is a, a just a dramatic universe.

20:00No, the Blake and Drew cinematic universe talking about we're just talking to each other in different shows for different people. But yeah, folks, in Oz, particularly, it's going to be out I strongly recommend it. It's funny. It's incredibly clever. If you love terrific comedic actors like Will Forte and Louis Guzman and John Cena acting against Lundy Tunes and going head to head, you know, Louis Guzman versus a granny. John Cena versus 20, but will for take versus while he coyote. I mean, I can't if you don't, if you don't like any of those sentences, I can't help you. But if you want to go and have a great time in a movie that like is not long at all, it's like 90 odd minutes. Like you will have an excellent time watching this. It's really clever and really fun. And actually has some emotional punches that leave you with a couple of like, spinny hearts around your head at the end. Yeah, absolutely. It's really good. It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Go see it in the theaters and tell people after you see it and love it to go see it because I mean, there was not very

21:04much marketing budget behind this thing. Of course it wasn't. It was rescued. It was it was like word of mouth. It's the first junk that I've ever been to that was in the middle of a PR firm's office. Literally black tarps, but up. And you know what? They probably saved a million dollars or something just by doing that. So, you know, it really has that spirit of resourcefulness and inventiveness that is obviously a part of who the coyote is. I thought you were going to say it was done in the P offence cave. Well, they made a cave. There was a lot of dynamite pile up. I thought that was a lot of dynamite and all poly cabinets which plants. A lot of blueprints. But yeah, I mean, it's just it's a wonderful, it's a wonderful, wonderful film. And I can't wait to watch it again to kind of like see all the what the characters are doing in the background. And that's even where they go to the kind of like sanitarium where Daffy has been in case it's a good mystery too. Like what what is going on with Acme? It's very rewarding.

22:05Yeah. And I do just love that Peter Laurie popped up. I just do love that Peter Laurie who is such a classic character. Yeah. Yeah. Classic character at the time that was just in stuff. He was eating like I think the last time they did him was like animaniacs sort of territory. But like Peter Laurie just popping up made me laugh. And that's his watch in the game. And you like to see or whatever. Well, if you get it, if you get another junk interview for Peter Laurie the character from this movie, you can ask. Guys, thank you so much for listening to why not take a catch up with Drew and I on the socials history talent. I'm at one Blake minute or just listen to one hitman of productions and to our show just around the corner. We've got so much more stuff. And there was a big news item that dropped. There's a big news item that dropped tonight. What was it? Well, I'm going to end this episode and we might keep talking about it. Okay.