Animation workers and fans celebrate the upcoming release of a film that had been considered shelved media lost to time. Ketchup Entertainment has arranged a deal with Warner Bros. to distribute and finally show the shelved Coyote vs. ACME movie that has been the subject of controversy within the creative community.
Finished and originally planned to be released in the summer of 2023, Coyote vs. ACME is a live-action/animated hybrid film telling the story of Wile E. Coyote, frequent customer and often victim of ACME-branded gadgets, finally taking ACME to court for the multiple injuries he has sustained due to their faulty products. It has an all-star cast including Will Forte, John Cena, and Tone Bell among others. During private screenings and focus groups, it received rave reviews.
Then it was canceled.
Even though an estimated $70 million was already invested into it and the movie was finished, Warner Bros. had a change of direction at the time and thought it was a better financial move for the company to scrap the movie’s distribution and file it as a tax write-off. This typically happens when a studio doesn’t believe a movie will make a good return on their investment, however, the focus group data and early reviews indicated otherwise for Coyote vs. ACME.
When news broke that the movie was going to be shelved, various members of the cast and crew went online to express their disappointment and anger at Warner Bros. online. On top of that, fans also went online to show their disappointment and use their platform to tell Warner Bros. that they would commit to seeing Coyote vs. ACME in theaters if they committed to release it.
When asked about the movie’s burial, its star Will Forte didn’t hold back. “My thoughts were that it’s fucking bullshit,” he told Movieweb. “It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better … I can’t tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it, but it makes my blood boil and thank you for asking me about it because I like talking about the movie.”
With several people working on the movie sharing their experience online and showing some drawings, stills, and music from the film, this turned into a movement that caused Warner Bros. to allow the film to be bought for distribution. After over a year of different negotiations and threats of it being shelved again permanently, Ketchup Entertainment swooped in and made a deal with Warner Bros. to finally release it for the public to see.
“We’re thrilled to have made a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to bring this film to audiences worldwide,” said Gareth West, the CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, in a public statement. “Coyote vs. Acme is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation. We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike.”
Coyote vs. ACME would have been another lost media project had it not been for the advocacy and loud reaction from those who worked on it and for fans pledging to watch it. This wouldn’t be the first time a piece of popular culture was successfully resurrected from cancellation. The primetime animated show Futurama is currently releasing new episodes through 2026 on Hulu after being cancelled on Fox and Comedy Central, being resurrected each time by vocal fan support. Mystery Science Theater 3000 spent years in syndicated cable, going from local television to Comedy Central to the SyFy Channel, but was brought back on a Netflix deal after a resoundingly successful Kickstarter was done by the original creators and collaborators that wanted to make new episodes.
This type of collective fan protest goes all the way back to when author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off his popular Sherlock Holmes character and had to bring him back upon fan demand. There are several factors why a media property is brought back—usually monetary—but in terms of fans it has to do with the sense of community that forms around a show, movie, band, book, and the like. Media can unite people and cultivate new relationships, allowing people to see themselves in various characters. Fans don't want to lose that.
In terms of Coyote vs. ACME, a story about a little guy getting cheated by a big corporation and fighting back, the protest was a group of artists and fans feeling like they were being cheated by a big corporation and fighting back. In this case, it appears that the artists and fans won, and this real life story will get a happy ending when this fictional tale is finally released.
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Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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