Ketchup Lights The Fuse On ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ Animated Feature Oscar Campaign After Academy Approval

Coyote vs. Acme has cleared another hurdle and thrown a king-sized wrench into this year’s awards season after the Academy ruled it eligible to compete for the animated feature Oscar, according to Gold Derby.

Distributor Ketchup Entertainment will submit Dave Green’s live-action/animation hybrid for consideration at the 2027 ceremony. Written by Samy Burch, the film pairs Wile E. Coyote with a human lawyer, played by Will Forte, in a lawsuit against the manufacturer whose products have repeatedly failed him.

The ruling resolves a question that had hung over the film’s awards prospects since its theatrical release was locked in and overwhelmingly positive reviews followed. Gold Derby previously reported in August that it would not submit the film because it might fall short of the category’s animation requirement. Its source subsequently clarified that a decision was pending further review.

Under the Academy’s current rules, at least 75% of a film’s running time, excluding opening and end credits, must include animation of the primary subject or subjects. It does not mean that an entire frame must be animated, just part of it. Filmmakers must then provide the Academy with supporting information demonstrating how their submission qualifies.

A nomination would put Coyote vs. Acme in rare company. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which competed at the 2023 ceremony, demonstrated that a film combining animated characters with live-action environments could earn a place among the category’s five nominees.

For Coyote, eligibility adds another chapter to a release story dominated by corporate decision-making. Warner Bros. shelved the completed film in 2023 before Ketchup eventually acquired it and brought it to theaters. If the film were to score an Oscar nomination after WBD executives buried it, some of whom are no longer at the company, it would be another massive stain on their already tumultuous legacy, which was defined by layoffs, cost-cutting, canceled projects, removed content, and a relentless effort to reduce the debt created by the merger that put them in charge in the first place.