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AIPROPX ReportPolygon · 1h ago
Tweety's sadistic": The Filmmakers Behind 'Coyote vs. ACME' Dissect Its Looniest Scene
on Google Preferred Source Google News Link copied to clipboard By Brian VanHooker Published Aug 26, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Interview Move over Sylvester, John Cena is Tweety’s new comedy partner
As a dedicated fan of the Looney Tunes, one of the things that impressed me most about Coyote vs. ACME is the film’s deep understanding of the classic Warner Bros. characters. That might sound like a given, but it's been taken for granted in the past, which is why most previous theatrical outings starring the Looney Tunes characters have been sub-par.
For example, Daffy Duck isn’t just the bitter duck who's jealous of Bugs Bunny. That version of the character came into prominence in the late 1940s, especially in cartoons directed by Chuck Jones. But Daffy’s earlier shorts, particularly those directed by Bob Clampett, had him live up to his name as a wild troublemaker who couldn’t be contained. In Coyote vs. ACME , director Dave Green and screenwriter Samy Burch make excellent use of a more Bob Clampett-like Daffy, despite the fact that angry Daffy has been the most famous version of the character for over 70 years.
Another character the movie really “gets” is Tweety Bird, and the role in which Coyote vs. ACME casts him leads to the film's most outrageously funny scene.
Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Coyote vs. ACME .
At first glance, Tweety Bird would likely be regarded as the cutest, sweetest member of the Looney Tunes lineup. And while he sure is cute — and he’s been frustratingly depicted as sweet many times in recent decades — his earliest shorts prove he’s anything but. In Tweety's very first appearance, the cute little canary isn’t some victim being chased around by Sylvester the Cat. He enjoys the chase and delights in tempting Sylvester, only to set him up for disaster.
To make use of Tweety’s sadistic side, the movie casts him as a villain — a pint-sized enforcer for the ACME Corporation working against the film’s heroes. This may come as a surprise to some Looney Tunes fans expecting a cute little bird, but for the filmmakers, there was never any doubt.
“Even in the first pitch I did, this idea of him being a heavy felt funny,” Burch says.
Because Tweety is used as a villain, that puts him in league with ACME chief counsel, Buddy Crane (John Cena), with whom Tweety shares the movie’s most unhinged moment.
Following a scene where Tweety fails to apprehend the Road Runner, Cena meets Tweety in the desert to personally threaten him. In the conversation, Tweety is explaining how the Road Runner got away, and Tweety begins his explanation with his signature phrase “I tawt I taw.” Suddenly, Cena interrupts the bird with Tweety’s own speech pattern. “You tawt you taw? I don’t pay you to tink you taw I pay you to taw!” From there, the conversation continues with both characters conversing in Tweety-speak.
On all levels, the scene is hilarious. The writing and direction are flawless and the desolate desert setting only enhances the comedy. Eric Bauza, who supplies the voice for most of the film’s Looney Tunes characters, plays a scared Tweety perfectly, but Cena is really the one who shines, as he manages to get through this absurd Tweety dialogue without ever grinning or remotely deviating from his threatening demeanor.
“It's funny, that scene came together as a total surprise,” says Green. “Maybe, like, one week into photography, Will [Forte] had gotten sick and we needed to quickly rearrange the schedule and change locations. I think a version of that scene originally took place in John's office, or maybe at the steakhouse, with John and Tweety facing off against each other while John is eating a steak. But those different iterations had to go out the window and we had to do a story patch because of our schedule change. Everyone put their heads together and it resulted in one of my favorite scenes in the movie. We shot it against the same backdrop where, I'm sure, they've shot tons of standoffs in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul , in the middle of the Albuquerque desert.”
As for Cena, Green says, “John nailed it right away, just absolutely deadpan. He gave us so many great versions of anger and temperature. It was a blast to shoot that scene. It's completely absurd.”
Indeed, Cena’s performance in the scene is next level. While he’s proven his comedic chops in a wide number of comedies, seeing him immerse himself in Tweety’s speech patterns while squishing the cartoon bird in his meaty fist proves that the guy really can do anything. Perhaps, for the next Looney Tunes movie, we can get a Tweety and Buddy Crane spin-off?
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