Coyote vs. Acme became one of the most notorious Hollywood shelving cases in recent years. The live-action/animation hybrid, featuring Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation, was essentially finished when Warner Bros. Discovery abruptly pulled the plug in 2023. Instead of releasing it in theaters or on streaming, the studio chose to write it off for tax purposes—sparking backlash from filmmakers, fans, and even industry insiders who saw it as a troubling sign of cost-cutting over creativity.

The controversy didn’t end there. After public outrage, Warner Bros. Discovery briefly allowed the filmmakers to shop the movie to other distributors, raising hopes it might still be saved. But negotiations stalled, and the film remains unreleased, caught in corporate limbo. For many, Coyote vs. Acme has become a symbol of how shifting studio strategies in the streaming era can sideline completed projects, leaving artists and audiences alike wondering how a nearly finished film could simply vanish.