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“ | Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wile E. Coyote, genius. I am not selling anything nor am I working my way through college, so let's get down to cases: You are a rabbit and I am going to eat you for supper. Now, don't try to get away, I am more muscular, more cunning, faster and larger than you are and I am a genius, while you could hardly pass the entrance examinations to kindergarten. So, I'll give you the customary two minutes to say your prayers. | „ |
~ Wile E. Coyote to Bugs Bunny in his first lines of dialogue. |
Wileward Ethelbert Coyote, or simply known as just Wile E. Coyote, is one of the main antagonists of the Looney Tunes franchise and the main protagonist of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's reportedly cancelled 11th full-length animated film Coyote vs. Acme, which is also DNEG's fifth full-length animated feature film.
He is an animated cartoon character created by Chuck Jones for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. He debuted in the 1949 cartoon, "Fast & Furry-ous", alongside his archenemy, the Road Runner. He most commonly tries to catch and eat either the Road Runner or Bugs Bunny using various traps and machines, which more often than not backfire in random, ironic ways.
Portrayals[]
- From 1952 to 1989, he was voiced by the late Mel Blanc.
- From 1990 to 2001, he was voiced by the late Joe Alaskey.
- In 1998, he was voiced by Bob Bergen.
- In 2003, he was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- In 2008, he was voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
- In 2014, he was voiced by James Arnold Taylor.
- From 2015 to 2020, he was voiced by J.P. Karliak.
- Since 2018, he is voiced by Eric Bauza.
- Since 2022, he is voiced by Keith Ferguson.
Origin[]
When the screenwriters of Warner Bros. Animation decided they needed a new type of short, the thing that they all agreed on was a cat-and-mouse-like cartoon, or a cartoon with one animal chasing another. Although many things came to mind, the idea of a coyote chasing a roadrunner eventually came up. This idea eventually sparked what we know of today as one of the greatest shorts that Warner ever created, starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road-Runner.
Personality[]
Wile E. Coyote is a creative fiend who always creates new inventions to catch the irritating Road Runner. Although he has made many attempts, he has never succeeded in catching his speedy opponent, but rather than be thwarted by the Road Runner, who is often unaware of the Coyote's plans, Wile E. himself causes his own plans to backfire, mainly because he did not plan out any of the potential consequences coming from his actions.
When he's able to speak, Wile E. has shown to be quite the arrogant and egotistical person. As seen in his roles to cook Bugs Bunny (or rival him in the series of Wabbit), Wile E. is so smug and with such a big ego; he constantly looks down on others, views anyone as inferior to him, and see himself as the smartest genius ever, to the point he exclaims many times that he is a "Super-Genius" and writes down this on his business card occupation as a fact, often making Bugs take him less seriously and see him as anything but a mastermind. In fact, he comes across a insufferable braggart whose excessive showboating, arrogance and overconfidence is a big source Wile E.'s major weaknesses that takes a toll of his common sense. Such to the point, Bugs has viewed Wile E. as dumb and not that smart of a coyote despite Wile himself being a talented gadgeteer since day one.
He is impatient as well, which sometimes results in him falling victim to his own plans. Furthermore, the ACME Corporation products he uses rarely work, and when they do, he takes the pain instead of the Road Runner.
Although Wile E. Coyote has speed, he cannot match the pace of the Road Runner. He also seems to be intent on capturing the bird, no matter what it may cost him. Many times it costs him severe injury and misery.
Speech[]
Unlike Road Runner (who gives off the occasional "meep, meep"), Wile E. usually does not make a sound in the Road Runner cartoons. Instead, Wile E. communicates with signs that display his emotions, such as "ouch" or "uh-oh". However, he has been known to speak when he is around Bugs Bunny (in those cases, he was voiced by the late Mel Blanc). He also talked in the film Adventures of the Road-Runner, an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures and a Looney Tunes web cartoon. When Wile E. does speak, it is usually with a mid-Atlantic accent, often proclaiming to be a "super genius".
Other Media[]
Films[]
- In Space Jam, Wile E. teamed up with Michael Jordan and the Tune Squad to beat the Monstars into a basketball game.
- In Looney Tunes: Back in Action, he appeared as a major antagonist and served Mr. Chairman in his schemes to kill D.J.'s father, Damian Drake, in the ACME Train of Death, but in the end, he still suffered from his typical lacking in common sense and incompetence and ended up being blown up in an explosion.
- Wile E. has appeared in the sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy and teams up with LeBron James and the Tune Squad to beat a team of mutants called the Goon Squad lead by an AI in a basketball game to save Lebron's son.
- Wile E. was the main protagonist in the reportedly cancelled animated/live-action film Coyote vs. ACME. He obviously gets mad and starts a war against the ACME who keep scamming him with ridiculous equipment that always backfire when catching the Road Runner.
Trivia[]
- For fans, Wile E. Coyote is the most loved and favorite, and is considered better than the Road Runner.
- He and Sylvester, who are both iconic and sympathetic anti-villains that seem to have similar premises with capturing their prey and failing at it, in two different settings and environments no less.
- Chuck Jones, who directed most of the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote shorts, stated that he based Wile E. partly on himself since he frequently failed or injured himself attempting to use tools or do repairs at home.
- The "E" in Wile E. name stands for "Ethelbert", thus making his full name to be "Wile Ethelbert Coyote".
- Although his role is small, Wile E. Coyote is the most recurring antagonist in Season 1 of The Looney Tunes Show because he had bigger plans and was far more dangerous than anyone else.
- Wile E. appeared in the Merrie Melodies "Blow My Stack" and the episodes "Point Laser Point", "Rebel Without a Glove" and "Here Comes the Pig".
- In the Cartoon Universe Game, when the player is about to play a mini-game, Wile E. Coyote was among the other Looney Tunes characters and would speak when playing an arcade game.
- Wile E. Coyote's pupil in Tiny Toon Adventures is Calamity Coyote.
- He, along with the Road Runner, made a cameo in an episode of What's New, Scooby-Doo?.
- Although he's repeatedly failed whenever using the ACME products, in Space Jam, Wile E. Coyote did succeed in using ACME dynamite to stop the Monstars. This is one of the only times that Wile E. Coyote's ACME products have worked in his favor. Thus, it's possible that Wile's ACME products only work in his favor if he doesn't use them against the Road Runner.
- Strangely, in The ACME Hour ad, Wile E. used a pair of jet roller skates and successfully catches the Road Runner without fail. Wile E. is also seen actually cooking the Road Runner at the end of the ad, though the Road Runner was still alive and completely unharmed while being cooked, and we don't actually see Wile E. eating the Road Runner. However, this is most likely non-canon as The ACME Hour ad was mostly made for Cartoon Network.