This Bonkers Hollywood Icon Officially Inspired 'Coyote Vs Acme's Most Important Character

Published Sep 9, 2026, 5:08 AM EDT Lloyd 'Happy Trails' Farley: the man, the myth, the legend. What can be said about this amazing - and humble - man that hasn't been said before? Or, more accurately, what can be said in public? Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lloyd is a master of puns and a humorist, who has authored one pun book to date - Pun and Grimeish Mint - and is working on a second. His time with Collider has allowed Lloyd's passion for writing to explode, with nearly 1,000 articles to his name that have been published on the site, with his favorite articles being the ones that allow for his sense of humor to shine. Lloyd also holds fast to the belief that all of life's problems can be answered by The Simpsons, Star Wars, and/or The Lion King. You can read more about Lloyd on his website, or follow his Facebook page and join the Llama Llegion. Happy trails! Much has been said, and rightly so, about how the critical and box-office success of Coyote vs. Acme has made a mockery of Warner Bros.' initial decision to shelve the completed film for a tax cut. That success redeems Ketchup Entertainment's commitment to releasing the movie and, in a broader sense, redeems a Looney Tunes franchise that Warner Bros. has epically mishandled under David Zaslav's leadership. Interestingly, within the film itself lies the redemption of Dr. Lorre (Eric Bauza), a character who first appeared in 1946's "Hair-Raising Hare," in a small, but pivotal, role. But you may be surprised to know that the character was inspired by a Hollywood legend: Peter Lorre. And Dr. Lorre isn't the only animated character who can point to Lorre as inspiration, direct or otherwise. Peter Lorre Found Fame as One of Film's First Serial Killers Image via Paramount Pictures Peter Lorre was born László Löwenstein in Rosenberg, Hungary, in 1904, and grew up in Vienna, which is where he began his acting career, performing in a theater company. It's the manager of the company that came up with the stage name "Peter Lorre," an allusion to Lorre's resemblance to children's book character Struwwelpeter ("Shock-Headed Peter"), with his round face, unruly hair and large, round eyes, all in a 5'3" frame. Nevertheless, in 1924 Lorre took his talents to Germany, where he became "the hottest thing on the Berlin stage." That led to an encounter that would change Lorre's life forever, in ways both good and bad. He caught the attention of famed German director Fritz Lang, who cast Lorre as Hans Beckert, a serial killer who targets children — the lead character in Lang's first sound film, 1931's M. It was the perfect match of character and actor, with Lorre's round, innocent face lending Beckert an unsettling contrast to his ugly acts. Meanwhile, his deft emotive skills brought Beckert to chilling life, filling the screen with an undeniable presence. The role catapulted Lorre to international stardom, and after he fled now-Nazi Germany in 1933, he found himself in London, where he was cast in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, despite his limited grasp of English (per The Guardian). That role as Abbott, the cold and charismatic head of an international assassination ring, along with his role in M, would be indicative of the type of roles that would define his career. Yet in those oft-villainous characters, in films like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, Lorre was exceptional, one of the best actors never to have received an Oscar nomination. Peter Lorre Is Redeemed by 'Coyote vs. Acme' Lorre's bulbous eyes, high-pitched and heavily accented voice, and predominantly villainous roles also made him an easy target for animators to caricature, a practice that continued well after the actor's death in 1964. 1941's Merrie Melodies short "Hollywood Steps Out" was the first to use a caricature of Lorre, as Lorre, along with other Hollywood heavyweights like Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth and Groucho Marx. But it would be 1946's "Hair-Raising Hare" that saw the caricature of Lorre become part of Looney Tunes lore as "Mad Scientist," who lures Bugs Bunny (Mel Blanc) to his castle as food for his creation, Gossamer (who is also in Coyote vs. Acme as the monster who serves Acme court documents). That scientist character earned the name Dr. Lorre for his next appearance in 1947's "Birth of a Notion," which saw the doctor try to trap Daffy Duck in order to get his wishbone for an experiment. He wouldn't appear again until 2003's live-action/animation hybrid Looney Tunes: Back in Action, again in a villainous, albeit brief, appearance. And it didn't stop there. Lorre was the inspiration for Ren's voice in The Ren & Stimpy Show and the mascot for Boo Berry cereal. More directly, Lorre inspired Morocco Mole of Secret Squirrel, two Tim Burton characters (Maggot in Corpse Bride and Edgar "E" Gore in Frankenweenie), Anastasia's Bartok, Lonely Man in The Simpsons' "Kidney Trouble," Slappy Laszlo in SpongeBob Squarepants, and on and on. The Animated Peter Lorre author Matthew Hahn found over 700 instances of animated cartoons using Lorre's face or voice or both, per the previously cited BearManor Media. On screen and in cartoons, Lorre was forever associated with villainous foreigners, and almost never as a hero. He even purposely took on the role of the titular Japanese detective in the cringey Mr. Moto films simply so he could be a hero for once, saying, "I wanted to get the flavor of M out of the cinema palate of the American fan." Finally, in 2026, Coyote vs. Acme has done for Lorre what he couldn't in his storied career: redeem Lorre and make him a bona-fide hero. Dr. Lorre gets the message out about Acme's devious Project Sisyphus, and gets thrown into a portable hole for his troubles (it is Looney Tunes, after all). Acme is exposed, Dr. Lorre is rescued and – SPOILER – he gets the girl. Err, Granny. That's all, folks. Coyote Vs. Acme Release Date August 28, 2026 Runtime 101 Minutes Director Dave Green