'' is a
1996 American
Animated /
Live-action Film starring
Michael Jordan opposite
Bugs Bunny (voiced by
Billy West ) and the rest of the ''
Looney Tunes '' characters. It was produced by
Ivan Reitman , and directed by
Joe Pytka (live-action) and
Tony Cervone &
Bruce W. Smith (animation). This film was released by
Warner Bros. Family Entertainment in
1996 .
Other voices included
Bob Bergen as
Porky ,
Tweety ,
Hubie And Bertie and
Marvin The Martian ,
Bill Farmer as
Sylvester and
Dee Bradley Baker as
Daffy and
Taz .
The Looney Tunes crew did not return to movie status afterwards until ''.
Space Jam was also converted in a
Pinball and a
Video Game by
Acclaim Entertainment for
PC -
DOS ,
Sega Saturn and
PlayStation .
Get Ready to Jam.
In this movie, aliens called arrive on Earth to capture the
Looney Tunes characters and take them back to Moron Mountain, an outer space theme park belonging to their boss, '''Mr. Swackhammer''', voiced by
Danny DeVito .
Bugs Bunny convinces the aliens that the
Looney Tunes must be allowed to defend themselves. Since the aliens are very short the Looney Tunes challenge them to a
Basketball game.
The aliens steal the talent of 5
NBA stars (
Charles Barkley ,
Patrick Ewing ,
Muggsy Bogues ,
Larry Johnson and
Shawn Bradley ) and use it to transform themselves into the tall and muscular . Fortunately, the Monstars haven't stolen the talent of
Michael Jordan because he has retired from basketball to pursue a career in
Baseball (and play
Golf ) (which was a real-life event). Bugs Bunny gets Jordan to help them in their basketball game. The Looney Tunes manage to win the game and their freedom. Swackhammer berates the Monstars for losing, but then they realize that since they're no longer smaller than him, they don't have to put up with his bullying anymore. They launch Swackhammer into space, and give back the stolen skills, becoming Nerdlucks again. Michael Jordan decides to return to basketball, mirroring his real-life return.
Many major and minor characters from Looney Tunes shorts make appearances in the movie, and are even joined by , a female hare that acts as Bugs' love interest.
Notable cameos include
Wayne Knight (as Michael's new
Manager , Stan),
Bill Murray (as himself, but mistaken by Swackhammer in the movie for
Dan Aykroyd ),
Larry Bird and
Scottie Pippen .
Reviews of the movie were generally negative. Many critics compared it unfavorably to ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit '', a popular film in which cartoon characters and live-action humans coexisted in the same film as well.
{Link without Title} Basketball fans thought the movie to be demeaning to the sport, and to Michael Jordan himself. Many of them also claim it was not canon, despite referencing real-life events.
Those who liked the film praised the visual effects, which were groundbreaking at the time.
Roger Ebert was among the few major critics to give ''Space Jam'' an enthusiastic "thumbs up." Some of his readers theorized that Ebert did so because he works in Chicago, and therefore would be supportive of any of Michael Jordan's endeavours.
Leonard Maltin also gave the film a positive review.
Despite the negative press, the film served as a high point for musical artist
R. Kelly , whose song ''
I Believe I Can Fly '' became a hit after it was featured on the film's soundtrack. Other notable musical numbers appearing in the film include ''
Fly Like An Eagle '' (by
Seal ), ''Hit 'em High(Monstar's Anthem)'' (by
B-Real ,
Coolio ,
Method Man ,
LL Cool J , and
Busta Rhymes ), and ''For U, I Will'' (by
Monica ).
- Mr. and Mrs. Gruesome Gorilla
- Daffy asks about a team called "the Ducks". Bugs replies with "what kind of Mickey Mouse organization would call a team 'The Ducks'?"- a reference to Disney 's The Mighty Ducks (who are also a Real Team )
- One scene references '' Pulp Fiction '', with Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam dressed as killers and " Misirlou " in the background.
- The movie was inspired by Nike commercials featuring Michael and Bugs against Marvin and an alien. Another Nike commercial is referenced when Larry Johnson says that his grandmother can play better than him (he played his grandmama in an ad).
- When sending Bugs and Daffy to pick up his basketball gear, Michael Jordan tells them that he wore his UNC basketball shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform in every game he played. Jordan really did do this, as a good luck charm.
- Bugs and the other Looney Tunes are shown to reside in Looney Tune Land, a realm located beneath earth's surface. Only two known portals to Looney Tune Land exist, one lying beneath a Piggly Wiggly parking lot in suburban Birmingham, AL (also the home of Michael Jordan 's minor-league baseball team the Birmingham Barons ), the other accessible from a tunnel beneath an unspecified hole on a golf course in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Each portal consists of a membranous Elastomer imprinted with the Warner Bros. studio shield (anywhere from 20-50 feet in diameter). The portal can be stretched and punctured by a projectile, admitting persons or vehicles into the skies of Looney Tune Land. Basically the Looney Tune Land to the average intelligent viewer was obviously underground.
