Space Jam

This article is about the motion picture. For other uses, see Space Jam (disambiguation).

Space Jam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joe Pytka
Written by	Leo Benvenuti Steve Rudnick Timothy Harris Herschel Weingrod
Produced by	Ivan Reitman Joe Medjuck Daniel Goldberg
Starring	Michael Jordan Wayne Knight Theresa Randle Danny DeVito
Cinematography	Michael Chapman
Edited by	Sheldon Kahn
Music by	James Newton Howard
Production companies	Warner Bros. Animation Northern Lights Entertainment Courtside Seats Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Release date	November 15, 1996 (1996-11-15)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$80 million
Box office	$230.4 million

Space Jam is a 1996 American comedy film starring basketball player Michael Jordan and featuring the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. The film was produced by Ivan Reitman, and directed by Joe Pytka, with Tony Cervone and Bruce W. Smith directing the animation. Nigel Miguel was a basketball technical advisor.

Released theatrically by Warner Bros. under the Family Entertainment label on November 15, 1996, it includes an alternate story of what happened between Jordan's initial retirement from the NBA in 1993 and his comeback in 1995, this time with him being inspired by events including Bugs Bunny and friends. Space Jam opened at #1 in the US and grossed over $230 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time.

Plot

In 1993, professional basketball player Michael Jordan announces his retirement from the sport to follow his late father’s career as a baseball player. However, it becomes evident that he is not as skilled in baseball as he was in basketball. Jordan is assigned a publicist, the bumbling Stan Podolak (Knight), to make his new career less bumpy. Elsewhere, in outer space, an intergalactic amusement park called Moron Mountain faces dwindling popularity, so its owner, Mr. Swackhammer (Devito), sends his diminutive minions, the Nerdlucks, to capture the Looney Tunes as new entertainment. The Looney Tunes live in an animated world hidden in the centre of the Earth, but don’t take the Nerdlucks’ threats seriously and challenge them to a game of basketball to try to win back their freedom.

However, the Nerdlucks steal the talents of basketball players Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Shawn Bradley, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues, leaving them incapable of playing. The Nerdlucks absorb the talent, transforming into the gigantic Monstars who easily intimidate the Looney Tunes. While playing golf with Bill Murray, Larry Bird, and Stan, Jordan is sucked down a hole and is recruited by Bugs Bunny to help the Tunes win against the Monstars. Jordan agrees to help, but sends Bugs and Daffy Duck to his house to retrieve his basketball gear. The two have a difficult time obtaining the clothes thanks to Jordan’s pet dog, but his children help them out.

Meanwhile, Stan has been digging out the golf hole to find Jordan, but spots Bugs and Daffy leap down another one and pursues them, reuniting with Jordan in the Tunes’ world and joins the Tune Squad. Another new recruit is Lola Bunny, a skilled basketball player whom Bugs falls in love with. The day of the match arrives, but the first half is dominated by the Monstars, leaving the Looney Tunes unconfident. Stan eavesdrops on a conversation between the Monstars and Swackhammer, learning of how they gained their talent and informs Jordan. Bugs and Jordan convince the rest of the Tune Squad to fight back, and the first half of the second round allows the characters to take the lead using Acme weaponry. Swackhammer decides he wants Jordan as a new attraction, and makes an agreement with him that he will become said attraction if he loses the match, sparing the Looney Tunes.

To ensure his victory, Swackhammer has the Monstars play dirty and injure all of the Tune Squad save Jordan, Bugs, Daffy, Lola, and Stan. Stan becomes the fifth player and manages to score, but is literally flattened by the Monstars and is removed to be inflated. The referee, Marvin the Martian, informs Jordan unless the team gets a fifth player then the game is forfeit. Bill Murray appears and volunteers to be the team's fifth member. In the final seconds of the game, Jordan gains the ball and manages to use cartoon physics to extend his arm and score the winning points. Murray retires from the sport, and the Monstars blast Swackhammer to the Moon in a rocket when they realise they don’t have to take his abuse anymore. Jordan convinces them to give up the stolen talents and they are welcomed to stay with the Looney Tunes.

Jordan and a recovered Stan return to the surface, the Nerdlucks dropping them off at Jordan’s next baseball game. Later on, the two visit the incapacitated basketball players and return their talent. The players invite Jordan to a three-on-three match but when he declines, they question his loss of talent. In a move mirroring his actual comeback in 1995, Jordan returns to the Chicago Bulls to reprise his basketball career.

Cast

Live-action cast

• Michael Jordan as himself, the Chicago Bulls star shooting guard who retires from the NBA to pursue a career in baseball like his father, but returns to basketball in the end.
  • Brandon Hammond as a young Michael Jordan.
• Wayne Knight as Stanley "Stan" Podolak, a publicist who makes sure nobody bothers Michael Jordan.
• Theresa Randle as Juanita Jordan, Michael Jordan's supportive wife. The character is based on Jordan's real-life wife at the time, also named Juanita.
• Bill Murray as himself, an actor and comedian who is one of Jordan's friends and an aspiring basketball player, though Jordan doubts his abilities. Following his play with the Tune Squad, Murray impresses Jordan but decides to retire while still "on top and undefeated."
• Larry Bird as himself, the Boston Celtics legendary small forward and one of Michael's friends and golfing partners. He crushes Bill Murray's dream of playing in the NBA.
• Thom Barry as James R. Jordan, Sr., Michael Jordan's father.
• Charles Barkley as himself, the Phoenix Suns' All-Star power forward, who gets his talent stolen by Pound.
• Patrick Ewing as himself, the New York Knicks' All-Star center, who gets his talent stolen by Bang.
• Shawn Bradley as himself, a Philadelphia 76ers center, who gets his talent stolen by Blanko.
• Larry Johnson as himself, a Charlotte Hornets forward, who gets his talent stolen by Bupkus.
• Muggsy Bogues as himself, the Hornets' point guard, who gets his talent stolen by Nawt.

Voice cast

Because the movie was made after the death of Mel Blanc in 1989, the character voices he originated were performed by other actors:

• Billy West as Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
• Dee Bradley Baker as: Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, and Toro, a bull that attacks the Monstar Pound during the game after Daffy paints his shorts red.
• Bob Bergen as Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and Hubie and Bertie, a pair of mice who act as the commentators of the game. Credited as "Herbie" and "Bert" respectively.
• Bill Farmer as Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, and Sylvester the Cat
• Maurice LaMarche as Pepé Le Pew
• June Foray (the only credited original Looney Tunes voice actor) as Granny, Witch Hazel (uncredited)
• Stan Freberg as Chester the Terrier (uncredited)
• Kath Soucie as Lola Bunny, a female rabbit who plays for the Tune Squad. Lola is a new character introduced in this film.
• Frank Welker as Charles, Michael's pet bulldog who menaces both Bugs and Daffy when they are in Michael's house.
• Danny DeVito as Mister Swackhammer, the proprietor of the theme park "Moron Mountain" who seeks new attractions to save his failing business. He's also the film's main antagonist.
• The Nerdlucks/Monstars:
  • Jocelyn Blue as Pound, the orange leader of the group.
    • Darnell Suttles as Monstar Pound.
  • Charity James as Blanko, the dim-witted and gangly blue Nerdluck.
    • Steve Kehela as Monstar Blanko.
  • June Melby as Bang, the green Nerdluck.
    • Joey Camen as Monstar Bang.
  • Catherine Reitman as Bupkus, the purple Nerdluck.
    • Dorian Harewood as Monstar Bupkus.
  • Colleen Wainwright as Nawt, the diminutive and clever red Nerdluck.
    • T.K. Carter as Monstar Nawt.

Music

Main article: Space Jam (soundtrack)

The soundtrack sold enough albums to be certified as 6x Platinum. It also served as a high point for musical artist R. Kelly, whose song "I Believe I Can Fly" not only was a hit, but earned him two Grammy Awards. Other tracks included a cover of Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle" (by Seal), "Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)" (by B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man), "Basketball Jones" (by Chris Rock & Barry White), and "For You I Will" (by Monica). The movie's title song was performed by the Quad City DJ's.

Merchandise

Video games

There was a licensed pinball game by Sega based on the film and a video game for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Windows PC by Acclaim.

Home media

Warner Home Video released the film on VHS and Laserdisc on March 11, 1997 (the VHS version was sold with a collector's coin included). The VHS tape was re-printed and re-released through Warner Home Video's catalog promotions: the Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Celebration (1998), Century Collection (1999), Century 2000 (2000) and Warner Spotlight (2001). The film was released on DVD for the first time on July 25, 2000. On April 4, 2003, the film was released as a 2-disc special edition DVD including newly made extras such as a commentary track and a featurette. On November 6, 2007 the movie was featured as one of the films in Warner Home Video's 4-Film Favorites: Family Comedies collection DVD (The other 3 films being Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Osmosis Jones, and Funky Monkey). On February 8, 2011 the first disc of the previous 2-disc edition was released by itself in a movie only edition DVD, and later that same year on October 4, 2011 the film was released for the first time in widescreen HD on Blu-ray which, save for an hour of classic Looney Tunes shorts, ported over all the extras from the 2003 2-disc edition DVD.

Toys

Toys were released coinciding with the film, including various action figures released by Playmates under the short lived banner "WB Toy". The toys had limited articulation and paired Michael Jordan, or another characters of the movie (Charles Barkley and the Monstars with a Looney Tunes character and accessories). Some figures depicted Michael Jordan as a basketball player, a baseball player and a golf player. The line included stuffed toys, decorated basketballs, as well as a McDonald's Happy Meal promotion.

Reception

Critical response

On the critical response aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 35%, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's consensus reads, "A harmless mishmash of basketball and animation that'll entertain kids but leave adults less than thrilled."

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave Space Jam a thumbs up, as did Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune, although his zeal was more subdued. In his print review, Ebert gave the film 3 1/2 stars out of 4, noting, "Space Jam is a happy marriage of good ideas--three films for the price of one, giving us a comic treatment of the career adventures of Michael Jordan, crossed with a Looney Tunes cartoon and some showbiz warfare. ... the result is delightful, a family movie in the best sense (which means the adults will enjoy it, too)." Siskel focused much of his praise on Jordan's performance, saying, "He wisely accepted as a first movie a script that builds nicely on his genial personality in an assortment of TV ads. The sound bites are just a little longer." Leonard Maltin also gave the film a positive review (3 stars), stating, "Jordan is very engaging, the vintage characters perform admirably ... and the computer-generated special effects are a collective knockout." Todd McCarthy of Variety praised the film for its humor. He also praised the Looney Tunes' antics and Jordan's acting.

Although Janet Maslin of The New York Times criticized the film's animation, she later went on to say that the film is a "fond tribute to [the Looney Tunes characters'] past." Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune complained about some aspects of the movie, stating, "...we don't get the co-stars' best stuff. Michael doesn't soar enough. The Looney Tuners don't pulverize us the way they did when Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng or Bob Clampett were in charge." Yet overall he also liked the film, giving it 3 stars and saying: "Is it cute? Yes. Is it a crowd-pleaser? Yup. Is it classic? Nope. (Though it could have been.)"

Other critics were less than kind. TV Guide gave the movie only 2 stars, calling it a "cynical attempt to cash in on the popularity of Warner Bros. cartoon characters and basketball player Michael Jordan, inspired by a Nike commercial." Margaret A. McGurk of The Cincinnati Enquirer gave the film 2 1/2 stars, saying, "Technical spectacle amounts do nothing without a good story."

Veteran Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies director Chuck Jones was highly critical of the film. In a 1998 interview, he expressed his views that the film was "terrible" and said, as a man who worked with the characters for almost thirty years, the story was deeply flawed. "I can tell you, with the utmost confidence," he said, "Porky Pig would never say 'I think I wet myself'". He also added that, were the film more true to the source material, Bugs Bunny would not have incorporated the help of Jordan or the other Looney Tunes characters to defeat the Nerdlucks, "and moreover, it wouldn't have taken him an hour and a half. Those aliens, whether they were tiny or colossal, would've been dealt with in short order come the seven minute mark."

Box office

Space Jam was a box office success. At the end of its run, it grossed $90,418,342 in the United States and over $230,000,000 internationally. It is the highest grossing basketball movie of all time.

Accolades

• 1997 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
  • Won: Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures (Diane Warren for the song "For You I Will")
  • Won: Top Box Office Films (Jamshied Sharifi)

• 1997 Annie Awards
  • Won: Best Individual Achievement: Technical Achievement
  • Nomination: Best Animated Feature
  • Nomination: Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a Feature Production (Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone)
  • Nomination: Best Individual Achievement: Producing in a Feature Production (Ron Tippe)

• 1997 Grammy Awards
  • Won: Best Song Written Specifically for Motion Picture or for Television (R. Kelly for the song "I Believe I Can Fly")

• 1997 MTV Movie Awards
  • Nomination: Best Movie Song (R. Kelly for the song "I Believe I Can Fly")

• 1997 Satellite Awards
  • Nomination: Best Motion Picture- Animated or Mixed Media (Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck, Ivan Reitman)

• 1997 World Animation Celebration
  • Won: Best Use of Animation in a Motion Picture Trailer

• 1997 Young Artist Awards
  • Nomination: Best Family Feature- Animation or Special Effects

In other media

The Monstars make a cameo in the Pinky and the Brain / Animaniacs episode "Star Warners" (a parody of Star Wars). Jordan himself, who was a spokesman for MCI Communications before the film was made, would appear with the Looney Tunes characters (as "his Space Jam buddies") in several MCI commercials for several years after the film was released before MCI merged with WorldCom and subsequently Verizon Communications. Bugs had previously appeared with Jordan as "Hare Jordan" in Nike ads for the Air Jordan VII and Air Jordan VIII.

In 2013, Yahoo! Screen released a parody of ESPN's 30 for 30 about the game shown in the film. The short dates the game as taking place on November 17, 1995, although Jordan's real-life return to basketball occurred on March 18 of that year.

Teams

The Tune Squad starting lineup:

• The Tasmanian Devil at center
• Daffy Duck at power forward
• Lola Bunny at small forward
• Michael Jordan (player-coach) at shooting guard
• Bugs Bunny (co-captain) at point guard

Bench

• Sylvester the Cat
• Wile E. Coyote
• Porky Pig
• Elmer Fudd
• Pepé Le Pew
• Foghorn Leghorn
• Tweety Bird
• Stan Podolak
• Bill Murray

The Monstars line-up:

• Pound (Charles Barkley)
• Bang (Patrick Ewing)
• Bupkus (Larry Johnson)
• Nawt (Muggsy Bogues)
• Blanko (Shawn Bradley)

Sequel

In February 2014, Warner Bros. announced a sequel, set to star LeBron James. Charlie Ebersol will produce through his production company, The Company, with a script by his brother, Willie Ebersol. Jon Berg will executive produce. Representatives of James denied the claim that he would be involved. In May 2014, James was quoted as saying, "I've always loved Space Jam. It was one of my favorite movies growing up. If I have the opportunity, it will be great." In July 2015, James and his production company, SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. for television, movies and digital content after receiving positive reviews on his acting role in Trainwreck and speculating a rumor that the production of the sequel to Space Jam may actually happen.

In the meantime, current NBA players Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers participated in a live reading of the original film script with Seth Green and other actors for the comedy website Funny or Die. In February 2015, Nike and Jordan Brand announced a re-release of Bugs' "Hare Jordan" sneakers.

External links

• Official website
• Space Jam at IMDb
• Space Jam at the TCM Movie Database
• Template:Bcdb title
• Space Jam at Rotten Tomatoes
• Space Jam at AllMovie
• Space Jam at Box Office Mojo