Space Jam: the Twentieth Anniversary
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on March 30, 2016, 9:32 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Space Jam, the film that saw a team-up of popular NBA players and the characters of Warner Bros.' Looney Toons. At the time that this film was made, professional basketball, and especially Michael Jordan, were insanely popular with the youth of America, while Looney Toons, on the other hand, had been experiencing a decline in popularity, due to the Walt Disney company releasing a rapid succession of very successful animated films. Therefore, the idea of the NBA joining forces with the Looney Toons may have seemed to be a very unusual idea, but it succeeded, and helped Warner Bros. to revive its aging flagship franchise by introducing it to a new generation of audiences.
I remember finding the premise of this film to be odd and weird when it was first released, but I nevertheless saw it, and enjoyed every moment of it. While the film was not particularly deep or complex, it was nevertheless very fun and enjoyable, and was one of the most significant combinations of live-action and animation ever to be produced. The film also introduced Lola Bunny and the nerdlucks, characters who would later appear in future incarnations of the Looney Toons.
There currently are rumors of a sequel to this film being made, possibly starring Lebron James, but I believe that it would be better for such a film to focus on (American) football, given how popular that sport currently is.
What does everyone else here say about this? Are you excited about this anniversary? Does it make you feel old? And how shall you celebrate this milestone? I, myself will definitely re-watch the film to relive the experience of it, and I await receiving your responses to this thread.
DemonDragonJ says... #3
GoldGhost012: if you wish to perceive yourself that way, why not? However, I must say that twenty years is much older for a film than it is for a person, so you are still very young, whereas I am currently twenty-eight, and shall soon be twenty-nine (in July, to be precise).
March 30, 2016 10:08 p.m.
KillDatBUG says... #4
Space Jam? You mean that two hour long commercial for Air Jordans, McDonalds, and bunny boobies?
Yeah, what a fuckin' masterpiece of animation THAT was.
March 30, 2016 10:33 p.m.
KillDatBUG, remember that for many people my age or slightly older (as old as the movie, approximately), we grew up with that movie. In fact, it was the first movie I saw as a child, and has stuck with me forever. Is it comparable to The Iron Giant? Pulp Fiction? The Godfather? No, but does it have to be? Think of it like The Lego Movie: for some people, it means quite a bit to them. For others, it doesn't hold that little bit of sentimentality and isn't regarded as highly.
March 31, 2016 12:21 a.m.
KillDatBUG says... #6
Still doesn't change the fact that it's an objectively terrible movie, JA14732. However, I ain't saying that you're a fucking idiot for being nostalgic over this; I'm just stating my own personal opinion. Hell, I used to love Batman and Robin; watched that movie so many times as a kid.
...
Man, I was stupid back then.
March 31, 2016 1:38 a.m.
I hate to be that guy, but I would like to point out a flaw in your argumentation. You state that Space Jam is an objectively terrible movie, yet immediately disregard your entire argument by stating that it's your own personal opinion. On the topic of the movie being objectively terrible, let's not forget that Robert Ebert gave the film 3.5/4 stars and lauded it in his review; many critics rated it highly (to be fair, many rated it poorly; and it's the highest grossing basketball film of all time, as well as the 3rd highest grossing sports film, behind Rocky IV and The Blind Side. On the flip side, Chuck Jones HATED the movie, saying it didn't really mesh well with the characters.
If you dislike the film, that's fine; you probably neither grew up with the Looney Toons nor the movie itself, but it's hard to state that it's objectively terrible.
March 31, 2016 2:53 a.m.
I think I saw this once when I was really young. I must admit, I thought this movie was older than it was, at around 25 or so years old. So I guess I learned something today. It's a fun concept, but probably best left as a one and done kind of feature.
March 31, 2016 3:08 a.m.
You can still find the website somehow. Its a classic 90s website - totally awful. A real blast from the past.
I think if you google spacejam website it comes up.
March 31, 2016 5:14 a.m.
Don't forgot about r/comeonandslam.
A subreddit dedicated to Space Jam remixes.
YouTube search: 'Epic Slam Guy' for one of my favorites :)
March 31, 2016 9:22 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #12
KillDatBUG, your mention of Batman and Robin makes me wish to say, that, although I do agree that it is, perhaps, the worst Batman film ever made, I still enjoy watching it, because of how hilariously awful it is; that movie is the epitome of "so bad, it's good."
GoldGhost012 says... #2
I've actually never seen Space Jam.
But holy shit, it's as old as I am. Does that mean I'm a classic too?
March 30, 2016 9:46 p.m.