Space Jam (1996)
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A retired basketball icon is pulled into a whimsical world to help a group of cartoon characters defend their freedom from alien invaders.
The story
After retiring from basketball to pursue a career in baseball, Michael Jordan is pulled into the world of the Looney Tunes. The cartoon characters are being threatened by the Nerdlucks, a group of aliens who have stolen the talents of NBA players to transform into the 'Monstars.' To save the Tunes from being enslaved as attractions at an amusement park called Moron Mountain, the Looney Tunes form the 'Tune Squad' and recruit Jordan to help them. Together, they must prepare for a high-stakes basketball game against the Monstars to reclaim the stolen talents and ensure the freedom of the cartoon characters.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with a flashback to 1973, showing Michael Jordan's dreams of playing in the NBA. In the present, after his retirement, he is pulled into a cartoon universe by Bugs Bunny. The Looney Tunes are being hunted by the Nerdlucks, who have used stolen NBA talents to become the 'Monstars' and serve a villainous proprietor named Swackhammer. Jordan joins the 'Tune Squad' and prepares for a match against the Monstars. During the game, the Monstars dominate initially, but the Tune Squad uses cartoon physics and a secret 'stuff' to turn the tide. In a final high-stakes moment, Jordan uses a cartoon-inspired move to win the game with a buzzer-beater. Following the victory, the Monstars are freed from Swackhammer's control, the Nerdlucks join the Tunes, and Jordan returns to Earth, inspired to return to the NBA.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 87
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joe Pytka
- Writers
- Leo Benvenuti · writer; Steve Rudnick · writer; Timothy Harris · writer; Herschel Weingrod · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael Jordan · himself; Wayne Knight · Stan Podolak; Theresa Randle · Juanita Jordan; Billy West · Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd; Danny DeVito · Swackhammer; Kath Soucie · Lola Bunny
- Genres
- sports comedy; animation; fantasy; science fiction
- Themes
- Teamwork; Identity; Friendship
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Whimsical; Action
- Premise and plot tags
- Crossover; Live-action/Animation hybrid; Sports; Adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- Warner Bros. advertisements and the Looney Tunes characters.
- Franchise connections
- Space Jam
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics regarding its premise but was praised for its technical achievements in blending live-action and animation. It was a significant commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing basketball film at the time.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 46% · scale: percentage · review count: 90; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Production trivia
- The film was one of the first-ever productions to be shot on a virtual studio.; The film broke the record for amount of composited shots in a featured film, roughly 1,043.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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