I think that Space Jam has been one of the most iconic childhood movies for a whole generation. Directed in 1996 by Joe Pytka, it starred Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny. Yep, you heard that right, it even says so on the poster. 2026 marks its 30th anniversary, so let’s talk about it.
For those who don’t know, Space Jam is the real story of Michael Air Jordan…no way he played as well as he did without a little looney tooney cartoony talent under his feet. Seriously though, the premise is that cartoonish aliens from outer space want to enslave the Looney Tunes (property of Warner Bros) for their amusement park so Bugs Bunny and the gang agree to decide their fate through a basketball game. In comes Michael Jordan to train the Looney squad and play with them, thus assuring the happy-wacky ending.
Real talk though, for the ’90 kids, at the time, this was the equivalent of The Avengers today; imagine a ‘cast’ that you knew intimately and grew up with, getting together and interacting with one another in a shared universe. It was an all-star cartoon bonanza. I would also argue that Space Jam did justice to the characters they used, each one of the Looney gang being portrayed according to their characteristics and strong suits. It is true that Bugs steals part of the spotlight, but that is also part of his charm; the chemistry between characters that are admittedly fictitious is, simply put, impeccable.
Michael Jordan also does a fantastic job of acting out with what I can only assume at the time was pre-green screen technology. In addition, Bill Murray, although more of a guest star than anything else, is a freaking gem of an actor – the way he delivers nonsensical lines with a perfectly straight face – chef’s kiss.
On a side note, I am also pretty sure that Lola Bunny was single-handedly responsible in having created many of the will-be furries of today. Call it a hunch.
I would give this movie a 7 out of 10 ‘that’s all folks’.