Space Jam (Better 2000s)

Space Jam is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel Weingrod. The film stars basketball player Michael Jordan as a fictional version of himself; the live-action cast also includes Wayne Knight and Theresa Randle, as well as cameos by Bill Murray and several NBA players, while Billy West, Dee Bradley Baker, Kath Soucie and Danny DeVito headline the voice cast. The film follows Jordan as he is brought out of retirement by the Looney Tunes characters to help them win a basketball match against invading aliens intent on enslaving them as amusement park attractions.

Space Jam was the first film to be produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and was released theatrically in the United States on November 15, 1996, by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who were divided over its premise of combining Jordan and his profession with the Looney Tunes characters, while the technical achievements of its intertwining of live-action and animation were praised. It was a box office success, grossing over $250 million worldwide to become the second-highest-grossing basketball film of all time and the tenth-highest-grossing film of 1996.

## **Plot**

In 1973, a young Michael Jordan tells his father, James, about his dreams of playing in the NBA. Twenty years later, following James's death, Jordan retires from basketball to pursue a career in baseball.

In outer space, the amusement park Moron Mountain is in decline. The proprietor, Mr. Swackhammer, learns of the Looney Tunes from the Nerdlucks, his quintet of minions, and orders them to abduct the Looney Tunes to serve as attractions. The Nerdlucks enter the Looney Tunes' universe underground and hold them hostage before Bugs Bunny convinces them to allow the Looney Tunes to defend themselves. The Looney Tunes challenge the Nerdlucks to a basketball game, noting the latter's small stature. The Nerdlucks research the sport and infiltrate various games, stealing the talents of Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues. The Nerdlucks use these talents to transform into gigantic, muscular creatures known as the Monstars, and the Looney Tunes realize that they need professional help.

The Looney Tunes pull Jordan into their universe as he golfs with Bill Murray, Larry Bird, and Jordan's assistant, Stan Podolak. Bugs explains their situation to Jordan, who is initially reluctant to help. However, Jordan agrees after a confrontation with the Monstars, and forms the Tune Squad with the Looney Tunes; they are joined by Lola Bunny, with whom Bugs is enamored. Jordan is initially unprepared, and sends Bugs and Daffy Duck to his house to obtain his basketball gear. Jordan's children aid them and agree to keep the game a secret, while Stan, searching for Jordan, notices Bugs and Daffy, follows them to their world, and joins the team. Meanwhile, the incapacity of the five NBA players results in a national panic that culminates in the season's suspension. The players try to restore their skills through various methods, with no success.

The game between the Tune Squad and the Monstars commences, with Swackhammer arriving to observe. The Monstars dominate the first half, lowering the Tune Squad's morale. During halftime, Stan surreptitiously learns how the Monstars obtained their talent and informs the Tune Squad. Disguising a bottle of water as "secret stuff", Bugs and Jordan motivate the Tune Squad, who improve in the second half using their cartoon physics. During a timeout, Jordan raises the stakes with Swackhammer: if the Tune Squad wins, the Monstars must relinquish their stolen talent, and if the Monstars win, Jordan will become a new Moron Mountain attraction. On Swackhammer's orders, the Monstars become increasingly violent, injuring most of the Tune Squad.

With ten seconds left in the game, the Tune Squad is down by one point and one player, with only Jordan, Bugs, Lola, and Daffy still able to play. Murray unexpectedly arrives and joins the team. In the final seconds, Jordan gains the ball with Murray's assistance but is pulled back by the Monstars. On Bugs' advice, Jordan uses cartoon physics to extend his arm and achieve a slam dunk, winning the match with a buzzer beater. After Swackhammer scolds the Monstars for their failure, Jordan helps them realize that they only served him because they were once smaller. They insert Swackhammer inside a missile that sends him to the moon. After relinquishing their stolen talent, the Nerdlucks decide to join the Looney Tunes. Jordan and Stan return to Earth and return the talent to the five players, whose remarks convince Jordan to return to the NBA.

## **Cast**

### **Live-action**

* Michael Jordan as himself
* Wayne Knight as Stan Podolak, a publicist and assistant who aids Jordan
* Theresa Randle as Juanita Jordan, Jordan's wife
* Charles Barkley as himself
* Muggsy Bogues as himself
* Shawn Bradley as himself
* Patrick Ewing as himself
* Larry Johnson as himself

Space Jam's cast includes Manner Washington, Eric Gordon, and Penny Bae Bridges as Jordan's children, Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine, respectively. Brandon Hammond plays the ten-year-old Michael Jordan. Larry Bird and Bill Murray appear as themselves, and Thom Barry portrays Jordan's father, James R. Jordan Sr. Several NBA players make cameo appearances in Space Jam, including Danny Ainge, Steve Kerr, Alonzo Mourning, Horace Grant, A. C. Green, Charles Oakley, Luc Longley, Cedric Ceballos, Derek Harper, Vlade Divac, Brian Shaw, Jeff Malone, Bill Wennington, Anthony Miller, and Sharone Wright, as do coaches Del Harris and Paul Westphal, and broadcasters Ahmad Rashad and Jim Rome. Dan Castellaneta and Patricia Heaton cameo as fans at a game between the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns.

### **Voice cast**

* Billy West as Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
* Dee Bradley Baker as Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, and Bull
* Danny DeVito as Swackhammer, the proprietor of Moron Mountain, an intergalactic amusement park
* Bob Bergen as Porky Pig, Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Barnyard Dawg, Hubie and Bertie
* Bill Farmer as Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, and Foghorn Leghorn
* Maurice LaMarche as Pepé Le Pew
* June Foray as Granny
* Paul Julian as the Road Runner (archive recordings) (uncredited)
* Kath Soucie as Lola Bunny

The Nerdluck voices include Jocelyn Blue as their orange leader, Pound, Charity James as the dim-witted blue Blanko, June Melby as the neurotic green second-in-command Bang, Colleen Wainwright as the diminutive red Nawt, and producer Ivan Reitman's daughter, Catherine, as the eccentric purple Bupkus. Their transformed "Monstar" versions are voiced by Darnell Suttles (Pound), Steve Kehela (Blanko), Joey Camen (Bang), Dorian Harewood (Bupkus), and T.K. Carter as Nawt. Wainwright also voices Sniffles, Kehela also voices Bertie's announcer voice, and Frank Welker voices the Jordan's bulldog, Charles.

## **Release**

Warner Bros. released Space Jam through its Family Entertainment division on November 15, 1996.

## **Post-release**

### **Home media**

Warner Home Video released the film on VHS, DVD, and LaserDisc on March 11, 1997.

## **Soundtrack**

James Newton Howard / Space Jam / 1996

Source: Recording Sessions

1. 1m0 Space Jam Main Title
2. 1m1 Just One More Shot
3. 1m2 Outer Space
4. 1m6 Back To Earth
5. 2m2 Crash Landing (Part 1)
6. 2m2 Crash Landing (Part 2)
7. 2m3 We Seek Bugs Bunny
8. 2m3a Nice House
9. 2m4 Charles
10. 3m1 Toonland Meeting
11. 3m1c General Bugs
12. 3m3 Alien Realization
13. 3m4a Disguise Intro
14. 3m4 Disguise
15. 3m5 Alien Transformation
16. 4m1 Hole In One
17. 4m3 Michael In Toonland
18. 4m4 Spit Shine
19. 4m5 The Monstars
20. 5m1b The Toons Practice
21. 6m1a Stealing The Shorts
22. 6m2r The Ducks
23. 6m4 Let Me Help
24. 7m3-4 The Game Begins
25. 7m5 Monstars Locker Room
26. 7m7 Secret Stuff
27. 8m1 The Second Half
28. 8m2 You Get Me?
29. 8m3 Crush 'Em
30. 8m6-7 How'd He Do That? / Bill Murray is Here
31. 9m1 You The Duck
32. 9m2 Air Jordan
33. 9m3 Not Good At Cheatin'
34. 9m4 The Monstars Gives Back The Stolen Talents
35. 9m5 Looneytoon Theme
36. 9m5 Looneytoon Theme (Alternate)
37. 9m6 Stay Outta Trouble
38. 9m7 Spaceship Returns
39. 10m1 Michael Jordan Gives Back The Stolen Talents

James Newton Howard / Space Jam / 1996

Source: Complete Isolated DVD Score

1. Warner Logo (0:12)
2. Summer 1973 (I Believe I Can Fly by musical artist R. Kelly)\* (1:12)
3. Space Jam Main Titles (Film Introduction Version by the Quad City DJ's)\* (3:40)
4. Moron Mountain\* (1:32)
5. We Need Something…Looney (0:32)
6. Get the Looney Tunes! (0:44)
7. Baseball Time (0:11)
8. Stam Podolak (0:50)
9. Spacecraft Down to Looney Town (2:38)
10. Charles the Dog (2:02)
11. TV’s Bad Jordan (0:50)
12. Road Runner (0:20)
13. Toons Reunion (0:34)
14. Basketball It Is! (That's the way I Like It by Spin Doctors featuring Biz Markie & Upside Down [Round-N-'Round] by Salt-N-Pepa)\* (2:46)
15. Hacking Power (2:58)
16. Basketball Monstars (2:06)
17. Golf Ball (0:43)
18. The Abduction of Michael (0:09)
19. Michael In Looney Town\* (2:29)
20. Spit Shine\* (0:54)
21. Here Comes the Monstars (1:05)
22. Scared (1:03)
23. Tests for Players (Basketball Jones by Barry White and Chris Rock)\* (2:47)
24. Schlesinger Gym (1:57)
25. Michael’s House (2:00)
26. Into the House (1:09)
27. Daffy, Bugs &…Charles! (1:21)
28. Back to the Hole / Training (Fly Like an Eagle by Seal)\* (1:33)
29. Scat Here (0:51)
30. The Ultimate Game (Pump up the Jam by Technotronic)\* (1:18)
31. Buuuugs Buuuuny!!! (0:14)
32. The Game Begins (Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem) by B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man & Get Ready for This by 2 Unlimited)\* (3:29)
33. Half Time (2:35)
34. The Secret Stuff (Get Ready for This by 2 Unlimited)\* (2:04)
35. Second Half\* (1:51)
36. New Deal (1:20)
37. Crush Them\* (3:11)
38. Bill Murray is Here (1:30)
39. Flying an Score! (You The Duck / Air Jordan / Not Good At Cheatin)\* (3:34)
40. Back to Baseball (I Believe I Can Fly by musical artist R. Kelly)\* (2:45)
41. Power are Back (2:15)
42. End Credits (Songs Medley)\* (8:53)