Galaxy Jam

***Galaxy Jam*** is a 1996 sports comedy film starring Sidney Crosby and the *Antoons* characters. The film was produced by Daniel Goldberg, and directed by Joe Johnson, with Phil Harnage and Kevin Lima directing the animation. The film was released theatrically 15 November 1996 by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.

It is a fictional account of Sidney's initial retirement from and return to the hockey, this time with him being inspired by Roger Cat and friends. The film also marked the debut appearance of Kate Cat. *Galaxy Jam* was a box office success, opening at #1 in the U.S., and grossing over $230 million worldwide against an $80 million budget.

## Plot

In 1993, professional hockey player, Sidney Crosby announces his retirement from the hockey to follow in his father's footsteps and turns to a career in tennis. Meanwhile, The Ding Dongs, a group of criminal aliens ghost led by their boss, Mr. Squidshot, plot to capture the Antoons, who really exist in a secret animated world called Toon Land, and make them their newest attractions at Idiot Mountain, a failing amusement park. Squidshot believes enslaving the Toons in this way will bring in more customers and save Idiot Mountain from foreclosure.

They arrive in Toon Land, and since the aliens aren't very intelligent or tall, the Toons bargain for their freedom by challenging the Ding Dongs to a hockey game. To ensure their victory, the Ding Dongs return to Earth and steal the talents of Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky, Dave Christian, Roger Christian, and Mark Pavelich, who are rendered incapable of playing hockey as a result. The Ding Dongs use the stolen talent to transform into gigantic creatures—now called The Ghost Stars that the Antoons are unable to defeat.

To help them win, the Toons choose, abduct and recruit Sidney, and he reluctantly agrees after the Ghost Stars squash him into the shape of a hockey and bounce him around like one. A new, female cat named Kate Cat is added to the team thanks to her amazing talent. Dante Turtle and Roger Cat go to Sidney's house to collect what he needs to play, barely dodging his dog, Niner. Sidney's publicist Eddie Greenwood sees Roger and Dante return to Toon Land and follows them, and stays to support Sidney, whose team will be called the Toon Squad. Meanwhile, in the real world, the players try to remedy their situation, but to no avail. As a result, the hockey commissioner decides to suspend the season until further notice.

Despite Sidney's leadership, the Ghost Stars dominate the first half of the game. After sneaking into the Ghost Stars' locker room and being detected despite hiding in a locker and scorched as a result, Eddie informs the Toon Squad that the Ghost Stars stole the talent from the hockey players. Roger then motivates the team with a special drink, and the Ghost Stars' commanding lead is reduced to a significantly smaller margin. Seeing Squidshot is grumpy that the Ghost Stars did not steal Sidney's talent, Sidney takes the chance to raise the stakes. If the Toon Squad wins, the Ghost Stars must give the hockey players their talent back, but if they lose, then Squidshot is to spare the Antoons in exchange for Sidney. He readily accepts it and Roger tries to talk him out of it, all the while being aware of what it means if Sidney is subjected to humiliation on Idiot Mountain for all time.

As the game resumes, the Ghost Stars, under orders from Squidshot, begin playing even dirtier than before. As a result, the Antoons are injured, one by one, until only Sidney, Roger, Kate and Dante are left, leaving them short one player. Reluctantly, Sidney puts Eddie in the game, and though he is quickly taken out of action, the Ghost Stars' lead is now down to one. Marty the Gadget Hat, who is the referee, tells them that if there is no fifth player, the team will forfeit the game. At the last second, Harold Ramis (who Squidshot incorrectly identifies as Ernie Hudson, his *Ghostbusters* co-star) appears in the stadium and joins the team.

With only seconds left, Harold pulls some clever maneuvering and gets the hockey boost to Sidney. Extending his arm to superhuman lengths (since the laws of physics work differently in Toon Land), Sidney makes the net and wins the game. He helps the Ghost Stars realize that they're bigger than Mr. Squidshot, who confronts them for losing. Fed up with their abusive boss, the Ghost Stars tie him up to a rocket and send him to the moon. At Sidney's request, they reluctantly return the stolen talent to the other players by transferring them to a hockey, which is how they stored the stolen talent earlier in the film. This reverts the Ghost Stars back to the tiny Ding Dongs. Refusing to return to Idiot Mountain, the Ding Dongs decide to stay with the Antoons, who only agree if the Ding Dongs can prove themselves to be 'Antoon', which they arguably complete on the spot.

Afterwards, Sidney returns to Earth in the Ding Dongs' Galaxyship, where he makes a dramatic appearance at a baseball game to the cheers of the audience, despite being late. The next morning, Sidney gives the stolen talent back to the hockey players, who immediately regain their lost skills. Sidney is later prompted by his rivals to return to the hockey, mirroring his real-life comeback with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

## Cast

### Live-Action Cast

* Sidney Crosby as himself
	+ Omri Katz as ten-year-old Sidney Crosby
* Jason Alexander as Eddie Greenwood
* Harold Ramis as himself
* Patrick Marleau as himself
* Paul Coffey as himself
* Wayne Gretzky as himself
* Dave Christian as himself
* Roger Christian as himself
* Mark Pavelich as himself
* Bob Emery as himself
* Clancy Brown as male New York Knicks fan
* Alex Borstein as female New York Knicks fan
* Dee Wallace as Trina Forbes-Crosby
* Henry Thomas as Troy Crosby
* Jenny Lewis as Taylor Crosby

### Voice Cast

* Martin Burke as Roger Cat
* Benjamin Diskin as Dante Turtle
* Carlos Alazraqui as Morty Monkey and Blinky Bird
* Jeff Bennett as Martin Cowboy, Barney Cow, and Robin Raccoon
* Jerry Shale as Jeffy Flippy
* April Winchell as Lois
* Christine Cavanaugh as Gidget
* Melanie Chartoff as Kate Cat
* John Stocker as Ding Dong Pinch, Ding Dong Shoes and Waffles
* Samantha Kelly as Ding Dong Boba
* Kathleen Barr as Ding Dong Oggy and Ding Dong Bingo
* Harvey Atkin as Ghost Star Pinch
* Phil Hayes as Announcer, Ghost Star Oggy and Ghost Star Shoes
* Michael Donovan as Ghost Star Boba
* Garry Chalk as Ghost Star Bingo
* James Woods as Mr. Squidshot
* Frank Welker as Crunchy and Niner the Pug
* Paul Julian as Flamingo Runner (archive sound) (uncredited)

## Music

*Main article: Galaxy 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" became a hit after it was featured on the film's soundtrack. Other tracks included a cover of "Fly Like an Eagle" (by Seal), "Hit 'Em High (The Ghost Stars' Anthem)" (by B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man), "Basketball Jones" (by Chris Rock and Barry White), and "For You I Will" (by Monica). The movie's theme song was performed by the Quad City DJ's.

## Reception

*Galaxy Jam* received mixed-to-negative reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 35% based on 49 reviews. Roger Ebert gave *Galaxy Jam* a "thumbs up," which his partner, Gene Siskel, also gave the film, although his zeal was more subdued. Todd McCarthy of *Variety* praised the film for its humor. He also praised the *Antoons'* antics and Michael'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 *Antoons* characters'] past."

Veteran *Antoons* 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, "Morty Monkey would never say 'I think I wet myself'". He also added that, were the film more true to the source material, Bugs Bunny wouldn't need anyone's help (let alone Michael Jordan's) in dealing with the Ghost Stars, and that he would be able to do so in a 7-minute short rather than a 90-minute movie.

## Box-Office

*Galaxy 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.