Space Jam

Space Jam is a 1996 American live-action/animated science fiction

sports comedy film starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters. The film was produced by Ivan Reitman and directed by Joe Pytka, with Tony Cervone and Bruce W. Smith directing the animation. A fictional account of Michael's first retirement from the N.B.A., the film was released theatrically by Warner Bros. under the Family Entertainment label on November 15, 1996. It plays out as an alternate story of Michael's initial return to basketball, this time with him being inspired by Bugs Bunny and others. Space Jam was a box office success, opening at #1 in the U.S., and grossing over $230,000,000 worldwide. it was the third -highest grossing sports film and the tenth-highest grossing film of 1996, and to this day is the highest-grossing Looney Tunes film and highest-grossing basketball film of all time. It is also the highest-grossing film produced by Warner Bros. Animation until it was surpassed by The Lego Movie in 2014.

Plot

The film opens in 1973, with Michael Jordan practicing basketball shots late at night. His father notices this and says to come inside. The young Michael then asks if he can get a couple more shots in, which his father accepts and notices how good he is, he then lets him keep shooting until he misses. As Michael shoots he discusses with his dad his plans for the future, to become a basketball player. He also notes that once he’s done with this he'll play baseball, a sport that his dad loves. As young Michael dribbles the ball to the basket the scene then segues to footage of Michael as a basketball player at his prime.

Twenty years later in 1993, professional basketball player Michael Jordan announces his retirement from the NBA to follow in his father's footsteps and turn to a career in baseball. Little does he know, his greatest adventure is about to begin.

Meanwhile, a group of criminal aliens called the Nerdlucks, led by their boss, Mr. Swackhammer, plot to capture the Looney Tunes characters, who really live in a secret animated world called Tune Land hidden under planet earth, and make them their newest attractions at Moron Mountain, a failing amusement park. Swackhammer believes enslaving the Tunes in this way will bring in more customers and save Moron Mountain from foreclosure.

They arrive to Tune Land, and since the aliens aren't very intelligent or tall, the Tunes bargain for their freedom by challenging the Nerdlucks to a basketball game. To ensure their victory, the Nerdlucks return to earth and steal the talents of Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues and Shawn Bradley, who are rendered incapable of playing basketball as a result. The Nerdlucks use the stolen talent to transform into gigantic creatures now called the Monstars that the Looney Tunes are unable to defeat by themselves without the help of a professional, in which Bugs Bunny says "I think we might need a little bit of help”.

To help them win, the Tunes choose, abduct, and recruit Michael, and he reluctantly agrees after the Monstars squash him into the shape of a basketball and bounce him around like one. A new arrival named Lola Bunny is added to the team thanks to her amazing talent as Michael says "That girl's got some skills." Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny go to Michael's house to collect what he needs to play, barely dodging his dog, Charles. Michael's publicist Stan (Wayne Knight) sees Bugs and Daffy return to Tune Land and follows them, stays to support Michael, whose team will be called the Tune Squad. In the real world, the NBA commissioner, over concerns about the players' well-being, announces that the season will be suspended until further notice.

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

As the game resumes, the Monstars, under orders from Swackhammer, begin playing even dirtier than before. As a result, the Looney Tunes are injured, one by one, until only Michael, Bugs, Lola and Daffy are left, leaving them short one player. Reluctantly, Michael puts Stan in the game, and though he is quickly taken out of action, the Monstars' lead is now down to one. Marvin the Martian, who is the referee, informs them that if there is no fifth player, the team will have no choice but to forfeit the game. At the last second, Bill Murray appears in the stadium and joins the team, breaking the fourth wall along the way. With only seconds left, Bill pulls some clever manueuvering and gets the ball to Michael. Extending his arm to superhuman lengths since the laws of physics work differently in Tune Land, Michael makes the basket and wins the game. He helps the Monstars realize that they're bigger than Mr. Swackhammer, who confronts them for losing. Fed up with their abusive boss, the Monstars tie him up to a rocket and send him to Moron Mountain on the moon. At Michael's request, they reluctantly return the stolen talent to the other players by transferring them to a basketball, which is how they stored the stolen talent earlier in the film. This reverts the Monstars back to the Nerdlucks. Refusing to return to Moron Mountain, the Nerdlucks decide to stay with the Looney Tunes, who only agree if the Nerdlucks can prove themselves to be looney, which they arguably complete on the spot.

Afterwards, Michael returns to earth in a Nerdlucks' spaceship, where he makes a dramatic appearance at a baseball game of an audience, despite being late. The next morning, Michael gives the stolen talent back to the NBA players, who immediately regain their lost skills. Two years later in 1995, Michael is later prompted by his rivals to return to the NBA, mirroring his real-life comeback with the Chicago Bulls.

Trivia

• It aired on Cartoon Network on February 22, 2011.
• It aired on Nickelodeon on February 11, 2020. It had aired again on October 18, 2022.

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