Hey guys, LooneyTunian here back to post! Here's a question that I've been interested in. For any fans of animation past and present, what did you like about the Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan film Space Jam and what didn't you like about it? What were the good things about it and what did they mess up on? Pretty much a Pros and Cons list. I also plan on doing one with Back in Action so stay tuned for that one.
I think the OP wants to know what we personally thought of Space Jam, not what professional critics thought of it.
My views:
Pros: -The animation was pretty good, and the LT characters were handled pretty well here. I especially like how the film handled Daffy; he was a good mix of the 40's screwball Daffy and the 50's egotist Daffy. Not too much of either, but a happy medium of both.
Cons: -The story was admittedly weak; it played like a 90-minute Nike commercial. But then, I don't think the Looney Tunes are suitable for feature-length stories anyway.
-Lola. No, I didn't have a problem with her inclusion generally--my issue with Lola wasn't that she was implemented, but rather how she was implemented. The writers just plonked Lola into the story with no back story or explanation of who she was, where she came from or how she came to know of the Tunes' plight. Not to mention how she was characterized as a Mary Sue with no personality. I know some people take issue with The Looney Tunes Show's portrayal of Lola, but at least on TLTS Lola is actually loony and contributes to the stories and comedy.
Yeah, the things I liked about the film is some of the animation styles(I wasn't a fan of how the characters were shaded though), I thought the Toons in the audience being replicated over and over and over was kind of weak(you have over hundreds and hundreds of characters, USE THEM), I thought the idea of Lola was pretty fascinating although exected poorly, but overall the story was kindof weak.
Hey Mr. Cleveland, you watch the Nostalgia Critic?
Odd...there's 2 replies here yet it doesn't show up on the index.
Yeah, the things I liked about the film is some of the animation styles(I wasn't a fan of how the characters were shaded though), I thought the Toons in the audience being replicated over and over and over was kind of weak(you have over hundreds and hundreds of characters, USE THEM), I thought the idea of Lola was pretty fascinating although exected poorly, but overall the story was kindof weak.
Hey Mr. Cleveland, you watch the Nostalgia Critic?
Odd...there's 2 replies here yet it doesn't show up on the index.
I prefer his rival...The Angry Video Game Nerd. But I would like to do movie reviews like Nostalgia Critic one day.
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Thank God for kids who love obscure things-Lee Hazelwood (1929-2007)
I thought the Toons in the audience being replicated over and over and over was kind of weak(you have over hundreds and hundreds of characters, USE THEM)
If you were an animator and it was your job to draw all of those hundreds and hundreds of individual characters you'd think differently. Animation is a costly and time-consuming process; when it comes to extras and crowds, it's easier to just re-use them.
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I prefer (the Nostalgia Critic's) rival...The Angry Video Game Nerd.
Doug Walker (the Nostalgia Critic) and James Rolfe (the Angry Video Game Nerd) are not rivals. That was just something fans of both liked to perpetrate since they both first came out around the same time, so Doug and James jokingly pretended to go along with it for a time. Their "rivalry" was and is strictly tongue-in-cheek.
Space Jam ... yeah, it goes both ways. As far as a Looney Tunes vehicle, it was fine. Aliens come to Earth to abduct the Looney Tunes to their abhorrent theme park. Bugs Bunny tricks them into an ultimate-stakes basketball game. But the aliens counter by stealing the talent of the NBA's A-roster. The premise is patently ridiculous, which is A-okay for a cartoon.
But there was Michael Jordan in it. Now, Jordan was this athlete-celebrity-phenomenon, with the Chicago Bulls' first trifecta under his belt. Warner Brothers signed Jordan to a movie to be written later. Which is like hiring the staff first, then deciding what business you'll conduct. But Warner Brothers were entirely concerned with waving the mighty Michael Jordan in Disney's face.
So they hired Joe Pytka as director, because he'd worked with Jordan on the sneaker commercials. Producer Ivan Reitman was the de facto director on the set. The studio even built a b-ball court and fitness center just for Jordan. Diva much?
Of course, Space Jam has grossed about a quarter Billion worldwide, largely on the strength of Michael Jordan. Now, only half of Space Jam is MJ and the LT's; the rest is the world gone mad when MJ disappears and star NBA players suddenly go dorky.
Later, Warner Brothers would try another hybrid vehicle: Back In Action. This one put the 'toons front and center, and made the real people extras and support staff. And what happened? LT:BIA laid a box office egg, becoming one of the most expensive duds in Hollywood history.
So far, The Looney Tunes Show seems to be the strongest showing yet for these characters since 1996. That whole Space Jam thing can't possibly be canon with anything else. Call it instead The Michael Jordan Movie, with the Looney Tunes as so many Gumps.
Oh, and Lola Bunny? Yeah, a girl bunny character had been on the back burner for decades, but somehow Bugs Bunny was too rebel to have a steady. When the Mia Hamm zeitgeist struck during the planning stages of Space Jam, it was decided that this was the moment to unveil the "girl bunny." Unfortunately, Lola came with too much Grrl Power and not enough comic mechanisms, which got her decried as a canon sue. Thus, WB stuffed her in the fridge for fourteen years.
Granted, I liked the positive role model of Space Jam Lola Bunny. However, I must admit that the Cervone bunny works gorgeously within The Looney Tunes Show's interplay dynamics. Let's count Space Jam Lola as something they found in the sofa cushions that needed 14 years to clean up.
Doug Walker (the Nostalgia Critic) and James Rolfe (the Angry Video Game Nerd) are not rivals. That was just something fans of both liked to perpetrate since they both first came out around the same time, so Doug and James jokingly pretended to go along with it for a time. Their "rivalry" was and is strictly tongue-in-cheek.
Well, I thought I'd say that while Doug and James are friends, the NC and the AVGN will always be bitter enemies!
