It’s the Tune Squad versus the Goon Squad in Space Jam: a trailer for a new legacy

NBA basketball star LeBron James and a team of animated Looney Tunes characters must win a virtual basketball game against the digitized champions of an evil AI in Space Jam: a new legacy, a sequel to the 1996 film, Space Jam. With its mix of live action and animation, the original became one of the most iconic films of the 1990s. The sequel updates the basic concept for the virtual era, to create what appears to be a cross between The LEGO Movie (and LEGO Movie 2) and Ready, Player One, with a hint of TRON for good measure.

(Some spoilers from the original film below)

Space Jam it is basically a fictional account of the return of NBA superstar Michael Jordan to basketball in 1995, after retiring in 1993 to play baseball. (It was inspired by some Nike commercials.) In the film, Jordan enters the animated world of Looney Tunes to help the so-called “Tune Squad” – all of Looney Tunes’ most popular animated characters – win a basketball game against a group of enslaved aliens called Nerdlucks. In addition to Jordan, NBA players Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues also made guest appearances. (The aliens steal the talents of the past five to become formidable opponents.)

Space Jam had mixed reviews, but it was a box office success, earning more than $ 230 million worldwide, and over the years it has become a cult favorite, especially for those who were young in the 1990s. Warner Bros. made several attempts to make a sequel over the years, finally hiring Malcolm D. Lee to direct (replacing Terence Nance, who left in 2019 due to creative differences) when he revived the project in 2018.

According to the official synopsis:

This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals how far some parents will go to connect with their children. When LeBron and his son Dom are trapped in a digital space by dishonest AI, LeBron must take them home safely leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the entire Looney Tunes gang notoriously undisciplined to victory over digitized AI champions on the court: a list of professional basketball stars like you’ve never seen before. It is Tunes versus Goons in the highest challenge of your life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with your child and illuminate the power of being yourself. Action-ready melodies destroy conventions, boost your unique talents, and even surprise “King” James by playing the game your way.

Don Cheadle plays AI-G Rhythm, the aforementioned rogue AI, with Cedric Joe playing LeBron’s youngest son Dom. And again, several NBA players make appearances: Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Draymond Green and Kyle Kuzma. (There are also rumors of special appearances by WNBA players Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike.)

Viewers with eagle eyes will notice not only classic Looney Tunes characters in the trailer – including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pork, Lola Bunny and Foghorn Leghorn – but also characters from other franchises (The Game of Thrones, lord of the rings, Wizard of Oz, Hanna-Barbera) and several other pop culture icons. I located Pennywise’s This, Mr. Freeze’s Batman and Robin, the Iron Giant, the Matrix agents, the Flintstones, King Kong, the Mysterious Machine of Scooby Doo, the war boys of Mad Max, the bandits of Mechanical orangeand even a nod to Betty Davis in What happened to Baby Jane?

The online reaction to the trailer was somewhat mixed, with many people reveling in all the beloved hidden characters of their childhood, and other more petty types criticizing what they perceive to be a lack of creativity on the part of Warner Bros. It is true that filling a film with several licensed characters such as visual Easter eggs is a kind of indispensable move for the studio these days – most notably, both LEGO films and the 2018 film adaptation of Player One Ready.

I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but it seems to me a rather silly criticism in this era of universal franchises shared with various characters, especially since Space Jam arguably did it first. Space Jam: A New LegacYou may not be your choice, but I anticipate that you will find a substantial target audience looking for family-friendly dishes – especially as more parts of the country emerge from pandemic restrictions (fingers crossed) this summer.

Space Jam: a new legacy premieres simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on July 16, 2021.

List image by YouTube / Warner Bros.