When the first Space Jam movie came out, Warner Bros. launched a promotional website with information and tons of revolving images. This site persevered, remaining online for 25 full years. O Space Jam website could vote, smoke, drink and take out a mortgage.
This visual as if it were 1996 too. Basic font on a black and white background, rotating images, tiny icons and clicking on a new section can take you to a bright green page with text like “Kids! Much awaits you here at Looney Tune Land. Click on the different parts of the image above for lots of fun and games! “
If you go to the official Space Jam website now, you’ll be taken to a trailer and poster for the next sequel, Space Jam: a new legacy. It is incredibly 2021, and the opposite of its predecessor. But if you click on the Space Jam logo in the upper right corner, you can access the original website. (You can also access it directly at spacejam.com/1996.)
It’s a fun Easter egg and a tribute to an artifact that somehow managed to survive through two recessions, four presidents and the rise of wireless internet and smartphones. Tons of companies created promotional websites in the 1990s, but very few managed to survive – they were usually closed when they served their purpose. This relic remains as an explosion to the past, a reminder of a simpler time, accessible to those who miss the original Space Jam.