'Space Jam: The Game of the Century' turns 25 in 2021! The adventure, which mixes animation and live action, was released in 1996 by Warner Bros. and placed the star side by side Michael Jordan, considered the greatest basketball player in history, and the characters of Looney Tunesthe Bugs, Daffy e Lola Bunny.
In the plot of the production, the chaotic rabbit and his friends need to play against a basketball team placed by aliens in order not to become slaves of Mister Swackhammer (Danny DeVito). To try to win, Bugs Bunny (kidnaps) summons the star of the American Basketball League (NBA) in an attempt to help the animal lunatics.
Even without being critically acclaimed, the film was very successful and grossed US$ 250 million at the worldwide box office, not counting the various awards it received. Anyway, 'Space Jam' marked an entire generation of Looney Tunes fans and, of course, the sport – mainly in Brazil, where the production helped to popularize the NBA, since there wasn't a large number of news and broadcasts of the games, in season.
the arrival of the sequence of the classic this Thursday (15), called 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' and now starring Lebron James (enjoy and read our review), the Technology Refugee separated 25 curiosities from the original feature film that, until today, is fondly remembered by fans of all ages.
- Lola Bunny's first appearance
'Space Jam: The Game of the Century' was the first time that rabbit Lola Bunny appeared in a production. The character was so successful on account of the film that she reappeared in several Looney Tunes cartoons.
- The idea for the film came from a series of Nike commercials.
In 1992, four years before the release of 'Space Jam', a Nike ad to promote the Air Jordan VII was released during the Super Bowl as a kind of "preview" of things to come. In the commercial, Jordan and Bugs Bunny play on the same team against "some bullies". In the end, the Looney Tunes character claims that that "could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
The marketing was an absolute success in the United States (USA). Instantly, the buzz of turning it into a movie started. Warner Bros. I liked the idea so much that...
- Joe Pytka, director of commercials, has been tapped to direct 'Space Jam'
To direct the fusion between animation and live action, the studios enlisted the same commercial director who had already done this: Joe Pytka. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he had only commercial work and music videos on his resume, a memorable 1989 Madonna Pepsi ad, and the 7-minute version of 'The Way You Make Me Feel', Michael Jackson's single from the album 'Bad'.
- It was Pytka's second and last film
In film, Pytka had only ventured once before 'Space Jam': 'The Big Beard', the 1989 gambling comedy that grossed just $4,9 million. Soon, the success of 'Space Jam', the director was expected to rise once in Hollywood, right? No. Despite the prominence of his second feature, he never directed another film and opted to return to advertisements and music videos.
- Michael J. Fox would star opposite Jordan
As a curiosity, if it were up to the director, Michael J. Fox (the eternal Marty McFly of 'Back to the Future'), would have starred in 'Game of the Century' alongside Jordan. In the end, who got the role of insistent assistant Stan Podolak was Wayne Knight, who had already done 'Jurassic Park' and was friends with some producers.
- Bill Murray really had a friendship with the production
Bill Murray plays, well, himself in 'Space Jam'. His appearance was a hell of an easter egg and even today some people wonder: "why the hell is he in the movie?".
Well, for two reasons: shortly before the shooting of the feature, the actor had starred in a series of commercials in which he said that he “wanted to be a basketball player” – something that, at the time, made more sense to the American public when he appeared in surprise. In addition, he himself says: he was a “friend of the producer”, the same one from 'Ghostbusters' 1 and 2.
- A special court was built for Michael Jordan
Warner Bros. spared no effort to please the basketball star and built an entire court inside the studio so that Michael Jordan could play during recording breaks. According to the book 'Space Jammin: Michael and Bugs Hit the Big Screen', by Charles Carney and Gina Misiroglu, the athlete was extremely focused and felt it was essential to have a place to continue training, even during filming.
The court, known as “The Dome”, was a training facility identical to the one Jordan used in Chicago. There, he could continue training normally when not needed on set. Among other things, the space had a full-size basketball court, staff working exclusively for the player, and a weight room.
At the time, “The Dome” became something of a VIP hangout at Warner Studios and a host of stars would drop by to meet the basketball legend. Among some names were Arnold Schwarzenegger, Antonio Banderas, Steven Seagal, and the casts of 'ER – Medical Planton' and 'Friends'.
- 'The Game of the Century' employed a number of animators…
If you've watched 'Space Jam: The Game of the Century', you know the animation techniques applied are excellent – considered an exceptional work by filmmakers to this day. For this, Warner invested in hiring a large number of artists to work on the film.
To get an idea, Warner Bros. Animation, the studio's department that focused on TV shows and shorts featuring Looney Tunes characters and other cartoons, had about 100 animators on staff. For the feature alone, more than 400 people were added to the team, including 60 new artists to work specifically on the animated arts.
Yet as detailed in the book 'Space Jammin: Michael and Bugs Hit the Big Screen', each person had their own specific element to focus on, be it a character, a backdrop or some other piece. In all, the collective efforts yielded nearly 40 complete drawings, over a million sheets of paper used in the assembly of the entire film. On the market for decades, the Looney Tunes had never gone through such a complex process.
- … who needed to work in a new way
Believe it or not, a lot of technology went into 'Space Jam: The Game of the Century' – and the movie was released 25 years ago. While Bugs Bunny and the other characters played basketball, they had to move in a way they never had before. That is, the animations would have to be done as if they were a recording of a real human being – involving the top of the head, the soles of the feet and the movement of the camera to catch them as they move quickly.
For that reason, the giant team of artists had to employ 3D models to help them visualize what the new Looney Tunes angles and movements would look like. The end result allowed audiences to effectively see the beloved characters in a whole new way – just like traditional hand-drawn, but in a more modern way.
- Jordan helped put together the (iconic) soundtrack for the film
The 'Space Jam' soundtrack was a huge success, selling over six million copies and reaching No. 200 on the Billboard 6 album chart, in addition to 1x platinum certification (each record in this category represents XNUMX million copies sold) .
From the beginning, it was decided that the R&B genre would be the main theme of the soundtrack. So the singers and producers invited to participate in the project – Quad City DJ's, R. Kelly and Jay-Z – knew what the overall tone of the film should be. What few knew is that Warner Bros. invited Jordan to give his opinion on the songs, which he gladly did. That is: if you like the soundtrack, you can, in part, thank the player.
- R. Kelly's 'I Believe I Can Fly' won the Grammys
Who doesn't love this song? Despite all the controversy involving R. Kelly in recent years, the song 'I Believe I Can Fly', the lead single from 'Space Jam', won the Grammy Award for “Best Original Song for Film or TV”.
- nonsense marketing
Nowadays, heavy merchandising in blockbusters is one thing, but it was a different reality in 1996, as only big releases received this kind of perk.
However, the marketing over 'O Jogo do Século' was absurd and several products related to the feature were made: CD of the soundtrack, line of action figures, a game for consoles, towels, mugs, themed pinball machine and to a toy line for McDonald's. All this contributed to the popularization of production.
- basketball for baseball was something real
'Space Jam' was filmed right at the time Jordan switched from basketball to baseball. The transition is even part of the script.
- Bosco, the first Looney Tunes, appears in the film
In one of the film's scenes, it is possible to see a painting by Bosco, a character created in 1929 who is considered the first member of the Looney Tunes.
- Bugs Bunny Joke making fun of Disney
Throughout the film, there is a joke in which Daffy Duck suggests calling the team “The Ducks” (“the ducks”, in Portuguese), to which Bugs replies by asking “who would call a team like that”. This is a reference to the hockey team The Mighty Ducks from the Disney movie 'We Are Champions' (1992).
- Jordan wore the Chicago Bulls uniform
Another behind-the-scenes curiosity from the book 'Space Jammin: Michael and Bugs Hit the Big Screen'. Apparently, during the recordings, Michael Jordan wore the uniform of the Chicago Bulls under the costume of the Looney Tunes team in the form of a “lucky charm”.
- Other NBA Stars
In addition to Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appear in 'The Game of the Century', including: Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Derek Harper, Alonzo Mourning, Paul Westphal, Danny Ainge, AC Green, Vlade Divac, Cedric Ceballos , Del Harris, Anthony Miller, Sharone Wright and Jeff Malone, as well as sports experts Jim Rome and Ahmad Rashad.
- Charles Barkley vs Madonna
In addition to skewering Disney, Warner Bros. opened space to "poke" none other than Madonna. In a certain scene in the film, when gambler Charles Barkley gets his abilities back, “he promises never to leave” the singer. The joke is a reference to a real case that the player had with the artist.
- Critics joke, audience success
the aforementioned, 'Space Jam: The Game of the Century' received heavy criticism at the time of its debut, being even called “a big joke” by the specialized press. However, this did not stop the production from being a success until today, earning more than US$ 250 million worldwide and becoming the most profitable basketball film in history and…
- Lots of prizes!
… winner of several awards, the ASCAP Awards, Annie (the Animation Oscar), Grammy, MTV Movie Awards and Satellite Awards.
- 'Looney Tunes: Back to Action'
Few remember, but 'Space Jam' had a sequel! The Looney Tunes, in particular Bugs Bunny and Daffy, returned to theaters, this time alongside Brendan Fraser and Steve Marti, in 'Looney Tunes: Back to Action'. Ironically, unlike the basketball movie, the 2003 production was better received by critics, but failed at the box office.
- Kobe Bryant vs. Lebron James for 'Space Jam 2'
That 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' will feature LeBron James, you already know. However, another major NBA star was also heavily tipped to be the lead alongside the Looney Tunes: Kobe Bryant.
However, the giant that was successful for the Los Angeles Lakers denied the proposal and in 2018, for the ESPN channel, he said that, despite liking the idea of u2020buXNUMXbthe continuation of 'Space Jam', he has no intention of being on the side "of there ” of the cameras. “Being in front of the camera is not something I've ever been excited about. Never”, joked the star, who died in XNUMX.
- Animator Chuck Jones hated the movie
Chuck Jones is the main creative force behind the Looney Tunes. Creator of some of the group's characters, Pepe Le Pew and Coyote, the animator wrote or directed many of the short films we all know and love… and he hated 'Space Jam'.
Interviewed by blogger Trevor Thompson in 2008, Jones stated that the film was "terrible" and that the idea that Bugs Bunny needed help from other Looney Tunes characters made him uncomfortable. He was also shocked at the idea of putting the cartoons into a feature film...
- Neither the sequel nor Lebron please Pytka
'Space Jam: A New Legacy' never had the blessing of the director of the first feature. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine, Pytka stated that the film should not happen and that Lebron was not up to Jordan.
"I think it's ridiculous to try and make a movie different from the original," he said. “I can't see what [the sequel] could be the first. Not that 'Space Jam' is a great movie, but it had something that was important in that period because of the athletes involved. I worked LeBron and Stephen Curry. And as great as they are, they are not Michael Jordan. We will never see a player like him again. He is the figure that transcends, Muhammad Ali. He was beyond sport. These guys are not,” he opined.
- The group's first feature film is streaming
'Space Jam: The Game of the Century' was the first feature film by the Looney Tunes, lasting 1h40. And yes, you can review it via streaming! The film has been available in Brazil through HBO Max since the end of June.
Fontes: IMDB, Box Office Mojo e Rotten Tomatoes
Read more:
- Review: 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' celebrates Looney Tunes and Warner's own history
- Space Jam 2: first trailer loaded with references shows LeBron James and villain of the plot; check out
- LeBron James Skin Hits 'Fortnite'; learn more details
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