Space Jam Review

Space Jam


Release Date: 12th December 1996 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Northern Lights Entertainment
Courtside Seats Productions


Genre: Family/Comedy

Rating: G

Runtime: 88 minutes


Budget: $80,000,000

Box Office Gross: $230,594,962 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
When a group of aliens arrives to capture the Looney Tunes as they plan to use them as an attraction for their failing amusement park in outer space, the gang enlists retired basketball champion Michael Jordan to help them win a basketball game.

Cast
Michael Jordan - Himself
Wayne Knight - Stan Podolak

Theresa Randle - Juanita Jordan

Manner Washington - Jeffery Jordan

Eric Gordon - Marcus Jordan

Penny Bae Bridges - Jasmine Jordan

Brandon Hammon - Michael Jordan (10 Years Old)

Thom Barry - James Jordan

Charles Barkley - Himself

Mugsy Bogues - Himself

Shawn Bradley - Himself

Patrick Ewing - Himself

Larry Johnson - Himself

Larry Bird - Himself
Bill Murray - Himself
Ahmad Rashad - Himself (Cameo)
Del Harris - Himself (Cameo)
Vlade Divac - Himself (Cameo)
Cedric Ceballos - Himself (Cameo)
Jim Rome - Himself (Cameo)
Paul Westphal - Himself (Cameo)
Danny Ainge - Himself (Cameo)
Patricia Heaton - Woman Fan (Cameo)
Dan Castellaneta - Male Fan (Cameo)
William G. Schilling - Golfer
Albert Hague - Psychiatrist
A.C. Green - Himself (Cameo)
Charles Oakley - Himself (Cameo)
Derek Harper - Himself (Cameo)
Jeff Malone - Himself (Cameo)
Anthony Miller - Himself (Cameo)
Sharone Wright - Himself

(Cameo)

Bill Wennington - Himself

(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Brian Shaw - Himself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Steve Kerr - Himself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Charles Hallahan - Baron's Owner (Uncredited)

Voice Cast
Billy West - Bugs Bunny/

Elmer Fudd
Dee Bradley Baker - Daffy Duck/Tazmanian Devil/Bull
Bob Bergen - Berite/Hubie/

Marvin the Martian/Porky
Bill Farmer - Sylvester/

Yosemite Sam/Foghorn Leghorn

Maurice LaMarche - Pepe LePew
June Foray - Granny
Kath Soucie - Lola Bunny
Danny DeVito - Mr Swackhammer

Jocelyn Blue - Nerdluck Pound

Charity James - Nerdluck Blanko

June Melby - Nerdluck Bang

Catherine Reitman - Nerdluck Bupkus

Colleen Wainwright - Nerdluck Nawt/Sniffles

Dorian Harewood - Monstar Bupkus

Joey Camen - Monstar Bang

TK Carter - Monstar Nawt

M. Darnell Suttles - Monstar Pound

Steve Kehela - Monstar Blanko/Announcer

Frank Welker - Charles the Dog


Crew
Director - Joe Pytka

Directors of Animation - Bruce W. Smith

and Tony Cervone

Writers - Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick,

Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod

Executive Producers - David Falk and Ken Ross

Producers - Ivan Reitman, Joe Medjuck and

Daniel Goldberg

Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Gordon Webb

Co-Producer - Curtis Polk
Co-Producer/Editor - Sheldon Kahn

Animation Producers - Ron Tippe,
Jerry Rees and Steven Paul Leiva

Animation Producer/Associate Producer:

Animation - Dennis Edwards

Animation Line Producer - Richard Sullivan

Animation Co-Producer - Allison Abbate

Studio Producer: Premier Films Ltd. -

John Leatherbarrow

Casting Directors - Jane Jenkins

and Janet Hirshenson

Production Designer - Geoffrey Kirkland

Art Director - David F. Klassen
Set Decorator - Jennifer Williams

Property Master - Sean Mannion

Animation Art Director - Bill Perkins

Assistant Art Directors: Animation -

Laura Corsiglia and Scott Wills

Character Designers/Visual Development

Artists: Animation - Chris Aguirre, Fred Cline,

Jean Giraud, Ashanti Miller, Vladimir Spasojevic,

Tim Watts, Mark Whiting and Bill Wray

Supervising Animators - Neil Boyle,
Uli Meyer, Chuck Gammage, Jim Kammerud,

Jeff Siergey, Dave Spafford, Bruce Woodside

and Robert Stevenhagen

Assistant Animation Supervisor: Premier

Films Ltd. - Brent Odell

Background: Animation - William Dely

Layout: Animation - Gary Mouri

Costume Designer - Marlene Stewart

Costume Supervisor - Christopher Lawrence

Assistant Costume Designer - Lisa Loovas

Director of Photography - Michael Chapman

Camera Operator - Bill Roe

First Assistant Camera - Jamie Barber,

Louis Niemeyer and Vern Nobles Jr.
Stunt Coordinator - Bob Bralver

Basketball Coordinators - Nathaniel Bellamy Jr.

and Nigel Miguel
Special Effects Coordinator - Daniel Pritchett
Additional Special Effects Supervisor -

Raymond Pang

Live-Action/Animation Visual Effects - Ed Jones

Visual Effects Supervisor - James Lima

Digital Effects Supervisors: Cinesite -

Carlos Arguello and Doug Tubach

Lead Producers: Cinesite - Aaron Dem,

Scott Dougherty and Alex Bicknell

Computer Graphics Specialty Compositors:

Cinesite - Kevin Lingenfelser, Sean O'Conner,

Greg Liegey and Jay Cooper

Computer Character Animation: Cinesite -

Roger Kupelian and Michael Kory

Digital Matte Paintings: Cinesite - Charles Darby

Animo Director Applications: Animation -

James C.J. Williams

Supervising Editor: Animation - Nancy Frazen

Editor: Animation Editorial - William D. Gordean

Associate Editors: Animation Editorial -

John Currin, Richard L. McCullough and

Mark Solomon

Supervising Sound Editor - Mark A. Mangini

Supervising Dialogue/ADR Editor -

Curt Schulkey

Production Sound Mixers - James LaRue

and Gene S. Cantamessa

Re-Recording Mixers - Gary Alexander,

Gary C. Bourgeois, Jim Fitzpatrick,

John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff,

David E. Campbell and Mark D. Fleming (Uncredited)

Music - James Newton Howard

Score Recordist and Mixer - Shawn Murphy


Review

Taking inspiration from Who Framed Roger Rabbit's innovative techniques of combining hand-drawn animation and live-action into a separate format, here's what you get when Warner Bros unleashes their cartoon brand Looney Tunes and basketball legend Michael Jordan in a movie that some deem to be underwhelming. That type of film is SPACE JAM. And for several years, I've anticipated reviewing this nostalgic flick. Hopefully, my newly resumed schedule for this feature won't be as delayed as I've missed a year of re-watching it simultaneously. As you may have guessed, SPACE JAM is a movie based on the commercials in which Jordan had previously promoted his Air Jordan sneakers with Bugs Bunny. I find it frustrating that these product advertisements get adapted into a single full-length feature. I've always considered the possibility that SPACE JAM, in all of its visual splendour, was a blend of live-action and animation. Though not to the extent that Robert Zemeckis had envisioned for Roger Rabbit.

Michael Jordan wasn't much of an actor when his performance had gotten so uncharismatic and stiff. It could be that he didn't have experience in acting. He excels, however, in basketball. I hated how they expanded Bill Murray's cameo in the final round, which the role should have been the Road Runner. I liked the gorgeous design of Bugs' love interest, Lola Bunny. Her personality is too shallow to be the romantic interest of the cartoon hare. These factors should have slowed the film down in mainstream obscurity when only the soundtrack placement redeems its average quality. "I Believe I Can Fly" is probably one of the most iconic songs I want to hear again.

SPACE JAM was neither good nor bad, and it should have been the movie that ended the Looney Tunes. Instead, it is enjoyable to younger fans of the cartoon characters and fans of Michael Jordan. Th-th-that's all, Folks!

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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