Space Jam [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray]

Director: Joe Pytka

Overview

Warner Bros. attempted to revitalize its animation division with this family adventure that blended live action and animation in the style of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), reportedly coming in with a price tag of $100 million. Basketball legend Michael Jordan stars as himself, a retired sports hero trying his hand at baseball and failing miserably. Meanwhile, the Looney Tunes gang, led by Bugs Bunny, are kidnapped by aliens called the Nerdlucks. It seems that the Nerdlucks' theme park, Moron Mountain (a barely-veiled dig at Disney) is failing to attract customers. The space invaders are convinced that the appearance of Bugs and his pals Porky Pig and Speedy Gonzalez will beef up business. Bugs makes his captors a deal -- they'll play a game of basketball for their freedom. When the Nerdlucks stack the deck by pilfering the talent of NBA superstars Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, the Warner Bros. heroes enlist the aid of Jordan, who returns to the court to help the classic characters. While he prepares to play, Jordan is aided by fellow celebrity Bill Murray. Director Joe Pytka previously created many of the television commercials that featured Jordan as a paid endorser.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/06/2021
UPC:	0883929683864
Original Release:	1996
Source:	Warner Home Video
Language:	English
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	3,940

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Jordan	Himself,Actor
Charles Barkley	Himself
Patrick Ewing	Himself
Danny DeVito	Swackhammer
Billy West	Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd
Bradley Baker	Daffy Duck/Tasmanian Devil/Bull,Voices
Bob Bergen	Porky Pig/Speedy Gonzales/Others
Bill Farmer	Sylvester/Yosemite Sam/Others
Kath Soucie	Lola Bunny
Maurice LaMarche	Pepe Le Pew
June Foray	Granny
Wayne Knight	Stan Podolak,Actor
Theresa Randle	Juanita
Bill Murray	Himself
Larry Bird	Actor
Ahmad Rashad	Actor
Thom Barry	Actor
Brandon Hammond	Actor
Shawn Bradley	Shawn Bradley
Vlade Divac	Vlade Divac
Cedric Ceballos	Cedric Ceballos
Jim Rome	Jim Rome
Paul Westphal	Paul Westphal
Danny Ainge	Danny Ainge
Bebe Drake	Jordan Housekeeper
Patricia Heaton	Actor
Dan Castellaneta	Actor
Nicky McCrimmon	Actor
William G. Schilling	Actor
Jocelyn Blue	Voices
Charity James	Voices,Actor
Catherine Reitman	Voices
Colleen Wainwright	Voices
Dorian Harewood	Voices
Joey Camen	Voices
Steve Kehela	Voices
Muggsy Bogues	Actor
Manner Washington	Jeffery Jordan
Eric Gordon	Marcus Jordan
Penny Bae Bridges	Jasmine Jordan
Larry Johnson	Larry Johnson,Actor
June Melby	Voices
T.K. Carter	Voices
Darnell Suttles	Voices
Frank Welker	Voices
Mel Blanc	Voices
Del Harris	Actor
Danny De Vito	Actor
Daffy Duck	Actor
Sylvester	Actor
Bugs Bunny	Actor
Tweety Pie	Actor
James Newton Howard	Composer

Technical Credits

Leo Benvenuti

Steve Rudnick

Timothy Harris

Herschel Weingrod

Joe Pytka	Director
Helen Elswit	Special Effects
David Falk	Executive Producer
Janet Hirshenson	Casting
Leo Benvenuti	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Steve Rudnick	Screenwriter
Timothy Harris	Screenwriter
Herschel Weingrod	Screenwriter
Jane Jenkins	Casting
Ed Jones	Special Effects
Joe Medjuck	Producer
Darrell Pritchett	Special Effects
Ivan Reitman	Producer
Ken Ross	Executive Producer
Allison Abbate	Producer
Dennis Edwards	Producer
Sheldon Kahn	Producer
Steven Paul Leiva	Producer
Curtis Polk	Producer
Jerry Rees	Producer
Miae Ausbrooks	Special Effects
Laura Albert	Stunts
Gary Alexander	Sound Effects
Billy Dee Williams	Producer
Chris Darroca	Special Effects
Earl Hibbert	Special Effects
Rodd Miller	Special Effects
Edwin Shortess	Special Effects
Tiffany Smith	Special Effects
Daniel Goldberg	Producer
Jim La Rue	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Fans eager to hear Michael Jordan's inside story of the making of his motion picture debut, the 1996 Loony Tune-fest Space Jam, will have to wait. But for animation aficionados who feel that the classic Warner Bros. characters are the movie's main lures, this new DVD edition will be welcome indeed. Voice actors Billy West II (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd) and Dee Bradley Baker (Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil) provide commentary throughout the movie, sometimes as themselves, and occasionally in character. Director Joe Pytka pops in every so often to make an observation or drop the occasional name (costar Patrick Ewing is evidently much more fun than his press suggests, says Pytka), but it's really West and Baker's show. Among the pair's more fascinating Space Jam revelations is that the very real sounding barks and growls of Jordan's live-action pooch -- a nasty looking bulldog -- actually come from the talented voice of Frank Welker ("the best known dog voice in Hollywood"). The DVD's features also allow you to isolate the musical track, eliminating all the voices save those of the singers. It turns the entire affair into an extended music video that, given the soundtrack's chart-topping popularity several years back, will no doubt appeal to fans of Seal ("Fly Like an Eagle") and R. Kelly ("I Believe I Can Fly").

Barnes & Noble - Greg Fagan

Many lesser basketball stars have graced the big screen, so it was almost a surprise that it took Michael Jordan this long. But it should be no surprise that Space Jam isn't half the fun of simply watching one of Jordan's highlight reels. For all his choreographed jams in dunk contests, Michael Jordan found his greatest glory during moments of in-game improvisation, when his stunning talent manifested itself as pure instinct. In a semi-animated movie, the necessarily careful staging removes the wonder from Jordan's repertoire, leaving only generic feats of above-average athleticism that have no real-world reference point. Of course, Space Jam is not meant as a highlight reel, rather, an opportunity to promote the persona of Michael Jordan and revive a cast of beloved Warner Brothers cartoons that haven't been dusted off in years. On these scores it's also weak, even with R. Kelly singing "I Believe I Can Fly" as urgently as anyone could want. Trying to insinuate themselves into a sophisticated world of animation that has passed them by, the characters seem like relics, their old-fashioned quips as tired as the hand joints of the animators who draw them. Where Space Jam does find a few laughs is in the cameos of other NBA players, notably Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, who struggle humorously with methods to recoup their stolen basketball skills. It's while spoofing himself that Jordan is also most effective, including some good-sport jabs at his brief and comical foray into professional baseball.

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