| Space Jam | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joe Pytka |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Looney Tunes by Warner Bros. |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
| Edited by | Sheldon Kahn |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros.[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million[3] |
| Box office | $250.2 million[4] |
Space Jam is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel Weingrod. The film stars basketball player Michael Jordan as a fictional version of himself; the live-action cast also includes Wayne Knight and Theresa Randle, as well as cameos by Bill Murray and several NBA players, while Billy West, Dee Bradley Baker, Kath Soucie and Danny DeVito headline the voice cast. The film follows Jordan as he is brought out of retirement by the Looney Tunes characters to help them win a basketball match against invading aliens intent on enslaving them as amusement park attractions.
Space Jam was the first film to be produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and was released theatrically in the United States on November 15, 1996, by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label.[1] Critics were divided over its premise of combining Jordan and his profession with the Looney Tunes characters, while praising the technical achievements of its intertwining of live-action and animation.[5] It was a commercial success, grossing over $250 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing basketball film of all time until 2022, as well the tenth-highest-grossing film of 1996.
A standalone sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, was released in 2021, with LeBron James in the lead role. The sequel failed to match the commercial success of the first film and received generally negative reviews.
- ^ a b c "Space Jam". Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Thomas, Bob (November 26, 1996). "What's Up, Doc? Warner Bros. Animation Thanks to 'Space Jam'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
Max Howard, president of Warner Bros. Feature Animation, admitted he didn't expect the impressive showing of Space Jam:
- ^ Twenty years later, ‘Space Jam’ is the movie we never knew we needed. Archived February 18, 2019, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ "Space Jam (1997)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Space Jam (1996), November 15, 1996, retrieved July 11, 2021