DEEP DIVE with a special guest @KevinTheMovieCritic! Join us as we talk Space Jam, Michael Jordan and all the lore that surrounded this larger than life movie. Space Jam is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka and starring basketball player Michael Jordan.[5] The film presents a fictionalized account of what happened between Jordan's initial retirement from the NBA in 1993 and his 1995 comeback, in which he is enlisted by the Looney Tunes to help them win a basketball match against a group of aliens who intend to enslave them as attractions for their theme park. Wayne Knight, Theresa Randle, and Bill Murray appear in supporting roles, while Billy West, Dee Bradley Baker, and Danny DeVito headline the voice cast.
Space Jam was the first feature film to be produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 15, 1996 by Warner Bros. Pictures under their Family Entertainment Brand label. The film was a box office success, grossing over $250 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing basketball film of all time. It received mixed reviews from critics, who were divided on the out-of-place merits and concept of combining Jordan and his profession with the Looney Tunes characters, while many additionally praised Jordan's performance, the technical achievement of blending digitally live-action and animation (particularly the basketball scenes) and the faithful Looney Tunes comedy. The film has nonetheless amassed a cult following.