Yes, it’s the 20th anniversary of the theatrical release of Space Jam – the alleged classic in which the Chicago Bulls icon Jordan teamed up with the Looney Tunes to play a collection of jacked-up aliens in a game of basketball where punches, kicks, slaps, and dynamite were all legal. Check out some facts about this great movie you might not know.
It's Been Two Decades Since "Space Jam" Was Released, Here's 8 Behind The Scenes Facts
By
Michael Avery in
Entertainment
On 22nd November 2016
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1. "Space Jam" was one of the biggest surprise hits of 1996.
Go ahead and explain the plot to someone; Michael Jordan joins up with Bugs Bunny to beat aliens in a game of basketball. It doesn't exactly sound like a hit, does it? But "Space Jam" was easily the most successful basketball movie of all time. It grossed $230 million in 1996 alone!
2. The idea for the film came from a commercial.
MJ was in a Nike commercial in 1993 that pitted him against Marvin the Martian. Someone at Hollywood was apparently paying attention; the screenplay for "Space Jam" appeared shortly thereafter.
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3. Jay-Z ghostwrote Bugs Bunny's rap song.
The song "Buggin'" from the "Space Jam" soundtrack featured Jay-Z lyrics...as performed by a cartoon bunny.
Our favorite line: "Who got Bugs Bunny money? I'll give you some time / To get more carrots every time I rhyme."
4. The soundtrack also featured R. Kelly's biggest hit.
"I Believe I Can Fly" reached number two on Billboard's Hot 100. While R. Kelly was already a star by 1996, the hit took his career to new heights (pardon the pun).
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5. Michael Jordan would shoot hoops between takes.
It helped him stay calm during the arduous filming process. Warner Brothers built Michael his own court right off the set.
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6. There was a hidden reference to Jordan's college fraternity.
At one point, Daffy says that he prefers purple and gold for the colors of the Toons' jerseys. Sure, there's a Lakers joke in there, but it's also a reference to the colors of Jordan's frat.
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7. There's a quick reference to another science fiction movie.
In this shot, we see a black rectangle in the background. It's a reference to the monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey," considered by many critics to be one of the greatest films ever made.
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8. Some of the content was deemed too explicit to air on the Cartoon Network.
No, seriously. Daffy Duck says "we're getting screwed" at one point, and censors decided that the line wasn't appropriate for kids. A few other lines were also edited out.
