It’s the day you never thought would come. You’re officially old. This week marks 20 years since the release of your favourite childhood movie Space Jam, otherwise known as the best basketball movie ever made.
It’s been 20 years since the Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan teamed up to fend off evil talent-stealing aliens and steal our young hearts. It was a feel good movie for all ages, which is why it’s still so popular with fans.
To cheer you up in your old age, here are five facts you didn’t know about Space Jam.
1. Space Jam is the highest grossing basketball film ever
The movie made around $250 million internationally and beat out White Boys Can’t Jump for the top spot as basketball’s most lucrative movie.
2. Critics hated it
Finally, proof that the critics aren’t always right! Almost all of the major critics at the time panned Space Jam, although noted critic and rebel Robert Ebert gave it 3.5 stars out of 4.
3. Warner Bros makes fun of Disney
When Daffy suggests calling the team The Ducks, Bugs laughingly asks: “What kind of Mickey Mouse organisation would name their team the Ducks?” This was a not-so-subtle jab at Disney’s Mighty Duck hockey team.
4. Warner Bros built Michael Jordan his own basketball court
To keep ‘Mike’ happy and in top fitness for his return to the Chicago Bulls, Warner Bros agreed to build him his own basketball court in the VIP parking area of the studio. The enormous structure was a world-class facility that kept the cast entertained in between takes.
5. The original 90s Space Jam website hasn’t changed
If you’re feeling nostalgic for a time when you were young and carefree, the original website is still functioning with games, NBA player biographies, Looney Tunes fun and more. It’s got the original Times New Roman font and all the fun 90s trimmings that will remind you of how far the internet has come.
In the spirit of the anniversary, get out there and play a game of basketball! If Tweety can play, so can you. Or alternatively, you can satisfy your nostalgia with a purchase of some of these ridiculously awesome memorabilia.
There have been rumours of a sequel with LeBron James as the star, but unfortunately these are unconfirmed. We’ll be playing the soundtrack on repeat all week long to maximise our nostalgia anyway!
