Pop Culture Flashback: 'Space Jam' Turns 30 (Nov. 15)

Pop Culture Flashback: ‘Space Jam’ Turns 30 (Nov. 15)

2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the film “Space Jam” starring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny.

November 15, 2026

The movie wasn’t well-reviewed by critics; it had a very thin plotline, and it didn’t really make all that much sense, but Warner Bros.’ Space Jam was a hit in 1996. Now, 30 years later, adults remember the movie fondly and it has received some recognition for its special effects using a live action and animated cast.

1996 – Jordan and Bunny Star in ‘Space Jam’

In 1991, Jim Riswold, a creative director from Wieden+Kennedy, came up with one of the most popular TV commercials ever. He already found success for Nike with an ad that featured basketball star Michael Jordan and Mars Blackmon, a character from the movie, She’s Gotta Have It played by Spike Lee. He decided to follow that up with an ad that paired Jordan up with one of Riswold’s “childhood heroes” – Bugs Bunny.

It took six months and a million dollars to make the commercial “Hare Jodan” where Jordan is challenged to a game of basketball with Mr. Bunny. Joe Pytka directed the half live action/half animated that aired during Super Bowl XXVI in January 1992. The commercial was so successful, Warner Bros. follow that up with “Aerospace Jordan”, again with Jordan, Bugs and Marvin the Martian. It debuted during Super Bowl XXVII the following year.

Now Warner Bros. was interested in making something even bigger – Space Jam. However, when Jordan decided to retire from basketball to pursue a new career in Minor League Baseball, that dream was dropped. Then, after Jordan returned to basketball in 1995, the film went back into production.

The Plot of ‘Space Jam’

Michael Jordan plays a version of himself in Space Jam. It begins in 1973 with Jordan telling his father that he dreams of playing in the NBA. Meanwhile, in outer space, Mr. Swackhammer, owner of Moron Mountain amusement park, is stressing because his park is losing money. He learns about the Looney Tunes characters and has a group of alien monsters enter the Tune’s universe (located underground on Earth) to abduct the critters.

Bugs Bunny convinces the aliens to play a game of basketball. If the monsters win, the Tunes will go to space. The monsters then steal basketball skills from Charles Barkley, Shawn Badley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues making them the “Mon-stars” and they become huge.

Somehow, Bugs convinces Jordan to join the Tune Squad team which includes Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, Sylvester the cat, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Barnyard Dawg, Pepe Le Pew, Tasmanian Devil and Speedy Gonzales. The movie also starred Wayne Knight, Theresa Randle and Bill Murray.

Making the Space Jam

It took 19 months to make Space Jam. It took over 700 workers from 18 different animation studios in London, Canada, California and Ohio to finish it.

Space Jam was made with a budget of $80 million dollars and in the end, it made over $250 million at the box office despite the film’s lukewarm reception by critics. The soundtrack was just as popular selling enough albums to be certified as 6-times Platinum. The hit song, “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly later won three Grammy Awards.

The hit movie was followed up by Space Jam: A New Legacy. Though in development since 1996, it didn’t make it to theaters until 2021. This time starring LeBron James and a stadium full of characters from Warner Bros. movies and TV shows. Unlike its predecessor, Space Jam 2 was panned by critics and was only a modest success at the box office.

OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY:

1971 – The World’s First Commercial Single-Chip Microprocessor

Intel's 4004 microprocessor — *(Wikimedia Commons)*

At first, Moore and Noyce rejected the notion that they should call their company “Moore Noyce” as that is a homophone for “more noise.” They chose Integrated Electronics and “Intel” for short. Intel was created the first commercially available microprocessor (Intel 4004) on this day in 1971, but things didn’t really heat up for the company until the late 1980’s when the company became the primary hardware supplier for the PC industry. In 1991, the company began its “Intel Inside” marketing campaign, making the company a household name even if many people had no idea what the company actually did.

1981 – The Movie Based on a Coke Commercial

Mean Joe Green and a bottle of Coca-Cola — Mean Joe Green (Wikimedia Commons)

It was on this day in 1981 when NBC aired the made-for-TV movie, The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid, which was based on a commercial Mean Joe Greene did for Coca-Cola two years earlier. In the ad, a young boy offers the football player a Coke after he loses the game. As a thank you, the player tosses his sweaty jersey to the kid.

Considered one of the best commercials of all time, the film expanded the story so that Greene and some of his teammates adopt the boy, which was played by Henry Thomas, who would later star in E.T. The Extraterrestrial.

While it may be the only movie to be based on a TV commercial, it wasn’t the only commercial that made an impact on the small screen. The short-lived sitcom, Cavemen, which aired on ABC in 2007, was based on a few GEICO insurance commercials.