Parents' Guide to

Space Jam

By David Gurney, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

'90s live-action-animation mix has some cartoon violence.

Movie PG 1996 88 minutes
Space Jam Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 20 parent reviews

agober
agober Parent of 9-year-old
August 26, 2022
age 10+

This title has:

Too much swearing
doctora
doctora Parent of 6-year-old
July 31, 2022
age 7+

Feels like an extended nonsensical commercial

Nope...a whole big bag full of nope. This film has a razor thin nonsensical plot and the performance of the Looney Tunes seem to be out of character. The film for the first 30 minutes feels like a long commercial for Air Jordans. It feels like a waste of Wayne Knight and ultimately it is 90 minutes of my life that I will never get back. And the sexualized and silly depiction of Lola Bunny...geez, that has not aged well. Overall, I think that the basketball players and Murray are ok, but it felt like a violent, nonsensical, money grab.
See all 20 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Made shortly after Michael Jordan's first retirement from basketball and his short foray into professional baseball, SPACE JAM marks an attempt to revive the Looney Tunes franchise by creating a big-budget live-action/animation feature riding on the basketball superstar's coattails. Bugs, Porky, Tweety, and other favorite Looney Tune characters assemble a basketball team, including Michael Jordan as a member, to defeat a group of aliens, the Nerdlucks, who are trying to enslave the Tunes as attractions in their outer space theme park.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (20):
Kids say (53):

This movie does little to revive the Looney Tunes characters, who pretty much stick to their tried and true (and violent) antics, even in a new setting. As for Jordan, his athletic prowess need not be proven, but the mix of animation in the basketball sequences tends to trivialize his abilities. With cartoon characters bouncing around every which way and easily slam-dunking the ball, Jordan's acrobatics seem minor in comparison.

While the film fails on many counts to best utilize the characters at its disposal, it's still likely to impress younger viewers, especially those without any sentimental attachment to the original Looney Tunes cartoons. By standing up against their potential slave masters, the Tunes' efforts are admirable, so the overall message is fairly positive. Jokes about merchandising and Jordan's ill-fated baseball career are thrown in for the older folks.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether or not they think the blending of animation and live-action in Space Jam works. Would this movie have been better as a completely animated feature?

  • How does the movie use product placement? Why do you think some movies advertise products within the scenes? What are your thoughts on product placement in movies?

  • How was cartoon violence used for the sake of comedy, and how does the violence allude to older Warner Brothers cartoons?

Movie Details

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