Throughout cinema history, we’ve experienced various property crossovers. Whether it’s a monster mash-up with Frankenstein meets the Wolf-Man, a serial killer showdown with Freddy versus Jason, or even the masked vigilante Zorro fighting alongside the Three Musketeers, there’s always been mass appeal toward these event-type movies.
In 1996, audiences got the crossover for the ages. To save themselves and Tune World, the Looney Tunes enlisted the help of His Airness, Michael Jordan, to win a game of basketball against the evil Mr. Swackhammer and the Monstars. Space Jam became a cult classic and cemented itself in cinematic history. Fast forward 25 years later and it’s time for the Tunes to lace up their shoes again.
In Space Jam: A New Legacy, LeBron James finds himself needing the Looney Tunes to defeat a corrupted algorithm to save his family and the world. From Bugs Bunny to Emma Webster, these are all the Looney Tunes that help King James take down Al G. Rhythm.
16 Gossamer
What people might simply describe as the “big, red, hairy monster,” Gossamer has remained a staple in the Looney Tunes since 1946. Measuring at a remarkable eight feet, the gigantic furball is the perfect rim protector for LeBron’s Tune Squad.
Gossamer doesn’t say much, but his heart-shaped body indicates he’s a softy. His name is a bit ironic, as the word “gossamer” refers to an object being very light, thin, or delicate, and that’s the complete opposite of this Tune. Marvin the Martian was the first to bestow this name upon our red giant.
15 Foghorn Leghorn
Everyone’s favorite rooster, Foghorn Leghorn is ba-ba-ba-back to take on the Goon Squad. With a height of six feet and four inches and weighing 315 pounds, the rooster provides a solid interior presence. Unfortunately for our bird friend and the rest of the Tune Squad, the opposition has players with eight arms and the ability to turn into water or fire.
Foghorn Leghorn can also be viewed as the veteran leader among the Looney Tunes. The rooster has a grandson named Henery Hawk, one of the only Looney Tunes that have any sort of familial relations. But even still, Foghorn lets the biased officiate Pete get to him and is promptly ejected from the digitized court.
14 Yosemite Sam
When LeBron first landed in Tune World, he discovered that all the Looney Tunes besides Bugs Bunny had left. Convinced that the Serververse was the place to be, the Tunes jetted off to various Warner Bros. worlds. The quick-firing outlaw Yosemite Sam joins up with LeBron and the Looney Tunes after trying to serenade the lovely Ilsa Lund in Casablanca.
The gunslinger is a known adversary of Bugs Bunny, but just like in the original Space Jam, Yosemite Sam understands the assignment and the common enemy. Al G. Rhythm poses a greater threat to the Looney Tunes than some silly rabbit and Yosemite Sam will “shoot” the heck out of the basketball.
13 Elmer Fudd
Recognized as Bugs Bunny’s archenemy, Elmer Fudd has made it his mission to hunt the rabbit, though in most cases injuries himself instead. When perusing the Serververse, LeBron and Bugs find the bald hunter impersonating Mini-Me in Austin Powers (along with Sylvester playing the role of Dr. Evil’s cat Mr. Bigglesworth).
Unfortunately for the hunter, he doesn’t make any noteworthy plays this time around for the Tune Squad. Elmer Fudd is stuck warming the bench for much of the game, but every team needs that reliable moral support.
12 Speedy Gonzales
Despite being dubbed “The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico,” Speedy Gonzales doesn’t see a lot of action out on the court. It could have to deal with the fact that he’s as tall as a mouse, but then again Tweety Bird gets ample playing time.
LeBron and Bugs find Speedy in The Matrix world, and his introduction is, quite frankly, one of the best in Space Jam 2. Dressed as Neo, Speedy dodges incoming bullets from the various Agent Smiths in the same style as the chosen one, Keanu Reeves. If only we saw more of those moves on the basketball court.
11 Marvin the Martian
Making his debut in 1948, Marvin the Martian has frequently appeared as a villain toward Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes. Usually accompanied by his pet alien dog K-9, Marvin is always looking to cause some sort of trouble for the cartoons.
When Bugs agrees to help LeBron defeat Al G. Rhythm, the pair need a way off the Tune World. Lucky for them, Marvin the Martian arrives to do some inspecting and leaves his ship unattended. Instead of acting as the referee like in the first movie, Marvin acts as the only way possible for LeBron and Bugs to find a way off Tune World to recruit the rest of the team.
10 Sylvester
Two of the funniest moments of the film involve Sylvester the cat. First, after LeBron and Bugs successfully recruit everyone for the Tune Squad, the feline regurgitates a dazed and confused Tweety Bird. The poor bird asks “what year is it,” indicating that he was stuck inside Sylvester for who knows how long.
The second moment occurs during halftime after the Tune Squad had gotten murderized (as Bugs described it) by the Goon Squad. With the morale dangerously low, Sylvester seems to have found the one person to save them: Michael Jordan. Alas, it was not His Airness that Sylvester found in the crowd, but the actor Michael B. Jordan.
9 Tasmanian Devil
To round out the remaining speedsters is the erratic Tasmanian Devil. Unlike the other Tunes, LeBron and Bugs didn’t have to go anywhere to recruit him. Instead, Rick and Morty arrive in their spaceship to dump him off and the scientist tells LeBron that he’s done experimenting on him.
Even though the Tasmanian Devil acts wildly and is highly destructive, LeBron’s able to utilize the creature’s ability. In the midst of the Tune Squad’s comeback, the Goon Squad was on a fastbreak with The Brow, the player based on Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis. The Brow went up for a massive dunk, but the Tasmanian Devil spun the court around and the winged Goon scored for the Tune Squad instead.
8 Wile E. Coyote
Every basketball team needs an explosive player, so naturally, Wile E. Coyote fits that role to a tee. Mainly used to capture the elusive Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote’s obsession for pyrotechnics translates well onto the court. But, Coyote is a bit of a wild card for LeBron’s team.
Although Wile E. Coyote plays a huge role in the Tune Squad coming back from a one thousand point deficit (and should easily be considered the MVP), the Goon Squad did try to use his desire to eat Road Runner against him. Chronos, the Goon Squad player based on Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard, uses his special ability Dame Time to stop time to steal the ball from Road Runner and place the speedy bird in front of Wile E. Coyote on a silver platter. Eating one’s teammate can’t be good for team chemistry.
7 Road Runner
Otherwise known as Beep Beep, Road Runner is often linked with fellow Looney Tune Wile E. Coyote, due to the latter’s desire to eat the bird. In the first Space Jam, Road Runner didn’t have much playing time when Michael Jordan went up against the Monstars. The speedy bird made Wile E. Coyote look silly running into a painted hole against the wall during practice, but that was the extent of the bird’s basketball experience.
In Space Jam: A New Legacy, Road Runner makes the most of his second opportunity. When the Goon Squad substitutes Chronos, the Tune Squad counters with Road Runner but is completely neutralized by Chronos’s ability to stop time. However, Road Runner does make a positive play at the start of the second half, creating a smokescreen for Tweety Bird to convert on a dunk.
6 Tweety Bird
After surviving an unknown amount of time in the belly of the beast, Tweety Bird is ready for action. Despite his petite size, Tweety impacted the game considerably alongside Michael Jordan in the original Space Jam, and the Looney Tune does the same with LeBron James.
At the start of the second half, LeBron and the rest of the Looney Tunes decide that if they’re going down then they’re going to have fun. With the help of a well-deployed smokescreen by Road Runner, Tweety can slip past the defense and deliver a heavy slam dunk. It could be said that Tweety’s dunk ignited the Tune Squad and propelled the team toward its incredible comeback.
5 Porky Pig
Typically the timid Looney Tune, Porky Pig finally broke from his shell in Space Jam: A New Legacy. After Bugs Bunny steals the announcer’s microphone, it eventually ends up in the possession of Porky, aka Notorious P.I.G.
It’s still questionable how the Tune Squad could completely stop the basketball game for Porky Pig to roast the Goon Squad and Al G. Rhythm with his freestyle, but there is no point in really asking that. Just appreciate seeing a pig in a hoodie dropping bars on Don Cheadle.
4 Daffy Duck
One of the most famous Looney Tunes out there, Daffy Duck, surprisingly, took more of a backseat on LeBron’s team. Instead of always vying for playing time and shot attempts, Daffy elected for more of a teaching role and tried to be the head coach. “Tried” is the operative word because Daffy doesn’t know a thing about coaching basketball.
Despite that, Daffy does his best to make the correct reads for substitutions and play calls. Even though putting Road Runner in the game against Chronos didn’t pan out for the Tune Squad, at least they were able to get a glimpse at what he’s capable of.
3 Emma Webster (Granny)
On any championship-winning team, there’s always a surprise performance. Someone who the opposition doesn’t expect will come forth with incredible plays to propel their team to victory. That player for the Tune Squad is none other than Emma Webster, better known as Granny.
Most people might look at Granny and think nothing of her. With the Tune Squad down by one thousand points at halftime, Granny was getting her martini on. But after some deep soul-searching, Granny makes arguably the game-saving play of disabling Chronos. By using her newfound fighting abilities that she must’ve learned on The Matrix world with Speedy Gonzales, Granny uses his time power against him and turns Chronos into an old, broken-down man.
2 Lola Bunny
Throughout the game, Lola repeatedly makes the correct basketball play. She sets LeBron up for two amazing assists, including a reenactment of the famous Miami Heat dunk he had with Dwyane Wade. Lola is also the voice of reason and further persuades LeBron to consider following Bugs’ advice of simply having fun.
1 Bugs Bunny
While LeBron is known as King James, Bugs Bunny could be considered the king of the Looney Tunes. Maybe that’s why the two butt heads? Regardless, the most famous of the Looney Tunes agrees to help LeBron defeat Al G. Rhythm to save his friends and Tune World.
Although Bugs doesn’t make a whole lot of big plays in the first half, he makes the most important play to end the game. To fight back against Rhythm’s ability to reverse points, the Tune Squad must perform the play that will cause Dom’s game to glitch. Unfortunately, the person performing the shot will (presumably) get deleted. Even though LeBron offers to take that shot, Bugs intercepts the pass and performs the deadly move. Thankfully, since he is a Tune, Bugs Bunny is able to avoid death and reunites with his fellow cartoon friends in Tune World.
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