Space Jam

This film will be associated forever with what I now know was a perfectly executed marketing project for Looney Tunes, Nike and their main man Mike Jordan. Happy meals carried the characters and TV and toy shops were swamped with adverts and toys created to make every kid obsessed. It is quite clearly merchandising vehicle for Warner Bros. and Michael Jordan, both of which were in need of some top down exposure amongst children, and in turn new sponsorship opportunities.

These are not even the most cynical opinions Space Jam. But while the forces that came about to produce this film cannot be ignored, part of the reason it works so well, watching this film again a few days ago brought back memories of a child's view of cinema; a trip that was more about the sweets and bucket of pepsi than the 90 minutes of colour flashed 'big' in front of you. I enjoyed seeing it again, appreciating the now outdated methods of causing a craze amongst kids whereby a lot of money can be made in the short term and its all good fun. Now the chosen tools for cashing the children's cinema cash-cow are the much less enjoyable exploits of slickly animated 'relatable' characters who overcome insecurities to succeed with chums and family. Where have absurd story-lines involving Bill Murray, global sports stars and an unbelievably sexual love interest for Bugs Bunny gone?

Of the few DVDs that'll be available for my kids to watch, Space Jam will occupy the mindless entertainment category for Sunday afternoons, devoid of any wholesome family advice it will hold more value for its history lesson into pre-internet phenomena.