Lola Bunny appears to be far less sexualized in Space Jam 2: A New Legacy, than she was in the original Space Jam movie, which is the right direction to take. Lola Bunny made her first appearance in the original 1996 Space Jam starring Michael Jordan. In that movie, she is a talented basketball player and a bit of a tomboy, but most remember her as Bugs's romantic interest. In the years since her debut, she's gone through several evolutions that have made her a quirky character in her own right, making the choice not to sexualize her a smart one.
After Space Jam, her next biggest appearance was in Baby Looney Tunes where she was tomboyish and independent, with an affinity for basketball like her grown counterpart. Her descendent, Lexi Bunny, appeared in Loonatics Unleashed, which reimagined Looney Tunes characters as superheroes in a post-apocalyptic future, and was a bit of a girly girl. She got her superpowers right after trying out for cheerleading at Acmetropolis University and occasionally made comments about her appearance. Then, The Looney Tunes Show happened and completely reimagined her character; that was when Lola Bunny really came into her own. She was cheerful, eccentric, reckless, and a bit obsessive over Bugs. Later versions, like the direct to DVD movie Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run and New Looney Tunes dropped the obsession with Bugs but kept the rest of Lola's eccentric personality.
In Space Jam, Lola wasn't always supposed to be the sexualized bunny that made it to the silver screen. Originally, she was supposed to be a lot more tomboyish, but the production team thought she'd appear too masculine, so they decided to emphasize her feminine attributes by making her sexy. The token female character who is "just one of the guys" but still attractive is a staple of ensemble genre films. She's usually one of the best athletes in the game (but never seems to earn the winning point) and is the love interest of the male lead. The choice not to sexualize Lola Bunny in Space Jam 2: A New Legacy is a step in the right direction, because she has evolved far beyond that cliché. Plus, it's an ideal way to take the film's title to heart - it's truly a new legacy for Lola.
Space Jam premiered 25 years ago; an entire generation has grown up with Lola Bunny as the independent tomboy of Baby Looney Tunes or the delightfully eccentric character from The Looney Tunes Show. Although she's still often Bugs's romantic interest, she now has a much bigger comedic personality that director Malcolm D. Lee can play with. She can be the one that gets way too competitive to the point where even her teammates are intimidated, or gets into a wacky situation that leads to the film's eleventh hour crisis.
More than that, though, it's just a smart decision that the only major female character in this kid's movie isn't sexualized. Little girls will be watching Space Jam 2, especially since it'll be widely available on streaming, and it can be incredibly alienating for their only representation in the movie to be constantly ogled by the characters and the camera. Lee has the opportunity to create a quirky female character that's both relatable and funny.
The original Space Jam, though outdated in some areas like the character of Lola Bunny, is a classic film for kids from the 1980s and '90s that still holds a place in the public's heart. Hopefully, Space Jam 2: A New Legacy will live up to the original, while also making strides in modernizing the characters for the big screen; the choice not to sexualize Lola is a promising step in the right direction.
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