Space Jam: A New Legacy is just starting to rev up the hype cycle and as the sequel to a classic nostalgic movie featuring some of the most iconic characters in cartoon history, it certainly has a few advantages on its side. When fans started getting a sneak preview of the film, however, some noticed that there had been a few changes to fan-favorite Lola Bunny, and the director has some thoughts about why they made them.
While many of the characters haven't changed much, due to having pretty consistent designs since their original appearance, Lola Bunny, a female counterpart to Bugs Bunny, has undergone some slight changes in appearance since she was introduced in the first Space Jam film.
The differences are subtle but noticeable. In the original Space Jam, Lola Bunny was introduced as a love interest for Bugs Bunny, sporting a crop top outfit and shorts. In Space Jam: A New Legacy, her outfit has been slightly tweaked: she now wears a more standard basketball jersey that covers her midsection, an arm sleeve, and has had a noticeable reduction to her chest size.
These changes were somewhat controversial online, with some accusing the film of censoring the character and changing her design unnecessarily. The director of Space Jam: A New Legacy, Malcolm D. Lee, discussed the changes during an interview with Entertainment Weekly and noted how they hoped to make the character less sexualized and more kid-friendly: "So we reworked a lot of things, not only her look, like making sure she had an appropriate length on her shorts and was feminine without being objectified, but gave her a real voice."
It's also worth noting that this redesign of Lola Bunny brings her closer in line with how the character has appeared in media since the first Space Jam, where she tends to wear full dresses and has anatomy more similar to Bugs Bunny, perhaps most notably in the animated sitcom titled The Looney Tunes Show, in which she is voiced by Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig. The director also talked about focusing the design around the character's sports skills and personality: "For us, it was, let's ground her athletic prowess, her leadership skills, and make her as full a character as the others."
Lee also talked about having Lola Bunny dip into the other Warner Bros. IP at their disposal, remarking that they wanted to have the character meet with the Amazons from Wonder Woman, taking advantage of Warner Bros.'s wide range of characters. It's certainly an interesting direction to take the character in, one that could lead to some fun moments in the full movie. Hopefully, Lola Bunny gets a chance to really shine when Space Jam: A New Legacy hits HBO Max and theaters later this year.
Space Jam: A New Legacy releases on July 16th, 2021.
Source: Entertainment Weekly