PHOTO PROVIDED The poster for “Space Jam” is shown.

Welcome to the space jam everybody!

Now I know what fans of the 1996 fan favorite “Space Jam” are thinking. “Laura, that was such low hanging fruit, do better.”

Well we’re over a year into these reviews and at this point I like to add a little fun and levity into my introductions when I can. It can help contrast my co-columnist Chris’s typically sadder genre choices.

Warner Brother’s “Space Jam” is one of those movie’s that can make me forget I was born just at the tail end of the 90s and actually didn’t see this movie until I was a child in the early 2000s. To any older millenials reading this… I’m sorry if that sentence hurt your brain. I’ve noticed saying I was born in 1998 can sometimes give you headaches and think “oh god I’m old.” Which, by the way, you absolutely are not.

Anyway, “Space Jam” combines two forms of entertainment that, before its time, may not have typically crossed paths in this fashion: the Looney Tunes and the NBA.

The film centers around Michael Jordan and his break from professional basketball between 1993 and 1995. We learn from a flashback to his childhood that he wanted to play on a championship basketball team at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and move on to the NBA before following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a baseball player. Quite the checklist I’ve gotta say.

Jordan of course sticks to this plan and leaves the NBA in 1993 and joins the Birmingham Barons, a minor league team affiliated with the Chicago White Sox. We see that, although he’s not bad, baseball is definitely not Jordan’s forte.

Meanwhile, the tune squad are dealing with an invasion of itty bitty aliens sent by their boss Mr. Swackhammer (Danny DeVito) in Looney Tune land below the earth’s surface. Swackhammer runs an alien amusement park, Moron Mountain, and intends to enslave the cartoon characters to keep his patrons entertained and money rolling in.

Bugs Bunny (Billy West), Daffy Duck (Dee Bradley Baker) and co. aren’t intimidated by these puny, bug-like aliens and challenge them to a basketball game. Bugs tells the aliens that if they win, the tunes will go willingly to Moron Mountain.

Unfortunately for our beloved cartoon characters, the aliens have some tricks up their sleeves. The group return topside on earth and steal the basketball talent from NBA elites such as Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues.

When Bugs and the rest of the tune squad realize they’re in over their heads they decide to enlist the help of the greatest basketball player they know, Michael Jordan.

Well, enlist is putting it kindly, they actually steal him from a golf course much to his assistant Stan Podolak’s (Wayne Knight) dismay.

It takes some convincing, but after a bad encounter with the now ‘roided out aliens, Michael agrees to help the tunes win their basketball game.

I’m not sure what it is that makes “Space Jam” such a popular film. It could be the culmination of two popular forms of entertainment; an unheard of combination of live action and animation (at the time) or maybe the entertaining and often hilarious storyline.

Whatever the case may be “Space Jam” is the type of movie for everyone. It’s one that you can sit and watch with your kids or, like in my case, enjoy well into adulthood.

Although not a professional actor, Jordan does a great job. And those who may doubt that should consider this: More often than not he was acting in a 360 green screen room with stand ins also dressed head to toe in green screen to serve as markers. Not to mention, this is one of the first times ever that method of movie making was used.

Speaking of the animation, as I’ve said before it really meshes well with the live action parts of the film. Even now over 20 years later I don’t feel that it’s aged badly, especially in comparison to some of the CGI jobs done back then and even in the 2000s.

And the sound track is a smash hit too. Aside from including R. Kelly’s “I Believe I can Fly” (to be fair, no one knew he was a horrible person back then) every single song on that soundtrack is still enjoyable today. From smooth sounding “Fly Like an Eagle” by Seal to fast paced, dancing hits like “Pump up the Jam” by Technotronic and “Space Jam” by Quad City, it’s just hit after hit in my humble opinion.

I can’t recommend “Space Jam” enough honestly. It’s just a great, family-friendly film that can often make you feel nostalgic or just plain happy. If you haven’t seen it already I suggest you do soon. And even if you’ve seen it a thousand times, what’s one more watch through really?

“Space Jam” is rated PG and can be watched on HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu and Amazon Prime.

That’s all folks!

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Laura Jameson is a staff reporter for The Express.