The Corner Penthouse

Space Jam (1996) was recently released on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack by Warner Brothers. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Captured by Bugs Bunny (voiced by Billy West) to foil a ghastly gang of space creatures, basketball megastar Michael Jordan must play the basketball game of his life to save the beloved cartoon heroes from a hideous kidnapping scheme. Will Jordan beat the odds and get his Looney new pals out of a real jam?

[ QUICK THOUGHTS ]

Space Jam is based on a 1993 Nike commercial with Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan. It was such a success that the following year, the pair were joined by Marvin the Martian. Given the origins, it should come as no surprise that the feature film is not a cinematic masterpiece. While it's no Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam does a good job of merging the animation and live-action. Colors are bright and vibrant, and honestly, the movie has never looked better than it does on the 4K UHD disc. So, what it lacks in the story department, it makes up for in the visuals. The early parts of the movie play out like a Michael Jordan bio-pic, so if you're not into basketball and have no interest in His Airness, this part of the movie (and other parts that pay God-like attention to Jordan) will be a chore to sit through. Thankfully, with the movie being produced by Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, we have Bill Murray on hand for an extended cameo to pull us out of those Air Jordan doldrums.


[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:27:19. Audio languages include English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish. Subtitle languages include English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

Here is a list of the special features that are included on the 4K UHD disc.

• Audio Commentary - with director Joe Pytka, Bugs Bunny (voiced by Billy West), and Daffy Duck (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker).

[ SECOND DISC ]

Also included is a standard Blu-ray disc (originally released back in 2011), which contains the movie and all of the special features listed below. Audio languages include English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish. Subtitle languages include English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish.

• Audio Commentary - with director Joe Pytka, Bugs Bunny (voiced by Billy West), and Daffy Duck (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker).
• "Fly Like an Eagle" Music Video (3:53) - Performed by Seal.
• "Hit 'Em High" Music Video (4:52) - Performed by The Monstars (B-Real, Coolio, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, and Method Man).
• Jammin' with Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan (22:32) - This vintage promotional featurette explores the origins of the stars, provides interview clips with Michael Jordan, and behind-the-scenes footage showing how the movie was made.
• Theatrical Trailer (1:15)

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

A Digital Copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc black UHD Blu-ray case. The first print run includes a shiny slipsleeve.

It should be noted that the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD from 2005 includes a few special features that are not found on either of the 4K or Blu-ray discs:

• Bugs vs. Daffy: Battle of the Music Video Stars (1988 TV Special) (23:25)
• Four Cartoons: "Another Froggy Evening" (1995), "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers" (1992), "Night of the Living Duck" (1988), and "The Duxorcist" (1987).

While none of these are related to Space Jam itself, since they were included on a previous home video release of the film, they should have been ported over. As they were left off of the 2011 Blu-ray (included in this set), the 4K disc gave Warner Brothers a chance to resurrect them, as they did with the DVD-era isolated score track on the Blade 4K. Sadly, they left them out again.

[ PURCHASE LINKS ]

Space Jam is available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, individual Blu-ray, and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD.

Surprisingly, 25 years later, the OFFICIAL SPACE JAM WEBSITE is still active! Go check it out and marvel at the Geocities-like site design. Ahhh, the memories.


This item has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.