Everyone needs a makeover every, oh, 25 years or so. On Thursday, Warner Bros revealed a new look for Lola Bunny, a cartoon rabbit from 1996’s basketball comedy movie Space Jam, making it clear that her look has gone from va-va-voom pinup girl sexy to modern-day strong and sporty.
Entertainment Weekly published a preview and a gallery of photos from the upcoming movie Space Jam: A New Legacy, which is set to premiere in July. LeBron James takes over Michael Jordan’s role as the NBA superstar in the new movie, but it was Lola’s look that scored the most social notice. And the change was very intentional.
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Director Malcolm D. Lee told the magazine he was caught off guard by original Lola’s “very sexualized” look.
“This is 2021,” Lee said. “It’s important to reflect the authenticity of strong, capable female characters.”
Roll the Twitter reactions, many of which were as funny as the movie hopes to be. Comedian Rajat Suresh envisioned a scene in the new movie, writing, “LeBron James: hello Lola you do not make anyone horny. I respect you for basketball Lola Bunny: thank you.”
Said another Twitter user, “New Lola looks like the kind of girl you’d meet in rehab when she asks to bum a Newport and pretty soon she’s at your place pretending to help you look for your stuff she just stole.”
Space jam 2 scene:
LeBron James: hello Lola you do not make anyone horny. I respect you for basketball
Lola bunny: thank you
— Rajat Suresh (@rajat_suresh) March 4, 2021
new lola looks like the kind of girl you’d meet in rehab when she asks to bum a newport and pretty soon she’s at your place pretending to help you look for your stuff she just stole
— atomly (@atomly) March 4, 2021
I once turned on a TV in a hotel in London and Space Jam was on. I’d never seen it (I was busy in 1996) so I said “Who’s that?” My then-boyfriend said “That’s Lola Bunny! You don’t remember Lola Bunny?” I said no, and he said, in a way I’ll never forget, “*I* remember Lola Bunny”
— Mara “Get Rid of the Nazis” Wilson (@MaraWilson) March 4, 2021
I have a very distinct memory when Space Jam was coming out of some kind of interview with two of the animators. One of them was enthusiastically gushing over how hot Lola was, the other appeared to be facepalming
— fumangoo, Guy Incognito (@fumangoo) March 4, 2021
It’s for the best. She made too many kids into furry’s. for some reason this makes me curious how Jessica Rabbit will look when Roger Rabbit 2 comes out.
— Avian (@AvianXIII) March 4, 2021
Lola Bunny’s new look was a trending topic on Twitter, a fact that likely made for a weird workday for one Twitter employee. “Thoughts are with the person whose job it was to look at all the accounts being horny for old Lola Bunny and / or upset that they aren’t as horny for new Lola Bunny and then summarize it as “people share their feelings,” wrote writer Emma Baccellieri in a tweet.
Thoughts are with the person whose job it was to look at all the accounts being horny for old Lola Bunny and / or upset that they aren’t as horny for new Lola Bunny and then summarize it as “people share their feelings” pic.twitter.com/Te8oJUK1Jk
— Emma Baccellieri (@emmabaccellieri) March 4, 2021
Space Jam: A New Legacy is scheduled to be released in theaters and on streaming service HBO Max on July 16, 2021.
