One of the most anticipated films for this 2021 is definitely Space Jam: A New Legacy, a continuation of the homonymous film released in 1996 which featured the award-winning basketball player Michael Jordan save the most beloved characters of the Looney Tunes from an evil alien menace in a decisive basketball match. Now that the release of this acclaimed starring sequel is approaching LeBron James, new images of the film began to appear on the web and among these one of the most criticized was the one with the protagonist Lola Bunny, which has been heavily modified in its appearance from the original film. The director himself intervened to respond to these criticisms, Malcolm D. Lee, who, interviewed by Entertainment Weekly reporters, replied:
Lola was very sexualized, like a Betty Boop united with Jessica Rabbit. Lola was not politically correct… this is a children's movie, why does she have to wear a crop top? It seems unnecessary, but at the same time there is a long history behind all this in the cartoons. We are in 2021, it is important to reflect the authenticity and strength typical of female characters. It probably has the most human characteristics of the Tunes; she doesn't have a carrot, she doesn't mumble and stammer weird things, so we reworked a lot of things. Not only has her look changed, we made sure her attire was appropriate and feminine without being objectified. For us, it was about focusing on her athletic power, her skills as a leader, and making her a character like any other.
In short, these criticisms are certainly out of place according to the director of the branded production Warner Bros, who wanted to give a more decisive character to Lola Bunny without necessarily tying her to the physical appearance he defined as "unsuitable" that she had in the previous film. For the moment all of us fans look forward to seeing these characters in action in Space Jam: A New Legacy, coming to theaters (hopefully) on next 16 July.
