Space Jam fans got a treat on Sunday when Zendaya made her first appearance voicing the character Lola Bunny in a new preview clip for the upcoming sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy.
The 24-year-old Euphoria star popped up in a parody of an ESPN 30 For 30 documentary about the upcoming sequel to the 1996 original, which starred Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes gang.
LeBron James leads the newest version, which stretches the definition of ‘space’ as he has to travel into cyberspace to rescue his son after he’s trapped in a server by a devious algorithm.
First look: Zendaya, 24, made her debut as Lola Bunny in a new preview for Space Jam: A New Legacy that was styled as an ESPN 30 For 30–style parody
The short video features plenty of talking head interviews with LeBron and the film’s actors, plus real sports figures like Nneka Ogwumike and broadcaster Rachel Nichols.
The documentary-like feel is interrupted by interviews with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and Zendaya appears early on playing Lola Bunny, who was introduced in the first Space Jam movie.
‘So cute to watch them bicker, when everyone knows this is Lola’s team,’ she says defiantly after LeBron, Bugs and Daffy all offer competing views of who was most valuable for the team.
She reappears after a rundown of the movie’s villains, a set of NBA and WNBA stars given super powers.
New role: The actress is best known for her starring role on HBO’s Euphoria, and she’s now taking over the mantle of the Lola Bunny, who helps lead a team of Looney Tunes players; seen in 2020
Above the fray: ‘So cute to watch them bicker, when everyone knows this is Lola’s team,’ she says defiantly after LeBron James, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck all fight
Super foes: She reappears after a rundown of the movie’s villains, a set of NBA and WNBA stars given super powers
The best: ‘It makes it sound like LeBron had to save us. We’re the best teammates he’s ever had,’ she says confidently
‘It makes it sound like LeBron had to save us. We’re the best teammates he’s ever had,’ she says confidently before a hilarious reaction shot of the NBA superstar’s Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis.
Zendaya primarily voices a traditional 2D-animated version of Lola in the interview clips, but the video also featured movie footage showing the 3D computer-animated version of Lola who’s featured on the basketball court.
When LeBron is asked for ‘the key to bringing this team together,’ he replies, ‘Two words: Lola Bunny.’
He adds that she’s ‘the greatest sidekick ever’ over footage of her playing on the court, only for Davis to reappear and complain, ‘Man, that’s cold.’
‘You know, I don’t love the sidekick label,’ Lola says in another interview segment, ‘but we’ll let it go because of Bron.’
Ouch! LeBron’s Laker’s teammate Anthony Davis appears in a hilarious reaction shot after Lola says the Looney Tunes are the NBA icon’s best team
New look: Zendaya primarily voices a traditional 2D-animated version of Lola in the interview clips, but the video also featured movie footage showing the 3D computer-animated version of Lola who’s featured on the basketball court
She’ll take it: ‘You know, I don’t love the sidekick label,’ Lola says in response to LeBron, ‘but we’ll let it go because of Bron’
The new version of Lola Bunny departs from the sexualized character design of the original movie, in which the character appeared to be bustier and wore a crop-top uniform.
In a March interview with Entertainment Weekly, the film’s director, Malcolm D. Lee, said that the character was no longer ‘politically corrected.’
‘This is a kids’ movie, why is she in a crop top? It just felt unnecessary, but at the same time there’s a long history of that in cartoons,’ he said, referencing portrayals of hyper-sexual women going back to classic Looney Tunes shorts and beyond.
Instead, the director wanted to envision Lola as a ‘strong, capable female’ character.
‘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,’ Lee explained. ‘For us, it was, let’s ground her athletic prowess, her leadership skills, and make her as full a character as the others.’
Redesigned: The new version of Lola Bunny departs from the sexualized character design of the original movie, in which the character appeared to be bustier and wore a crop-top uniform
Reactions on Twitter to the casting were mixed, with several users complaining that Zendaya’s voice didn’t fit the character.
‘This is weird. Why is zendaya’s voice coming out of Lola bunny?’ wrote one user, while another complained, ‘Zendaya playing Zendaya. well done.’
Another person said the clips sounded ‘like Zendaya talking not really Lola Bunny.’
They echoed complaints from some animation fans that contemporary animated films have largely eschewed using trained voice actors in favor of using bigger name stars whose talents don’t always translate when their behind the scenes.
Mixed bag: Reactions on Twitter to the casting were mixed, with several users complaining that Zendaya’s voice didn’t fit the character and was no different than her normal demeanor; seen April 22 in LA
In addition to appearing in the new Space Jam film, Zendaya is also filming the upcoming second season of HBO’s hit high school drama Euphoria.
She stars in the stylish series as Rue Bennett, a high schooler recovering from drug addiction whose life is thrown into turmoil thanks to shifting friendships and an obsessive romance.
The show was originally delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but filming resumed back in March.
Coming soon: Zendaya’s currently filming the second season of HBO’s hit series Euphoria, in which she stars as Rue Bennett, a high schooler trying to overcome drug addiction; still from Euphoria