Lola Bunny from the iconic Space Jam crew received a makeover for the upcoming second movie. A first look at Space Jam: A New Legacy was unveiled on Thursday, including the new look for Lola Bunny, the only female member of the tune squad.
In the original movie from 1996, the anthropomorphic bunny had an hourglass figure and work short shorts and a crop top. At the time of the original film’s release, animator Tony Cervone said, “we kind of pumped her up more in the feminine attributes department.”
Director of the new film, Malcolm D. Lee, said the original design of Lola Bunny shocked him a bit. He said it was “very sexualized.”
“This is 2021,” he said. “It’s important to reflect the authenticity of strong, capable female characters.”
The new design of the character appears less womanly and more rabbit like. She is also wearing a normal basketball jersey and shorts.
People on Twitter were upset by the redesign, saying that it reflected the overwhelming influence of politically correct culture.
YouTuber Jenny Nicholson compared the reactions to the new Lola Bunny to people’s reactions when the recent Sonic the Hedgehog design was released.
“Will Space Jam 2 take the Sonic Movie approach and bow to fan pressure, delaying production a year & forcing animators to crunch to make Lola Bunny’s design much much hornier,” she tweeted.
Other Twitter users pointed out that the problem was not the way Lola Bunny looked, it was the way she was treated in the film. Twitter user Scott Mendelson said the issue was that she was viewed as a “sexualized love interest and a damsel” in the first film.
Another user, Lux “24/7” Alptraum, said they were “exhausted” by the idea that the only way to prevent a female character from being sexualized is to remove the parts of her that make her look like a woman.
The new film, starring LeBron James, will be released on July 16, 2021.
