Cartoon Network’s new Teen Titans release presents the characters giving a commentary on the original Space Jam film; a genius first for movies. Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam is due to air on Cartoon Network on the 20th of June and, in the vein of Mystery Science Theater 3000, will see the Teen Titans cross paths with Space Jam’s alien Nerdlucks for a very special viewing of the 1996 cult hit. Combining live-action and animation, Space Jam saw basketball legend Michael Jordan join forces with the Looney Tunes to help them defeat a group of cartoon-enslaving aliens in an epic game of basketball. Now, with Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam, audiences will be able to watch the movie through new, animated eyes.
While the Teen Titans crossover is ostensibly a promotional stunt to advertise Space Jam: A New Legacy - a belated sequel to the original film, starring NBA basketball player LeBron James (who also appeared in a 2016 episode of Teen Titans Go!) in place of Michael Jordan - Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam looks set to break some new ground, with the characters commenting on a movie largely unrelated to the franchise that they belong to. It could also be seen as an homage to the classic Cartoon Network bumper wherein a bunch of recognizable, animated characters frequent the same cinema.
Given that Space Jam and Teen Titans have few previous ties, this is an unusual approach for Cartoon Network (and parent company Warner Bros.) to take but presents something of a first for movies. While novelty commentary tracks aren’t anything new (the Spinal Tap one comes to mind), Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam is a fully-animated special, set to feature the Teen Titans commenting on the action, pausing the movie for breaks, counting how many shots of “butts” there are, and providing comedic overlays onto the original film. Additionally, the Nerdlucks seem to have a devious plan up their sleeves - suggesting that there might be more of a storyline at play than simply watching the Teen Titans view Space Jam.
It’s a novel, if corporately sinister, way to advertise Space Jam: A New Legacy, while also drawing a new audience to the original film - which kids of today might not necessarily be familiar with. While the 1996 movie did well at the box office, it received very mixed views from critics but has since been regarded by an overly nostalgic group of people as something of a classic. That nostalgia obviously won’t exist for a large portion of Space Jam: A New Legacy’s target audience, so Cartoon Network appears to be attempting to manufacture that same familiarity by attracting their young viewers to Space Jam via a crossover with something they already know and enjoy - Teen Titans.
All that said, it’s fun to imagine other fictional characters commenting on older, largely unrelated movies. How about the Guardians of the Galaxy commenting on some animated Disney flicks, thus bringing attention to the company’s back catalog on Disney+? The Muppets making fun of Labyrinth? Maybe Scooby-Doo and the gang watching The Exorcist? Either way, Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam is likely to be more enjoyable than watching actual the comparable Space Jam original and, for thinking outside of the marketing box, Cartoon Network ought to be applauded.
https://ift.tt/3pVG0jH
June 16, 2021 at 12:13AM
