Space Jam 2’s Lola Bunny has been redesigned to make her less sexual, leaving fans unimpressed.
The long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1996 film was previewed today, starring basketball player LeBron James alongside many classic cartoons from the original, but it was the new Lola who drew most attention.
The character was first introduced in the classic film Space Jam, as a love interest for Bugs Bunny.
She was given a curvy figure with a figure-hugging cropped top and shorts in order to not appear like a tomboy according to animator Tony Cervone.
“We kind of pumped her up more in the feminine attributes department,” he said.
Lola Bunny looks very different in 2021 (right) compared to original from 1996 (left)
However now the character’s body shape and curves have been flattened and her outfit made into a looser basketball jersey and longer shorts.
Space Jam 2 director Malcolm D. Lee said Lola had been redesigned to draw focus away from her physical looks and more onto her strength of character.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly he said: “This is 2021. It’s important to reflect the authenticity of strong, capable female characters.”
Lola Bunny was the love interest of Bugs Bunny in the original film
Malcolm was “caught off guard” when he first saw the original film in 2019 and saw how “very sexualised” the rabbit was.
Social media was ablaze with questions for why the famous cartoon character looked so different from the original.
One person tweeted: “Damn what have they done to our furry goddess?”
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Another wrote: “I don’t care that Lola Bunny is dressed less sexy in Space Jam 2 but I am unbelievably exhausted by the idea that the way you communicate that a female character is taken seriously is by removing her boobs”.
A third said: This c*** is getting so old. Let’s just get rid of everything with sex appeal because it offends a small percentage of people. Let’s act like Women with big boobs don’t even exist”.
But some were happy with the design stating: “I’m happy they stopped over sexualising her… I shouldn’t have to say that I’m happy they stropped sexualising a cartoon bunny.”
The director said he was shocked by the sexualisation of the character when he first saw the film
“This is the first time I’ve seen a female character desexualised in a redesign instead of made more sexualised,” another fan tweeted.
Space Jam: A New Legacy will be released in the US on 16 July, with a UK release yet to be announced.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
