Honestly, if you grew up in the 90s, you remember the impact of the original Lola Bunny. She wasn't just another Looney Tune. She was a vibe. When Warner Bros. announced her return for Lola Bunny Space Jam A New Legacy, the internet basically imploded. It wasn't just about a movie sequel. It was about how we handle nostalgia, gender, and cartoon rabbits.
Director Malcolm D. Lee didn't hold back. When he finally watched the 1996 original in 2019, he was genuinely shocked. He described the original Lola as "very sexualized," comparing her to a mix of Betty Boop and Jessica Rabbit.
For the 2021 sequel, he wanted something different. He wanted a "strong, capable female character" who didn't need a crop top to play ball. This wasn't just a wardrobe change. It was a complete overhaul of her identity.
The Controversial Redesign of Lola Bunny Space Jam A New Legacy
The backlash was instant and, frankly, a little weird. People were genuinely upset about the lack of curves on a cartoon rabbit.
Lee called the discourse "super weird." He wasn't wrong.
But for many fans, it wasn't just about the aesthetics. It was about the erasure of a specific type of "90s cool." The original Lola, voiced by Kath Soucie, was a "Hawksian woman"—tough, no-nonsense, and fully aware of her effect on the room.
In the new version, the crop top was gone, replaced by a standard-issue Tune Squad jersey. Her shorts got longer. Her silhouette became more athletic and less pin-up.
💡 You might also like: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
Why the Change Actually Happened
It wasn't just a "woke" checklist. The team behind the film wanted to ground Lola’s athletic prowess. They looked at the modern landscape of the WNBA and female athletes who are leaders on and off the court.
- Athletism over Aesthetics: The focus shifted to her being the best player on the team.
- A New Home: Instead of just hanging out in Tune Land, we find her living with the Amazons of Themyscira.
- Leadership: She becomes the tactical heart of the team, often more focused than Bugs himself.
It’s a massive jump from her 1996 role, where she mostly existed to make Bugs Bunny go cross-eyed and act like a fool.
Zendaya Steps into the Booth
Recasting is always a gamble. Kath Soucie was originally slated to return, but the studio eventually pivoted to Zendaya.
Why? Marketing, mostly.
Zendaya is a powerhouse. She brings in a younger demographic that might not care about 90s nostalgia. But her performance in Lola Bunny Space Jam A New Legacy was met with mixed reviews. Some fans felt her voice was too "natural."
In a world of high-pitched, zany Looney Tunes, Zendaya’s Lola sounded like... well, Zendaya. She was cool, detached, and very grounded. For some, this made Lola the "straight man" of the group. For others, it robbed the character of that "Looney" energy.
📖 Related: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
One viral fan edit even tried pitching her voice higher to see if it fit the animation better. The result? It sounded more like a cartoon, but it lost that specific Zendaya "boss" energy the director was clearly aiming for.
The Amazonian Backstory: A Weirdly Perfect Fit?
One of the coolest—or most bizarre, depending on who you ask—details in the movie is Lola’s recruitment. LeBron and Bugs find her training with the Amazons from Wonder Woman.
It’s a peak "Server-verse" moment.
She’s basically a warrior-in-training. This choice reinforces the idea that she has outgrown the "Tune" label. She tells the group there is "more to her than just being a Tune."
This version of Lola Bunny doesn't want to be the girl on the sidelines. She wants to be the general. It's a heavy-handed metaphor, sure, but in a movie about a literal digital multiverse, it kind of works.
Real-World Reception and E-E-A-T
If we look at the data, the "controversy" likely helped the film's visibility. Google Trends showed massive spikes in searches for "Lola Bunny" months before the movie even hit HBO Max.
👉 See also: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
Critics like Matt Rooney noted that while the redesign was a clear improvement in terms of character depth, the movie itself was often bogged down by corporate IP-checking. Lola became a symbol for the film’s larger struggle: trying to be a kid-friendly commercial while also trying to fix the "problematic" parts of the past.
What Most People Get Wrong About the New Lola
The biggest misconception? That the new Lola is "boring."
She’s actually the most competent person on the court. In the original, she disappears for large chunks of the game. In A New Legacy, she’s the one holding the strategy together while LeBron is busy being a "dad" and Bugs is busy being... Bugs.
She represents a shift in how we view female characters in animation. We've moved past the "token girl" era. Now, she's the veteran player who has clearly put in the work.
Moving Forward: Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're a creator or just someone interested in character design, there are real lessons here.
- Context is King: A design that worked in 1996 doesn't always translate to a 2021 (or 2026) audience. The "male gaze" of 90s animation is a real thing, whether we feel nostalgic for it or not.
- Voice Casting Matters: If you hire a mega-star like Zendaya, you’re hiring her "brand." If you want a character to sound like a Looney Tune, hire a voice actor. If you want a character to feel like a modern icon, hire a celebrity. You rarely get both.
- Backstory Adds Weight: Giving Lola a life outside of being Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend was the smartest move the writers made. It gives her agency.
To really appreciate the evolution, it's worth re-watching the original Space Jam and then jumping straight into the sequel. The contrast is jarring, but it tells a fascinating story about how much our cultural expectations have shifted in thirty years.
Compare the two designs side-by-side. Look at the way she moves on the court. The 1996 version is bouncy and flirtatious; the 2021 version is sharp, tactical, and powerful. Neither is "wrong," but they serve very different versions of what a "hero" looks like.
Take a look at the concept art for the Amazonian sequence if you can find it. It shows just how much work went into making her look like she actually belonged in that world. It’s a deep dive into the "Server-verse" logic that most people missed while they were arguing about her jersey.