Big Chungus Is In 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'

So, the new Space Jam came out last Friday, and while some critics are basically insinuating it's the death of art itself, at least some people are excited about it for one genuinely surprising cameo: Big Chungus.

Yes, for a brief moment in the clip, Bugs Bunny morphs into a chubby version of himself to imitate Elmer Fudd, just as he did in 1941's "Wabbit Twouble." The original image of chubby Bugs became one of the most iconic memes of the past five years, as it inspired hundreds of variations and even some terrifying knockoffs like Ugandan Chungus.

As you might imagine, the Chungus cameo made a certain subset of the Space Jam: A New Legacy audience very, very excited.

I watched the new Space Jam today and in the movie Bugs turns into Big Chungus and a kid in the theatre lost his shit so hard his mother had to take him outside. I forgot the entire film on the drive home. pic.twitter.com/vPoUt1RLJV

— yosh (@yoshexe) July 17, 2021

I want you to realize that Space Jam: A New Legacy is both Big Chungus and Rick and Morty's theatrical debuts

if this movie doesn't get an Oscar its next bet is getting Reddit Gold

— Lolwutburger (comms closed) (@lolwutburger) July 16, 2021

Holy shit they put big chungus in Space Jam 2 pic.twitter.com/TlfRh328Cy

— IMMINENT HULL BREACH (@zero_shields) July 16, 2021

The news made its way to Big Chungus' original creator GaryTheTaco, whose response was simply, "Oh no."

i wonder how the redditor who edited fat bugs bunny on a ps4 game cover and titled it big chungus is feeling about their meme being included in the official warner bothers space jam 2 movie in theatres

— Post 🌱 (@iwannagrill) July 15, 2021

I told him pic.twitter.com/tvopym7XtU

— Natalie 🏳️‍⚧️ (@ThePadTheLad) July 15, 2021

It seems that director Malcolm D. Lee was internet-literate enough to understand that the Big Chungus cameo would certainly get a lot of internet attention—albeit not quote internet-literate enough to realize that de-sexualizing Lola Bunny would be a capital-B Big Deal.

Lola’s desexualized redesign in "Space Jam 2" created a “super weird” controversy, said director Malcolm D. Lee: "I had no idea that people would be that up in arms about a bunny not having boobs." https://t.co/hyw90rIfGD pic.twitter.com/tWcFnGDK8C

— IndieWire (@IndieWire) July 18, 2021