Lola Bunny
From Looney City Citizens
Lola Bunny
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| First appearance | Space Jam |
| Created by | Unknown |
| Voiced by | Kath Soucie |
| Background Information | |
| Friends | Bugs Bunny |
| Rivals | Monstars |
| Catch phrases | "Don't call me doll" |
Lola Bunny (born November 15, 1972) is a female rabbit and has been established as having a romantic involvement with Bugs Bunny.
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[edit] Appearance
She somewhat resembles Babs Bunny, a character from "Tiny Toon Adventures". In the episode "Fields Of Honey" Babs complained that she didn't have a mentor like the other characters- Buster Bunny had Bugs Bunny, Plucky Duck had Daffy Duck, Hamton J. Pig had Porky Pig etc. Some have suggested that Lola might even be based on Babs Bunny, although aside from a physical resemblence they have little in common. Lola Bunny is 3' 2" tall, her eye color is aqua and her hair is blonde.
[edit] Debut
Lola's first appearance and only major role was in the movie Space Jam, in which she was voiced by Kath Soucie. Lola's impressive basketball skills got her a spot on the Tune Squad, in which the Looney Tunes characters battled the villainous Monstars for their freedom, with help from Michael Jordan. The Tune Squad was victorious, and Lola kindled a romance with Bugs. Although she had turned down his earlier advances, she saw him in a new light after he heroically saved her from injury by shoving her out of the path of a belly-flopping Monstar, getting himself painfully squashed in the process.
[edit] Controversy
Lola's presence in Space Jam sparked a considerable amount of controversy amongst Looney Tunes purists. Many argued that the entire movie was a failed attempt to "update" the classic characters to the tastes of modern audiences. Another argument is that Lola's character is a "strong, independent female" who was at the same time excessively seductive, and has no place among the fallible human characteristics of the rest of the Looney Tunes. (Throughout the entire movie, Lola suffers no injury, reverse or misfortune of any kind, on the court or off.) Lola's catch phrase, "Don't call me doll," is a clear reference to Pam Anderson's catch phrase, "Don't call me babe," from the movie, Barb Wire. Also, some argue that Bugs already has an established sweetheart in Honey Bunny, and that Bugs' boorish and competitive behavior towards Lola are against his character.
The controversy surrounding Lola is indirectly addressed in the film Looney Tunes: Back In Action, which was touted by director Joe Dante as repairing the damage done to the characters' personalities in Space Jam: Bugs pointedly asserts that he has no need for a female co-star, as he is fully capable of playing both male and female roles himself.
[edit] Other Appearances
Regardless of the case, it is notable that Lola's appearances were noticeably minor after Space Jam. Despite rumors at the time of Space Jam's release that she would take a place among the other major Looney Tunes stars, today, Lola is all but invisible to the public eye. However, she has made several appearances in video games (in fact, she even replaced Honey Bunny as the damsel in distress of the Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle series), and she regularly appears in solo stories in the monthly Looney Tunes comic published by DC Comics). An infant version of her is among the regular characters of Baby Looney Tunes. Also, in the cartoon series Loonatics Unleashed, the character of Lexi Bunny is based on Lola.
Lola was also seen as the reporter in the 2000 direct-to-video movie "Tweety's High-Flying Adventure".
