The new ‘Space Jam’ sequel has a few references to the original – including a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from the 1996 movie’s iconic alien villains

• Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Space Jam: A New Legacy."
• "Space Jam: A New Legacy" contains several funny nods to 1996's "Space Jam" with Michael Jordan.
• Both Bugs and Lola Bunny point out that the two films have similar plots.
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Space Jam: A New Legacy."

The iconic alien villains from 1996's "Space Jam" make a brief comeback in the sequel, "Space Jam: A New Legacy."

In the original film, the tiny cartoon aliens work with their evil boss, theme-park owner Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito), to force the Looney Tunes cartoons to work at their intergalactic park. The aliens are ultimately unsuccessful when the Tunes crew beats them in a basketball game with a little help from NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Flash-forward several decades and the aliens, now minus Swackhammer, appear to still be holding onto a 25-year-old grudge against the Looney Tunes group in "A New Legacy."

The "Space Jam" cartoon antagonists show up for a brief moment during yet another fast-paced basketball game in the sequel, this time with the Tune Squad and sequel protagonist LeBron James squaring off against the evil Al-G Rhythm (voiced by Don Cheadle).

As James scores a very impressive point, the aliens sigh loudly in disappointment. They're on-screen for less than two seconds, so this cameo is very easy to miss if you don't know to keep an eye out for it.

It's not particularly surprising that the aliens make an appearance in "A New Legacy."

Both the 1996 movie and the 2021 sequel have a very similar premise. The two films each revolve around NBA superstars trapped in alternate dimensions, forced to play basketball in exchange for their freedom.

About 30 minutes into "A New Legacy," Bugs Bunny (voiced by Jeff Bergman) gets a little meta and acknowledges the plot similarities between the two movies when James asks Bugs to join his basketball team.

"So, you want me, a talking cartoon bunny, to play with you, an NBA superstar, in a high-stakes basketball game?" Bugs asks James.

Before James can answer, Bugs looks at the camera with a slight smirk and says: "Sounds awfully familiar."

A few minutes later, Bugs tries to recruit Lola Bunny (voiced by Zendaya) to join James' team by arguing that this is the cartoons' "big chance" to play basketball with an NBA superstar.

"Been there, done that," Lola reminded Bugs, in another funny nod to "Space Jam."