Speedy Gonzales voice actor Gabriel Iglesias recently defended the Looney Tunes character following the publication of a column in The New York Times, which accused the Space Jam: A New Legacy character of advancing negative stereotypes about Mexican people.
"I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam. Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too?" Iglesias tweeted, alongside an animated GIF of the character. "U can't catch me cancel culture. I'm the fastest mouse in all of Mexico," the comedian added.
Fans of Iglesias will recall that he is also known as his comedic alter-ego, "Fluffy."
Columnist Charles M. Blow wrote a piece for the New York Times, centering on how six Dr. Seuss books' publications were being halted due to promoting racist stereotypes. Within the piece, he also wrote, "Some of the first cartoons I can remember included Pepé Le Pew, who normalized rape culture; Speedy Gonzales, whose friends helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexicans."
In addition to Iglesias' defense of the animated mouse, director James Gunn chimed in on the controversy and connected the conversation to the ongoing trend of "cancel culture."
"I don't think there are many people here, on the left or the right, who think Harvey Weinstein shouldn't have been 'canceled' for what he did," the Guardians of the Galaxy director tweeted. "Likewise, these are all nuanced conversations. I think most Latin people love Speedy Gonzalez [sic], which is a pretty good argument that he shouldn't be 'canceled.'"
The official synopsis for the Space Jam sequel reads,
During a trip to the Warner Bros. studio, NBA Superstar LeBron James and his son accidentally get trapped within a world that contains all of Warner Bros.' stories and characters, under the control of a malfunctioning, all-powerful force named Al G. With the help of Bugs Bunny, LeBron must navigate through a never-before-imagined world filled with iconic movie scenes and characters as they re-assemble the Looney Tunes to rescue his lost son. Now to get back home, Lebron and the Tunes have to unravel Al G's mysterious plan and win an epic basketball game against digital gamified super-versions of the NBA and WNBA's biggest stars as the entire world watches.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Space Jam: A New Legacy stars LeBron James, Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max July 16.
Source: Twitter
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