Michael Jackson's Halloween | |
---|---|
Written by | Mark A.Z. Dippé Scott Clevenger Tim Hill Dave Johnson |
Directed by | Mark A.Z. Dippé Kyung Ho Lee |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States South Korea |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | John Branca John McClain Liz Young Mike Young |
Producer | Daniel Chuba |
Editor | Aaron Seelman |
Running time | 70 minutes |
Production companies | The Estate of Michael Jackson Optimum Productions Splash Entertainment Hammerhead Productions |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | October 27, 2017 |
Michael Jackson's Halloween is a one-hour animated television special that premiered on CBS on October 27, 2017. [1] [2] It was produced by Splash Entertainment.
The cast of voice actors includes Lucas Till, Kiersey Clemons, Jim Parsons, George Eads, Alan Cumming, Christine Baranski, Lucy Liu, and Brad Garrett. The special also features Michael Jackson's music, [3] and a dance finale depicting Jackson himself. [2]
The special was produced in collaboration with the Michael Jackson estate. [2] John Branca and John MacClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, serve as executive producers. It is produced by Daniel Chuba and directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé. [4] The special was created and produced by Optimum Productions, the company owned by Jackson's estate, with animation production by the Seoul-based VFX studio Hammerhead Productions. [5]
A young man and woman, Vincent (Lucas Till) and Victoria (Kiersey Clemons), cross paths on Halloween night. As a result of their meeting, they and Victoria's boss' dog, Ichabod, find themselves in a "magical adventure of personal discovery" at the This Place Hotel, located at 777 Jackson Street. [2] They meet the bellhop chimp Bubbles (Brad Garrett), the scarecrow groundskeeper Hay Man (Jim Parsons), spider security guard Generalissimo Meriweather (Alan Cumming), and mad scientist cat Franklin Stein (Diedrich Bader) who they join in stopping the tyrannical witch Conformity (Lucy Liu) from getting rid of music and dancing.
The story culminates in a dance finale featuring an animated version of Michael Jackson himself (voiced using his music and archival recordings). [2]
This Halloween animated special features 28 songs, including some remixes, from Michael Jackson and The Jacksons catalogue, re-imagined and remixed by the producer from former "Immortal World Tour" and "Michael Jackson: One" projects Kevin Antunes.
Song | Year | Album | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Smooth Criminal | 1987 | Bad | |
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough | 1979 | Off The Wall |
|
Stranger In Moscow | 1995 | HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I | |
Is It Scary | 1997 | Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix | |
Heartbreaker | 2001 | Invincible |
|
This Place Hotel | 1980 | Triumph (The Jacksons) |
|
Xscape | 2014 | Xscape |
|
Somebody's Watching Me | 1984 | Somebody's Watching Me (Rockwell) |
|
Billie Jean | 1982 | Thriller |
|
Human Nature | 1982 | Thriller |
|
Thriller | 1982 | Thriller |
|
Earth Song | 1995 | HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I |
|
Dangerous | 1991 | Dangerous |
|
Jam | 1991 | Dangerous |
|
Working Day And Night | 1979 | Off The Wall |
|
Dirty Diana | 1987 | Bad |
|
Bad | 1987 | Bad |
|
Beat It | 1982 | Thriller |
|
They Don't Care About Us | 1995 | HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I |
|
Threatened | 2001 | Invincible |
|
Heal The World | 1991 | Dangerous | |
Blood On The Dance Floor | 1997 | Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix |
|
Slave To The Rhythm | 2014 | Xscape | |
Torture | 1984 | Victory (The Jacksons) |
|
Ghosts | 1997 | Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix | |
2000 Watts | 2001 | Invincible |
|
Childhood | 1995 | HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I |
|
Will You Be There | 1991 | Dangerous |
John Branca had an extensive period working with Michael Jackson that started in 1980, which included work on the singer's iconic Thriller music video. [6] Branca claimed the singer "loved Halloween", as he incorporated horror imagery in Thriller as well as another one of his short films named Ghosts ; [6] in 2016, this plus a recurring re-interest of Thriller every halloween influenced the idea of a halloween special featuring Jackson's music, "something that Michael wanted to do" according to Branca, [6] into the minds of Branca and director Mark A.Z. Dippé. [7]
Some of the film's companies and production staff previously collaborated with Jackson in the past; song compiler Kevin Antunes was involved as musical designer in the artist's Cirque du Soleil shows, and CBS had a history of television projects starring him. [6] The dancers and choreographers who worked on the motion capture-animated dance segments were also Jackson veterans. [7] CBS was involved in the casting, recommending actors such as Lucy Liu, Jim Parsons and Alan Cumming. [6] L.L. Cool J was also approached for the project, although doesn't appear in the special. [7]
A sneak preview of the special was shown on October 5, 2017 at the New York Comic Con, which was followed by a Q&A panel with the creators. [2]
On its premiere airing, the special was watched by 5.67 million viewers. [8] The special was broadcast again in 2018 and was watched by 2.03 million viewers. [9]
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