Michael Jackson's Halloween

Last updated

Michael Jackson's Halloween
Michael Jackson's Halloween.jpg
Written by Mark A.Z. Dippé
Scott Clevenger
Tim Hill
Dave Johnson
Directed byMark A.Z. Dippé
Kyung Ho Lee
Starring
Country of originUnited States
South Korea
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersJohn Branca
John McClain
Liz Young
Mike Young
ProducerDaniel Chuba
EditorAaron Seelman
Running time70 minutes
Production companiesThe Estate of Michael Jackson
Optimum Productions
Splash Entertainment
Hammerhead Productions
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 27, 2017 (2017-10-27)

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.

Contents

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]

Plot

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]

Characters

Music

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.

SongYearAlbumNotes
Smooth Criminal1987Bad
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough1979Off The Wall
  • New remix combining both the Immortal and One remix.
Stranger In Moscow1995HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I
Is It Scary1997Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix
Heartbreaker2001Invincible
  • Instrumental of album version.
This Place Hotel1980Triumph (The Jacksons)
  • Instrumental version of Immortal version.
Xscape2014Xscape
  • Remixed with "Somebody's Watching Me".
  • Instrumental version is also used in creating the new remix.
Somebody's Watching Me1984Somebody's Watching Me (Rockwell)
  • Remixed with "Xscape".
  • Michael's lead vocals only.
Billie Jean1982Thriller
  • Appears in the end of "Xscape X Somebody's Watching Me".
  • Remixed with "Torture" on the third appearance of the latter song.
Human Nature1982Thriller
  • Instrumental version of Immortal version.
Thriller1982Thriller
  • New remix combining the Immortal, One and Stranger Thing remix.
  • Vincent Price's laughing is used several times apart from the dance fight part.
Earth Song1995HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I
  • SFX and strings only.
Dangerous1991Dangerous
  • Remixed with "Jam".
Jam1991Dangerous
  • Remixed with "Dangerous".
Working Day And Night1979Off The Wall
  • Instrumental version of One version.
Dirty Diana1987Bad
  • Instrumental version of One version.
Bad1987Bad
  • Both album version and cello-only version are used in different scenes.
Beat It1982Thriller
  • Similar to the Immortal remix but features different drums and guitars.
They Don't Care About Us1995HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I
  • Remixed with "Threatened".
  • Both instrumental version and Immortal version are used in creating the new remix.
Threatened2001Invincible
  • Remixed with "They Don't Care About Us".
  • Both instrumental version and Immortal version are used in creating the new remix.
Heal The World1991Dangerous
Blood On The Dance Floor1997Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix
  • One version.
Slave To The Rhythm2014Xscape
Torture1984Victory (The Jacksons)
  • New remix, no lead vocals from Michael or Jermaine is included, only falsettos from Jackie.
  • Remixed with "Billie Jean" on the third appearance.
Ghosts1997Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix
2000 Watts2001Invincible
  • Instrumental of album version.
Childhood1995HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I
  • Instrumental of album version.
Will You Be There1991Dangerous

Production

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, while Jackson had recorded for CBS' record division (now Sony Music) and worked with the company on other projects. [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]

Marketing

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]

Reception

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]

References

  1. "New Estate Project". Michael Jackson Official Site. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Michael Jackson's Halloween To Air On CBS This Fall". CBS . July 11, 2017.
  3. Stanhope, Kate (July 11, 2017). "Michael Jackson's Estate and CBS Team for Animated Halloween Special". The Hollywood Reporter .
  4. Petski, Denise (July 11, 2017). "'Michael Jackson's Halloween' Animated Special Set On CBS". Deadline Hollywood
  5. Flook, Ray (September 22, 2017). "'Michael Jackson's Halloween': CBS Scares Up Premiere Date, New Image".
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sixsmith, DJ (October 25, 2017). "'Michael Jackson Loved Halloween': John Branca On CBS Animated Special". CBS Boston . Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Desta, Yohana (October 24, 2017). "The Strange, Spooky Story Behind Michael Jackson's Halloween". Vanity Fair . Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  8. Rashad (October 29, 2017). "Michael Jackson's CBS 'Halloween' Special A Ratings Winner". That Grape Juice. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  9. Welch, Alex (October 21, 2018). "TV Ratings Saturday: College football keeps ABC on top". Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.