Moonwalker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Moonwalker
Theatrical release poster by Bill Gold
Directed by	Jerry Kramer "Leave Me Alone": Jim Blashfield "Smooth Criminal": Colin Chilvers
Produced by	Jerry Kramer Dennis E. Jones Frank DiLeo Michael Jackson "Speed Demon": Will Vinton "Leave Me Alone": Jim Blashfield Paul Diener
Screenplay by	"Smooth Criminal": David Newman
Story by	"Smooth Criminal": Michael Jackson
Starring	Michael Jackson Sean Lennon Kellie Parker Brandon Quintin Adams Joe Pesci
Music by	Bruce Broughton (score) Michael Jackson (songs)
Cinematography	Thomas E. Ackerman Robert E. Collins Frederick Elmes John Hora Crescenzo G.P. Notarile
Editing by	Dale Beldin David E. Blewitt Mitchell Sinoway
Studio	Lorimar Motion Pictures MJJ Productions Ultimate Productions Will Vinton Productions ("Speed Demon")
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	October 29, 1988 (1988-10-29)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$22 million
Money made	$67 million

Moonwalker is a 1988 American experimental anthology musical film starring Michael Jackson. Rather than featuring one continuous narrative, the film expresses the influence of fandom and innocence through a collection of short films about Jackson, several of which are long-form music videos from Jackson's 1987 album Bad. The film is named after the dance technique known as the moonwalk, which Jackson was known for performing.

The film was released theatrically in Europe and South America, but Warner Bros. canceled plans for a Christmas 1988 theatrical release in the United States. Moonwalker was released on VHS, and remained #1 on Billboard's Video Chart for 22 weeks. Moonwalker also spent 14 weeks at #1 on Billboards Top Video- Cassette sales chart In 1989, Moonwalker was honoured with a certification of 800,000 copies sold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Moonwalker has been certified 9 x Platinum in the United Kingdom.

The "Leave Me Alone" video aired as a separate entity and won a Grammy in 1990 for Best Music Video, Short Form, which is the only Grammy Award Jackson received for the album Bad. "Leave Me Alone" video also won the Cannes Gold Lion Award for Best Special Effects.

Cast

• Michael Jackson as Himself
• Joe Pesci as Frankie "Mr. Big" Lideo
• Kellie Parker as Katie
• Sean Lennon as Sean
• Brandon Quintin Adams as Zeke / "Smooth Criminal" / "Baby Bad" / Michael "Badder"
• Clancy Brown as Policeman
• Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman (uncredited voice)
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo as Themselves
• Jermaine La Jaune Jackson, Jr. as Himself
• TJ Jackson as Himself
• Taryll Jackson as Himself
• Nikki Cox as Herself
• The Boys as Themselves
• Pons Maar as The Noid (voice)

Release

The release of Moonwalker was originally scheduled to coincide with Jackson's 1987 album, Bad. During the theatrical release of Moonwalker, Jackson was also embarking on the Bad World Tour, his first tour as a solo performer. The film was released theatrically in Europe and South America, but Warner Bros. canceled plans for a Christmas 1988 theatrical release in the United States. Moonwalker was instead released on home video by CMV Enterprises in the United States and Canada on January 10, 1989, just as the Bad World Tour finished. (His tour was supposed to finish sooner, but had been postponed due to some vocal strain, so it went on until the last week of January 1989.) The video had sold more than 800,000 copies in the United States by April 17, 1989.

Legacy and awards

Moonwalker was released on VHS, and remained #1 on Billboard's Video Chart for 22 weeks. Moonwalker also spent 14 weeks at #1 on Billboards Top Video- Cassette sales chart The Video Software Dealer's Association awarded Jackson with an award for Moonwalker in 1989.

In 1989, Moonwalker was honoured with a certification of 800,000 copies sold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Moonwalker has been certified 9 x Platinum in the United Kingdom.

The "Leave Me Alone" video aired as a separate entity and won a Grammy in 1990 for Best Music Video, Short Form, which is the only Grammy Award Jackson received for the album Bad. "Leave Me Alone" video also won the Cannes Gold Lion Award for Best Special Effects.

Home media

The film had a limited theatrical release and was released in the United States on VHS and LaserDisc. The vignettes featured in the movie also appear in a DVD box set of Michael Jackson music videos titled Michael Jackson's Vision. The set only features the song and dance sequences from "Smooth Criminal", the title song, and the ending "Come Together" as opposed to the entire short film.

Moonwalker was released on a region-free Blu-ray in the United Kingdom in June 2010 by Warner Bros.

Moonwalker has yet to be officially released on DVD and/or Blu-ray in North America. The film is available to buy worldwide exclusively on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service, which is the version from the 2010 Blu-Ray disc release

Comic

In 1989, Blackthorne Publishing adapted the film into a comic book, Moonwalker 3-D (# 75 in Blackthorne's 3-D Series). This title, illustrated by Abel Laxamana was a major contributing factor in the demise of Blackthorne, since the publisher had to pay a large licensing fee for the property, and when the comic flopped, they experienced a large financial loss. Blackthorne ceased its operations in 1990.

Toys

In 2014, Bandai released an S.H. Figuarts figure of Jackson in his "Smooth Criminal" outfit.

Charts

See also

In Spanish: Moonwalker para niños