Moonwalker facts for kids
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Theatrical release poster by Bill Gold
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | October 29, 1988 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $22 million |
| Money made | $67 million |
Moonwalker is a special movie from 1988 starring Michael Jackson. It's not one long story. Instead, it's a collection of short films and long music videos. Many of these videos are from Michael Jackson's 1987 album, Bad. The movie gets its name from the famous moonwalk dance. Michael Jackson was very well known for doing this dance.
The movie was shown in cinemas in Europe and South America. However, Warner Bros. decided not to release it in cinemas in the United States. Instead, Moonwalker came out on video (VHS) in the US. It was a huge hit! It stayed at number one on Billboard's Video Chart for 22 weeks. It also spent 14 weeks at number one on the Top Video-Cassette sales chart. By 1989, Moonwalker had sold 800,000 copies in the US. It has also sold millions of copies in the United Kingdom.
The music video for "Leave Me Alone" was shown on its own. It won a Grammy award in 1990 for Best Music Video. This was the only Grammy Michael Jackson won for his Bad album. The "Leave Me Alone" video also won a big award called the Cannes Gold Lion Award for its amazing special effects.
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Main Characters
- 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 (voice, not listed in credits)
- 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 and Success
Moonwalker's release was planned to happen around the same time as Michael Jackson's 1987 album, Bad. When the movie came out in cinemas, Jackson was also on his first solo concert tour, the Bad World Tour.
The movie was shown in cinemas in Europe and South America. But Warner Bros. decided not to release it in cinemas in the United States. Instead, Moonwalker was released on home video in the United States and Canada on January 10, 1989. This was just as the Bad World Tour was ending. The video sold more than 800,000 copies in the United States by April 1989.
Awards and Recognition
Moonwalker was very popular on video. It stayed at number one on Billboard's Video Chart for 22 weeks. It also spent 14 weeks at number one on the Top Video-Cassette sales chart. The Video Software Dealer's Association gave Michael Jackson an award for Moonwalker in 1989.
In 1989, Moonwalker was recognized for selling 800,000 copies in the United States. It has also been certified 9 times Platinum in the United Kingdom. This means it sold millions of copies there.
The "Leave Me Alone" music video won a Grammy in 1990 for Best Music Video, Short Form. This was the only Grammy Award Jackson received for his Bad album. The "Leave Me Alone" video also won the Cannes Gold Lion Award for Best Special Effects.
How to Watch It Now
The movie had a limited release in cinemas. It was released in the United States on VHS tapes and LaserDiscs. The short films and music videos from the movie also appear in a DVD box set of Michael Jackson's music videos called Michael Jackson's Vision. This set only has parts of "Smooth Criminal" and "Come Together," not the whole movie.
Moonwalker was released on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom in June 2010 by Warner Bros..
The movie has not been officially released on DVD or Blu-ray in North America yet. However, you can buy and watch the movie worldwide on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. This version is from the 2010 Blu-Ray disc release.
Comic Book and Toys
In 1989, a company called Blackthorne Publishing made a comic book based on the movie. It was called Moonwalker 3-D. This comic book did not sell well. The company had paid a lot of money to make it, so they lost a lot of money. Blackthorne Publishing stopped making comics in 1990.
In 2014, a toy company called Bandai released an action figure of Michael Jackson. The figure was dressed in his "Smooth Criminal" outfit from the movie.
Charts
| Chart (2009–2024) | Peak position |
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| UK Video Charts | 1 |
See also
In Spanish: Moonwalker para niños
