Moonwalker (1988)

Anthology movie by, and starring, Michael Jackson in his prime, combining a number of music videos from his bestselling "Bad" album with a fantasy tale of Michael's confrontation with a ruthless drug dealer known as Mr. Big.

Directors:

Jerry Kramer, Colin Chilvers

Writers:

Michael Jackson (story), David Newman (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Jackson, Joe Pesci, Sean Lennon

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Jackson	...	Michael
Joe Pesci	...	Mr. Big
Sean Lennon	...	Sean
Kelley Parker	...	Katie (as Kellie Parker)
Brandon Quintin Adams	...	Zeke (as Brandon Adams)
Jeff Adkins	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal") (as Jeffry Adkins)
Patrick Alan	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Brenda Barrett	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Scott Benson	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Bonnie Beutler	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Lindell Blake	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Kim Blank	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Shelby Brown	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Geron Canidate	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
Cindera Che	...	Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")

Storyline

A movie that starts out with the "Man in the Mirror" music video, it then changes to a montage of video clips of Michael's career. Next comes a parody of his Bad video by children, and then Michael is chased by fans in a fantasy sequence. 2 more videos are shown, and then a movie in which Michael plays a hero with magical powers. In it he is chased by drug dealer Mr. Big and saves three children. Videos included in the movie are "Smooth Criminal" and "Come Together".

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Plot Keywords:

children | parody | car | dancing | cult film | 

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Taglines:

An Adventure Movie Like No Other.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Fantasy | Music | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Michael Jackson: Moonwalker

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MJJ Productions, Ultimate Productions, Will Vinton Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Jackson sings a cover of The Beatles hit song Come Together. Sean Lennon who plays Sean is the son of the late John Lennon.

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Goofs

While Michael is performing "Come Together" his white shirt is ripped to his chest, then to his pants, then not ripped at all, then ripped to his pants, and so on throughout the whole performance.

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Quotes

Zeke 'Baby Bad' Michael: [about Michael Jackson] I taught him everything he knows.

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Alternate Versions

MTV and VH1 have shown this film many times, and although it isn't a long film they have cut it, specifically the "Smooth Criminal" segment (the showpiece of the film): The dance segment in Club 30's is heavily edited, as is the scene where the kids' dog is returned to them by Michael's manager (leaving one plot question unanswered!) The "Come Together" performance is also shorter. The more recent VH1 Rock and Roll Picture Show airings cut the film down even more, most noticably in the Retrospective sequence.

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Connections

Edited into Michael Jackson: Smooth Criminal (1988)

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Soundtracks

Man in the Mirror
Written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard
Performed by Michael Jackson

User Reviews

different, to say the least

I remember watching this movie back in 1988 and was really amazed at many of the dance sequences and special effects. The best part of the movie is when Michael Jackson is dancing with a rabbit named "Spike" and is given a ticket for dancing in a "no dancing" zone, as Spike mysteriously disappears. There is really no plot to this movie but that doesn't mean that it isn't good because it is. This movie is really the last appearance of Michael Jackson at his peak (before he got all weird that is) He peaked in 1988 and after that I never cared for anything else he did. He just got too weird for my tastes. The music in this movie is probably the best Michael Jackson has ever done. Like another poster pointed out, it was basically a really long music video for the album "Bad" as just about all the songs from the movie appear on that album. But it was really cool though. It's definately worth watching on a rainy day or if you have nothing else to do