''Motown Magic'' is an animated children's television series, created by

Josh Wakely Josh Wakely is an Australian director, screenwriter, and producer who owns the rights to the music publishing catalogues of The Beatles, Motown, and Bob Dylan, as well as Universal Music Group’s library of recorded master and publishing catalogu ...

, and produced for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

. The series follows Ben, described by Netflix as "a wide-eyed 8-year-old with a big heart and an amazing imagination", who uses a magic paintbrush to bring the street art in Motown to life. Wakely acquired worldwide rights from the music of Motown to feature in the series. The program features versions of songs by the popular record label, performed by contemporary recording artists and interwoven into the narrative. Motown hits that are recorded in the series are from such performers as

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye,

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

and Smokey Robinson &

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...

. The series was first made available worldwide on Netflix on November 20, 2018.

Cast and characters

* Avia Fields as Ben * Marissa Buccianti as Ella * Betsy Kenney as Angie * Monie Mon as Mickey *

Alex Thomas Alex Thomas (born 10 October 1978) is an English drummer from Lutterworth, Leicestershire, who performs with Squarepusher and Air. He also performed with John Cale (2013). Thomas joined Bolt Thrower on 21 August 1997. He played drums on ''Merce ...

as Brad, Jimmy Mack * Steven Cantor as Dancing Machine * Rhonda Morman as Grandma Ruby * Ryan Robinson as Grandpa Marvin * Byron Marc Newsome as Uncle Rod * Kelly Jean Badgley as Jenny * Ingrid Nilson as Harmony * Autumn Joy as Bernadette * Amanuel Richards as Bill * Peter Tiganis as Johnny

Reception

''Motown Magic'' received favourable reviews. Critics praised the concept of reimagining Motown songs for a young audience.

Other media

Soundtracks

The first soundtrack to the show was released on online music-streaming service

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

on November 20, 2018.

References

External links

* {{Netflix original ended series (2012-2018) 2010s American animated television series 2010s American black cartoons 2010s American children's television series 2018 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated musical television series American children's animated fantasy television series American preschool education television series Animated preschool education television series Animated television series about children 2010s Australian animated television series 2010s Australian black cartoons 2018 Australian television series debuts 2019 Australian television series endings Television series by Beyond Television Productions Australian children's animated adventure television series Australian children's animated musical television series Australian children's animated fantasy television series Australian preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series Motown Netflix children's programming Animated television series by Netflix American English-language television shows