The Jackson 5ive
The Jackson 5ive was a Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Rankin/Bass and Motown Productions on ABC from September 11, 1971 until 14 October 1972; a fictionalized portrayal of the careers of Motown recording group The Jackson 5. The series was rebroadcast in syndication through Worldvision Enterprises during the 1984–1985 Saturday morning season, during a period when Michael Jackson was riding a major wave of popularity as a solo artist. The series was animated mainly in London at the studios of Halas and Batchelor, and some animation done at Estudios Moro, Barcelona, Spain. The director was Spanish-American Robert Balser.
The Jacksons are scheduled to perform at an outdoor concert, but when Michael discovers a talking "blues bird" (a play on "blues" and bluebird) and learns that the jazz-musician voiced bird and his nest, containing an egg soon to hatch, are in danger from bulldozers scheduled to tear down the concert park, Michael investigates. He learns a wealthy magnate named Hoozis owns the building overlooking the endangered park, and at once moves in to interfere. Hoozis is patterned after eccentric U.S. millionaire Howard Hughes.
When he bumps his head in a bicycling accident, Michael dreams he is a storybook prince hiding in a tiny cottage where his brothers are dwarf-sized and warn him not to eat the poisoned apple a visiting crone soon offers (as in the story of Snow White). Naturally, Michael bites the apple and immediately collapses as though dead.
Michael fantasizes about what it would be like to become Mayor of Los Angeles. His Hairy Godfather (back from the episode "CinderJackson") grants his wish and Michael discovers that it's a bigger job than he thought. The Hairy Godfather is the only character to play a recurring role in The Jackson 5ive besides Berry Gordy.
Before a show in the Wonderland theme park, Michael accidentally falls unconscious while testing a new roller coaster ride and dreams he is in Wonderland, where he encounters soul and funk-related versions of Wonderland's famous characters.
Michael comes across magic beans that grow a beanstalk outside his and his brothers' Indiana apartment (as in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk). When he climbs to the top, he wanders a fabulous land and encounters the giant.
A promoter books the brothers on a heavy radio tour schedule, while trying to find an opening act for their upcoming concert.
The alleged story of how Diana Ross discovered The Jackson 5,we all know who originally discovered them. Anyway,the story begins when Ms. Ross finds a pink snake in her dressing room,which turns out to be Rosey,the brothers' pet snake.Fearing that something bad will happen to Rosey,Michael gets on his bike and heads down to the arena,Marlon,Jermaine,Tito, and Jackie follow him in Tito's old beat-up car. After getting Rosey out of harm's way,Michael and his brothers become fast friends with Ms. Ross and later on she discovers how talented they are and invites them to Detroit,MI for an audition with her record company (Motown),but the brothers have other ambitions:Jackie wants to be pro-basketball player, Tito wants to design and build cars,Jermaine wants to be a chef,Marlon wants to be a scientist,and Michael hopes to be a cowboy and run his own ranch. After sleeping on it,the Jackson 5 decides to head to Detroit to make music.
The Jackson 5 head out to the country to perform a concert in the wilderness.This concert is promoted by a greedy millionaire named,Mr. Carruthers,who plans to have all the trees cut down before the big show.But the brothers are so concerned about the animals in the forest that they feel that what Mr. Carruthers is doing is wrong,so when they get wise on Mr. Carruthers' plans,he decides to have his lumberjacks put the J5 in a deep,dark cave where water begins to leak into the cave,but thanks to Ray & Charles (with help from some moles),the brothers escaped unharmed and plan to get revenge on Mr. Carruthers and his lumberjacks.
The Jackson 5 prepare for a concert at Fort Paratroop.Michael and Marlon decides to march with some inductees and gets (accidently) inducted to the service.Jackie,Tito,and Jermaine must find a way to get their younger brothers out before their show.
The Jacksons are heading to Las Vegas for a big show, on the way, they make a pit stop at an old printing place to have some posters printed up for their show. But the guy that Jackie hired must've had his wires crossed because he stuck their picture to a wanted poster for another group of brothers called,The Dingbats, who are mean-spirted crooks.
While the J5 are rehearsing for a concert in the park,a crooked clown kidnaps a bongo playing monkey and takes him to the circus for his own greedy purposes.Meanwhile,the monkey' mother is furious to find her baby's gone and takes Michael hostage and forces him to play the bongos for her.It's up to Jackie,Tito,Marlon,and Jermaine to go to the circus and get the monkey back to the zoo before they lose Michael forever.
Visiting a race track, Michael is tricked by a somewhat shifty horse racer into accidentally buying a lazy, unmotivated horse. When the brothers learn that the horse can race real fast when their music is being played, the horse racer comes up with a plan to make sure they lose everything.
Mr. Leo King,a show business entrepeneur,has plans to make a film starring Samantha Christie,the Princess of Pop and makes an announcement that he plans to throw a fabulous birthday for Samantha,where she'll get to choose the leading man for her film.It's Michael's big dream come true,but unfortunately,he's very sick and is unable to attend the party,that is until a package from Gary,IN shows up at his door step.What Michael thought was chicken soup,turned out to be his hairy godfather,who helps him get geared up for the ball.First,he gets rid Michael's cold,second,he decks him out in fresh threads and glass sneakers,transforms an anchovie pizza pie into a limosuine,and Ray,Charles,and Rosey into Michael's servants,then he's off to the ball.
Michael wanders into an oasis called the Land of Soul he sees each of his brothers play a familiar Wizard of Oz character. Together they journey to find the "Wizard of Soul," who if located can help him get back to his (real) brothers and get to the show on time.
The Jacksons are shrunk to miniature size and have to avoid large household perils to reverse the mishap that miniaturized them.
Marlon and Michael create a funky-dancing musical robot called ""The J5 Groovatron"",then they meet a salesman named Sam Sham,who offers the brothers some finishing touches for the Groovatron,but after seeing its test run,Sam Sham steals the funky robot and makes millions off of it.It's up to the Jackson 5 to get their Groovatron robot back from Sam Sham before they end up unemployed.
While taking a break from doing a commercial,Marlon and Michael visit a cartoon studio where a cartoonist is trying draw mice for an animated version of ""The Prince and the Pauper"",then he asks if he could use Ray and Charles for the movie.At first,Michael and Marlon refuses,but realizes that they were selfish and let them do the cartoon,but will success go to Ray's and Charles's heads?
The brothers take some time off and buy some farmland from a guy named Shtook and meet an indian named Running Water and the J5 has only a few days (or weeks) to make something out of the land they bought or they'll lose everything.
On a flight to Hawaii, the five brothers crash onto an island. Michael hits his head on a coconut and meets the most fictional and evil pirates in history.
When stranded without his stage clothing in a travel mishap at Heathrow Airport in London, Michael unwisely consults two envious Pearly Kings threatened by his success who use the opportunity to plot to discredit him. The two Pearlies conspire to trick Michael into dressing in shabby patches and rags for his royal performance, but once he is seen on Carnaby Street, his look becomes a British fashion sensation.
The J5 has been invited back to Gary,Indiana by the Mayor for that he wants to name a street after the hit-making sibling group. But,Michael gets Marlon,Jackie,Tito, and Jermaine in tons of mischief not realizing after all they've been through that they're a week early for their induction.
The J5's producer (Berry Gordy) tries to figure out why neither of the brothers are talking to each other.Each had their own different side of the story to tell.All claim that they helped a young girl who ran out of gas,each one saying that they did it themselves and trying to top the other's side of the story.But their producer tries to smooth things over and get them back together.
After a series of unsuccessful dates,the J5 decides to swear off girls for good.On flight to Detroit,The brothers meets new flight attendent,Jacqualine Pearl and fall head over heels in love with her,so when they arrive in Detroit,she writes a letter,each of them thinking its for them only.All the guys call her one by one for dates,feeling that they're puuting her on,she asks her brother,Jumbo for help to set up a trap for all the Jackson 5.
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Release | 1971-09-11 |
| Producer | Rankin/Bass Productions |