Motown Magic

*Motown Magic*
Motown Magic
Genre	Animated; Children's; Urban fantasy;
Created by	Josh Wakely
Directed by	Josh Wakely
Opening theme	"ABC" performed by Zacary James and Motown Magic Cast
Ending theme	"ABC" performed by Zacary James and Motown Magic Cast
Country of origin	United States; Australia
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	51
Production
Executive producers	Josh Wakely; Mikael Borglund; Smokey Robinson;
Producer	Josh Wakely
Running time	15 minutes
Production companies	Grace - A Storytelling Company; Beyond Entertainment; PolyGram Entertainment; EMI Music Publishing; Sony-ATV Music Publishing
Original release
Network	Netflix; 7TWO (Australia)
Release	November 20, 2018 –; June 28, 2019

Motown Magic is an animated children's television series, created by Josh Wakely, and produced for Netflix. 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, Michael Jackson, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.^[1]^[2]

The series was first made available worldwide on Netflix on November 20, 2018.^[3]

Cast and characters

Avia Fields as Ben
Marissa Buccianti as Ella
Betsy Kenney as Angie
Monie Mon as Mickey
Alex Thomas 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, Stephanie, Mrs Hernandez
Ingrid Nilson as Harmony
Autumn Joy as Bernadette, Skywritter
Amanuel Richards as Bill
Peter Tiganis as Johnny
Tessa VonderHaar as Nelly
Lani Minella as Lorenzo
Lauren Flans as Bonnie
Marc Graue as Magical River
AJ Hudson as Hunter
Dustin Green as Skateboard
Shawn Michael Howard as Clarence
Michael Bearden as Doc Ellington

Episodes

Series overview

Series overview
Season	Episodes		Originally released
1	25		November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
2	26		June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)

Season 1 (2018)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"It's Easy as ABC"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
2	2	"Dancing Machine"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
3	3	"Jimmy Mack"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
4	4	"My Girl"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
5	5	"Mickey's Monkey"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
6	6	"Happy Birthday"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
7	7	"Dancing in the Street"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
8	8	"Money (That’s What I Want)"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
9	9	"Master Blaster"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
10	10	"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
11	11	"Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
12	12	"Ben"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
13	13	"(Love Is Like a) Heatwave"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
14	14	"War"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
15	15	"The Tracks of My Tears"	Unknown	Unknown	July 24, 2023 (2023-07-24)
16	16	"Road Runner"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
17	17	"Smiling Faces Sometimes"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
18	18	"Twenty-Five Miles"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
19	19	"Skywriter"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
20	20	"Runaway Child, Running Wild"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
21	21	"Don't Mess with Bill"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
22	22	"Stop in the Name of Love"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
23	23	"I Wish"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
24	24	"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
25	25	"For Once in My Life"	Unknown	Unknown	November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)

Season 2 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
26	1	"I Heard It Through The Grapevine"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
27	2	"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
28	3	"Superstition"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
29	4	"How Funky Is Your Chicken"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
30	5	"Skate to the Rhythm"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
31	6	"My Guy"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
32	7	"You've Really Got a Hold on Me"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
33	8	"I Wish It Would Rain"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
34	9	"Somebody's Watching Me"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
35	10	"Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
36	11	"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
37	12	"I'll Be Doggone"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
38	13	"He's Misstra Know-It-All"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
39	14	"You Can't Hurry Love"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
40	15	"Uptight "Everything's Alright""	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
41	16	"Agent Double O Soul"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
42	17	"You Haven't Done Nothin'"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
43	18	"Christmas Everyday"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
44	19	"Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
45	20	"Keep on Truckin'"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
46	21	"Easy"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
47	22	"Reach Out I'll Be There"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
48	23	"I Want You Back"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
49	24	"Nowhere to Run"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
50	25	"Higher Ground"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
51	26	"Living for the City"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)

Reception

Motown Magic received favourable reviews. Critics praised the concept of reimagining Motown songs for a young audience.^[4]

Other media

Soundtracks

The first soundtrack to the show was released on online music-streaming service Apple Music on November 20, 2018.^[5]

References

^ "Netflix's 'Motown Magic' exclusive: Watch this amazing kid's version of Jackson 5's 'ABC'". Eu.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
^ "Motown Reveals 'Motown Magic' Soundtrack Track List, Previews Becky G's 'For Once in My Life' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
^ Sippell, Margeaux (2 November 2018). "TV Roundup: 'Stargirl' Series at DC Universe Casts Anjelika Washington". Variety.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
^ "'Motown Magic' - Netflix Original Series Review - Ready Steady Cut". 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
^ "Eventbrite Received $17M Discount on Ticketfly Purchase as Part of Renegotiated Deal With Pandora". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2018.

External links

Motown Magic at IMDb

[1] "Netflix's 'Motown Magic' exclusive: Watch this amazing kid's version of Jackson 5's 'ABC'". Eu.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2018.

[2] "Motown Reveals 'Motown Magic' Soundtrack Track List, Previews Becky G's 'For Once in My Life' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-09-07.

[3] Sippell, Margeaux (2 November 2018). "TV Roundup: 'Stargirl' Series at DC Universe Casts Anjelika Washington". Variety.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.

[4] "'Motown Magic' - Netflix Original Series Review - Ready Steady Cut". 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.

[5] "Eventbrite Received $17M Discount on Ticketfly Purchase as Part of Renegotiated Deal With Pandora". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2018.

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