Moonwalker

For the related video games, see Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. For other uses, see Moonwalk (disambiguation).

Moonwalker
Theatrical release poster by Bill Gold
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
  • Jerry Kramer
  • Dennis E. Jones
  • Frank DiLeo
  • Michael Jackson
  • "Speed Demon":
  • Will Vinton
  • "Leave Me Alone":
  • Jim Blashfield
  • Paul Diener
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
  • Dale Beldin
  • David E. Blewitt
  • Mitchell Sinoway
Music byBruce Broughton (score)
Michael Jackson (songs)
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • October 29, 1988 (1988-10-29)
Running time
93 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million ($57 million in 2023 dollars)[2]
Box office$67 million ($173 million in 2023 dollars)[2][3]

Moonwalker is a 1988 American experimental anthology musical film starring Michael Jackson.[4] Rather than featuring one continuous narrative, the film expresses the influence of fandom and innocence through a collection of short films about Jackson, several of which are long-form music videos from Jackson's 1987 album Bad.[5] The film is named after the dance technique known as the moonwalk, which Jackson was known for performing.[6]

The film was released theatrically in Europe and South America, but Warner Bros. canceled plans for a Christmas 1988 theatrical release in the United States. Moonwalker was released on VHS, and remained #1 on Billboard's Video Chart for 22 weeks. Moonwalker also spent 14 weeks at #1 on Billboards Top Video- Cassette sales chart[7] In 1989, Moonwalker was honoured with a certification of 800,000 copies sold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[8] Moonwalker has been certified 9 x Platinum in the United Kingdom.[9]

The "Leave Me Alone" video aired as a separate entity and won a Grammy in 1990 for Best Music Video, Short Form, which is the only Grammy Award Jackson received for the album Bad. "Leave Me Alone" video also won the Cannes Gold Lion Award for Best Special Effects.[10]

  1. ^ "MOONWALKER (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. November 4, 1988. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  2. ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Retro Rewind: Michael Jackson's 'Moonwalker'". That Grape Juice. July 7, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  4. ^ Fordy, Tom (November 2018). "The making of Moonwalker: What Michael Jackson's oddball cinematic folly tells us about his mind". The Telegraph.
  5. ^ Dennis Hunt (January 10, 1989). "VIDEO REVIEW : 'Moonwalker': A Stroll Through a Super Ego". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  6. ^ Elizabeth Amisu (September 26, 2016). The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson: His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781440838651. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Halstead, Craig; Cadman, Chris (2003). Michael Jackson the Solo Years. Authors On Line. ISBN 9780755200917.
  8. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  9. ^ Album cover
  10. ^ "MUSIC VIDEOS". blashfieldstudio.com.