It All Started With . . .
Series titles: The Jackson Five, The Jackson 5
- Studio
- Rankin-Bass Productions, Motown Productions, Videocraft International Limited
- Animation studio
- Halas and Batchelor Animation
- Distributor
- Golden Books Family Entertainment, Worldvision Enterprises Inc.
Synopsis
The Jacksons tell the story of how they met Diana Ross and Berry Gordy, and became Motown superstars.
Characters
Michael Jackson, Sigmund 'Jackie' Jackson, Toriano 'Tito' Jackson, Marlon 'David' Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Ray, Charles, Rosie, Diana Ross, Berry Gordy
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr
- Unit Director
- Tony Guy
Producing
- Producer
- Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr
Writing
Voices
- Voice
- Joel Cooper (Jermaine), Donald Fullilove (Michael), Craig Grandy (Jackie), Mike Martinez (Tito), Edmund Silver (Marlon), Paul Frees (Berry Gordy), Diana Ross (Herself), Jackie Jackson (Himself, singing), Jermaine Jackson (Himself, singing), Marlon Jackson (Himself, singing), Michael Jackson (Himself, singing), Tito Jackson (Himself, singing)
Music
- Music
- Maury Laws
Animation
- Animation Director
- Robert Balser
- Animator
- Robert Balser (Animation Director)
Art Department
- Character Design
- Jack Davis
Editing
- Editor
- Irwin Goldress
- Editorial Supervision
- Irwin Goldress
Sound
- Sound Engineers
- Jim Harris, John Boyd
Music Department
- Background Orchestrations
- Maury Laws
Crew
- Crew
- MCMLXXI
Companies and other credits
- RANKIN/BASS Presents
- THE JACKSON 5IVE
- Copyright © VIDEOCRAFT INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
- a subsidiary of TOMORROW ENTERTAINMENT
- INC
- RANKIN/BASS
- in association with
- MOTOWN PRODUCTIONS
- INC
Production notes
Songs: "ABC," "Goin' Back To Indiana."
This was the only episode to feature a fellow Motown artist.
"ABC" appears here in an alternate mix with echoed lead and backing vocals and more applause heard during the bridge.
"Michael Eisner, then head of children's programming at ABC, helped and encouraged us from script ideas through characters and final production. He even came to London, where we were doing the animation," Arthur Rankin, Jr. recalled.
The show opens with live-action footage of the Jacksons and their dancing silhouettes. Two Jackson Five songs appeared in each episode.
An applause track followed each of the Jacksons' songs. Unusually for a cartoon series, The Jackson 5ive had a laugh track.
"I never did meet the Jacksons, nor did I ever seen the finished product. I just did the designs from the photographs as I thought they should look, and that was that," said character designer Jack Davis, who worked from his London hotel room, using videos of the Jacksons' performances and production photos.
From time to time, Michael Jackson has used clips from "The Jackson 5ive" in his music videos.
This was the only episode to feature a fellow Motown artist.
"ABC" appears here in an alternate mix with echoed lead and backing vocals and more applause heard during the bridge.
"Michael Eisner, then head of children's programming at ABC, helped and encouraged us from script ideas through characters and final production. He even came to London, where we were doing the animation," Arthur Rankin, Jr. recalled.
The show opens with live-action footage of the Jacksons and their dancing silhouettes. Two Jackson Five songs appeared in each episode.
An applause track followed each of the Jacksons' songs. Unusually for a cartoon series, The Jackson 5ive had a laugh track.
"I never did meet the Jacksons, nor did I ever seen the finished product. I just did the designs from the photographs as I thought they should look, and that was that," said character designer Jack Davis, who worked from his London hotel room, using videos of the Jacksons' performances and production photos.
From time to time, Michael Jackson has used clips from "The Jackson 5ive" in his music videos.
Pictures
Reviews
It All Started With . . .
This episode is an animated version of the press-hype myth of the discovery of the Jackson 5 by Diana Ross. If you were a kid at the time, you would have loved it. Sad irony though-this wonderful cartoon was brodcast the morning of the Attica tragedy and 30 years to the day before 9-11.