Motown Magic

From blackwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Motown Magic TV series characters.

Motown Magic is an animated children TV series produced for Netflix and created by Josh Wakely with Smokey Robinson as executive music producer. Premiered on November 2018, the show is targeted to kids ages 4-11, and the show is committed to anti-racism[1]. The show reimagining Motown hits such as The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, The Temptations, Stevie Wonderfor a young audience[2].

Plot

The series follows Ben Love, an imaginative 8 year-old African-American, and his best friends Angie and Mickey, along with his Love family in a fictitious place called Motown. Ben transform the street art in his city to life using a magic paintbrush, Master Piece and with the classic sounds of Motown interwoven in each episodes.

Empowerment

The show boasts standout messages about self-esteem and creativity, while paying homages to its historic musical and automotive past of Detroit[3]. Representation is also a strong point in the show, shown by the lead character is an African-American. Not repeating the 'token' Black friend or a side character to appease Black audiences[4]. The show didn't fall to the stereotypical Black family and what a Black boy supposed to be, and so African-American kids can see themselves in the media simply for representation[5].

References

  1. " Motown Magic ". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  2. " Motown Magic ". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  3. " Motown Magic TV Review ". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  4. " Netflix Gets It Right With Motown Magic ". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  5. " New Netflix series 'Motown Magic' grooves through racial barriers. November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2020.