''Motown Magic'' is an animated children's television series, created by Josh Wakely, and produced for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. 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 Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

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 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

and

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

The Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

. The series was first made available worldwide on Netflix on November 20, 2018.

Cast and characters

* Avia Fields as

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

* Marissa Buccianti as Ella * Betsy Kenney as Angie * Monie Mon as Mickey * Alex Thomas as Brad,

Jimmy Mack "Jimmy Mack" is a pop/soul song that in 1967 became a hit single by Martha and the Vandellas for Motown's Gordy imprint. Written and produced by Motown's main creative team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Jimmy Mack" was the final Top 10 pop hit f ...

* 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 Bernadette is a French language, French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Notable persons with the name include: People * Bernadette (singer) (born 1959), Dutch singer * Bernadette Allen (born 1956), American for ...

, Skywritter * Amanuel Richards as

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

* Peter Tiganis as Johnny * Tessa VonderHaar as Nelly *

Lani Minella Lani Jean Minella (born July 28, 1950) is an American voice actress, voice director, and producer mostly working in the games industry. She is also the founder and owner of the voice-acting agency AudioGodz. Career After college, Minella started ...

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

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Reception

''Motown Magic'' received favourable reviews. Critics praised the concept of reimagining Motown songs for a young audience.

Other media

Soundtracks

The first soundtrack to the show was released on online music-streaming service

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

on November 20, 2018.

References

External links

* {{Netflix original ended series (2012-2018) 2010s American animated television series 2010s American black cartoons 2010s American children's television series 2018 American animated television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated musical television series American children's animated fantasy television series American preschool education television series Animated preschool education television series Animated television series about children 2010s Australian animated television series 2010s Australian black cartoons 2018 Australian television series debuts 2019 Australian television series endings Television series by Beyond Television Productions Australian children's animated adventure television series Australian children's animated musical television series Australian children's animated fantasy television series Australian preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series Motown Netflix children's programming Animated television series by Netflix American English-language television shows Urban fantasy television series