Fans of animation and Motown should get ready for their next binge-watch marathon, as Netflix has ordered a new kids series that combines the two.
According to a Netflix press release, the untitled animated project will be set to classic tunes from the Berry Gordy label and is the brainchild of writer-director Josh Wakely, who is also behind Netflix’s toon series Beat Bugs, which puts a similar spin on songs by The Beatles. The entire show will be made available to members worldwide at launch, and the soundtrack to Season 1 will also be released on Melodia/Motown Records.
The new show will follow the adventures of Ben, an eight-year-old boy who lives in the imaginary city of Motown (based on Detroit and its rich musical lineage) and finds out that he can bring street art to life. Ben and his friends Angie and Mickey, along with an amazing cast of enchanting street art characters, discover that creativity is magic as they revive vibrancy to their city and learn life lessons.
Serving as executive music producer on the project is iconic songwriter Smokey Robinson, who plans to recruit contemporary artists to record 52 tracks from the Motown vaults that will drive the plot for each episode. These songs will include hits by such artists as Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Lionel Richie, The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Robinson’s own Miracles.
Robinson had this to say about the new show: “I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful new series that will embrace the magic of Motown and present our songs to a whole new generation of fans and their entire families. I’m so impressed with Josh’s creative vision for the series and can’t wait to play my part in bringing it to the world.”
No air date has been set yet for the upcoming Motown series. Watch the teaser for Beat Bugs below.