Michael Joseph Jackson was an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, dancer, choreographer, record producer, and businessman, who was also referred as the "King of Pop" or by his initials "MJ".
For Disney, he played Captain EO in the 3D film of the same name, which is an attraction at several Disney parks. After he died of cardiac arrest in 2009, Captain EO re-opened at the Disney parks as a tribute, using the name of Captain EO Tribute.
He also appeared in a few Disney TV specials, such as Disneyland's 25th Anniversary , where he sang "When You Wish Upon a Star".
His song "Thriller" was featured as a brief music video in DTV Monster Hits, even though his mother didn't like it. Another song he performed with his brothers The Jackson 5 when he was younger, "I Want You Back", was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy . He was also an inspiration for Powerline in the 1995 film A Goofy Movie , as well as Dr. Facilier in the 2009 Disney animated feature film The Princess and the Frog . Additionally, he was mentioned on the Mickey's Dance Party album, in the Good Luck Charlie episode "Up a Tree", the A.N.T. Farm episodes: "detective agANTcy" and "influANTces" (with Darryl Parks dressing up as Michael in said episode), and the Austin & Ally episode "Presidents & Problems".
He named his home property "Neverland Ranch", inspired by Neverland from the 1953 Disney animated feature film Peter Pan . "Neverland Ranch" was quite a place in California, where fans alike could experience a good time. It also is rumored that he got an exact replica of the iconic Disneyland attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean installed in his house.
Gallery[ ]
Trivia[ ]
- Jackson once expressed interest in purchasing the huge welcoming sign to the Anaheim Disneyland Resort from 1989 to 1999, but John Stamos of Full House beat him to it and stored the massive blue and white lettering in the backyard of his California home which can be seen from satellite pictures. Not to be a sore loser, Michael Jackson called John Stamos on the phone to say "congratulations" for his big win.[1]
- The vignette for the "Thriller" segment of his cancelled This Is It tour has several loose references to the Haunted Mansion franchise.
- A mansion with a graveyard.
- Several characters such as The Opera Singer's ghost, Chandelier Ghosts, a woman holding a candelabra, a groundskeeper, a mummy, and others
- A giant spider appears, wherein a prop version of it would roll onstage and open up to reveal MJ himself.
- Vincent Price acts as Madame Leota in a crystal ball.
- Jackson was suffering from the skin disorder vitiligo, which began as he recorded Thriller. The condition worsened by the time he filmed Captain EO and he grew pale in the late 1980's, though he did not publicly reveal his diagnosis until his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. Following his death, his autopsy confirmed his vitiligo.
- He appeared on The Simpsons , where he voiced a character named Leon Kompowsky, in the episode "Stark Raving Dad", who was believed to be a mentally ill person who believed he was Michael Jackson, until it was revealed he knew he wasn't MJ but chose to speak that way and knew his real name. Michael Jackson did not sing in the episode but only did the speaking lines, while the singing voice was an impersonator. Jackson was credited as "John Jay Smith" for the role.
References[ ]
- ↑ "John Stamos Beat Michael Jackson to Buy Original Disneyland Sign". Hollywood (Mar 6, 2017).
