Michael Jackson Movies: The Wiz, Moonwalker and This Is It

The Wiz, Moonwalker and Michael Jackson’s This Is It all feature Michael Jackson himself, but they do not tell the same kind of story. In The Wiz he acts as the Scarecrow. Moonwalker places his musical persona at the center of a collection of performances and fantasies. This Is It presents documentary footage of him developing a stage production.

That distinction answers a common question behind searches for Michael Jackson movies: appearing in a film does not necessarily mean playing himself in a biography. These three titles offer character acting, musical screen invention and rehearsal documentation respectively. They also differ from Michael, the dramatized biographical production in which another actor portrays Jackson.

Released in 1978, The Wiz is a musical fantasy directed by Sidney Lumet. Jackson plays the Scarecrow opposite Diana Ross as Dorothy. The BFI describes the film as an urban reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, based on the Broadway musical, with New York City transformed into the story’s fantastic landscape.

Jackson’s contribution is therefore a character performance within an ensemble. The Scarecrow has a place in Dorothy’s journey alongside the Tin Man and the Lion; he is not a disguised version of a pop-star biography. Universal’s cast listing includes Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor, placing Jackson among performers serving a shared fictional story.

The film is also distinct from The Wiz Live!, the later television production. Universal sometimes packages the two together, but the shared title and musical source do not make them the same screen adaptation or cast.

Moonwalker, released in 1988, uses a different structure. Warner Bros. describes it as a combination of Jackson performing live and a series of fantasy pieces with Jackson as the central character. That description is more useful than expecting one uninterrupted realistic plot.

The film moves between performance and imaginative screen storytelling, including its substantial Smooth Criminal material. Warner’s listings identify Jerry Kramer and Colin Chilvers as directors and name Sean Lennon, Joe Pesci, Brandon Adams and Kellie Parker among the cast.

Because its central figure is Michael Jackson, some descriptions can sound biographical. Nevertheless, fantasy events should not be read as documented incidents from his life. The film showcases a musical identity through different screen forms, rather than offering the straightforward actor-led life narrative associated with a biopic.

Sony identifies Michael Jackson’s This Is It as a documentary and music/dance film. Its material follows preparations for planned concerts at London’s O2 Arena, drawing on rehearsals and behind-the-scenes footage recorded from April through June 2009.

The footage shows Jackson working on performances rather than acting as a fictional character. It is also important not to describe the film as a recording of a completed public London concert. Sony’s synopsis places its emphasis on development, creation and rehearsal.

Documentary does not mean an unedited record of everything that happened. The film selects and arranges material into a finished viewing experience. Its value for this comparison is the kind of evidence it provides: Jackson’s own rehearsal activity, rather than an actor’s reconstruction.

If the remembered image is Jackson as a companion on Dorothy’s journey, the title is The Wiz. If it involves a shifting collection of music, live performance and fantasy, Moonwalker is the likely match. If it shows rehearsals, production discussions and preparations for London shows, it is This Is It.

Those distinctions are more dependable than treating all three as concert movies or documentaries. They also help families check the correct edition and classification, since one familiar performer can appear in works with very different storytelling styles.