The Jackson 5ive was a Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Rankin/Bass from 1971 to 1973; a fictionalized portrayal of the careers of Motown recording group The Jackson 5. The series was animated mainly in London at the studios of Halas and Batchelor, and some animation done at Estudios Moro, Barcelona, Spain. The director was Spanish-American Robert Balser.
Other than appearing in the introduction, the actual Jackson brothers themselves—Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael—were unable to contribute to the show in any way due to scheduling conflicts. Only their music was used. A specially recorded medley of four Jackson 5 #1 hits—"I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", "ABC", and "Mama's Pearl"—served as the show's theme song.
Like most animated comedies of the time, The Jackson 5ive contained a laugh track. The show debuted on September 11, 1971 and ran for two seasons on ABC.
A scene from Rankin/Bass's The Jackson 5ive Saturday morning cartoon.
A scene from Rankin/Bass's The Jackson 5ive Saturday morning cartoon.
Jackson 5ive Cartoon