Smokey Robinson Will Produce An Animated Motown Series For Kids On Netflix

Nearly 60 years after its founding Motown is an institution sight unseen. The Detroit-based label once served as the hub for r&b and soul the world over, and remains as one of the largest and most influential pillars in the American music canon to this day, offering a home and platform for sensational era and genre defining musicians like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5 and too many more to name in these few hundred words. Simply put, there’s never been a label or powerhouse in music that has uplifted so many phenomenal black musicians.

Now, with more than half a millennium in the world and only samples and dusty vinyl leading the current generation towards that illustrious history, there’s a very real need to bridge that gap and contextualize the brilliance of the Motown movement for the millennial age and well beyond. And in steps Netlfix with its latest scheme: an animated series for kids that adapts the legendary Jobete Motown catalog and offers new takes on some of their most cherished compositions from today’s biggest stars. Though the precise roster of contemporary musicians has yet to be revealed, it’s safe to assume that the show and its soundtrack will take cues from another forthcoming animated Netflix series, Beat Bugs, taking on The Fab Four’s trove of classics with Jennifer Hudson, Rod Stewart, Sia and more.

According to Billboard, Smokey Robinson is set to produce the series, though a run date has yet to be announced.