Filmography

Jackson's first film role was as the Scarecrow in the The Wiz, an urbanized retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Jackson was dedicated to the role, and watched videotapes of gazelles, cheetahs and panthers in order to learn graceful movements for his part.^[57] Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor and music producer for the film and marked Jones' first time working with Michael Jackson.^[57] Jones would later produce three hit albums for Jackson: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.^[58] Jones recalled working with Jackson as one of his favorite experiences from The Wiz, and spoke of Jackson's dedication to his role, comparing his acting style to Sammy Davis, Jr.^[57] Michael Jackson's performance as the Scarecrow was received positively, with critics noting that he possessed "genuine acting talent" and "provided the only genuinely memorable moments."^[59] In 1980, Jackson stated that his time working on The Wiz was "my greatest experience so far...I'll never forget that."^[59]

Jackson's Captain EO premiered in 1986, and was directed by Francis Coppola. The singer played a space commander who battled against a hideous queen, portrayed by Anjelica Huston. Jackson performed two songs for the film: "Another Part of Me" and "We Are Here to Change the World".^[60] Lasting 17 minutes and costing $30 million to make, the film was the most expensive video produced per-minute.^[32] Co-produced by Jackson's manager, Frank Dileo, Moonwalker cost $27 million to create. Part clip compilation and part musical autobiography, the film features the innovative music video to Jackson's "Leave Me Alone".^[61] Ghosts, in which Jackson is transformed into an elderly Caucasian man with no rhythm,^[62] holds the world record for being the longest music video ever made Jackson has also had cameo appearances in two feature films. Having turned down an offer to star in Men in Black, Jackson played Agent M in its sequel, Men in Black II. In 2004, Jackson made a cameo appearance in Miss Cast Away. He played Agent MJ, a parody of his role in Men in Black II.