Netflix's latest animated short is sure to THRILL fans of Michael Jackson this Halloween

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video is a fantastic mini-horror movie directed by John Landis (American Werewolf in London) with numerous references to other horror favorites. Jackson performs along with a massive horde of the undead in the video which has been referenced in many other movies, shows, music videos, and more.

The video achieved one billion views on YouTube in 2024, where it can be viewed in 4k. Now, the creators of the animated blockbusters Sing and Sing 2 have created another homage to the music video in a new short called Sing: Thriller.

Sing: Thriller is a fun 11-minute video directed by Garth Jennings (Sing, Sing 2) and produced by Chris Meledandri (Despicable Me and Minions franchise, Sing franchise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Secret Life of Pets franchise, Lorax, The Grinch).

While speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, Jennings shared of the short:

"I don’t know if it is possible to enjoy making anything as much as I have done while working on Sing: Thriller. Our awesome cast and team of geniuses at Illumination have gone above and beyond to take one of the biggest hits of all time and concoct a new and very special treat for Halloween."

The new short features the original cast of the movies, led by character Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) as they pull off an outstanding performance of his reimagining of the "Thriller" music video at his New Moon Theatre.

Following the performance the crew is invited to a Halloween party thrown by Clay Calloway, a character portrayed by Bono in Sing 2 but not in the short. They quickly realize something is amiss when a brilliantly colored ooze transforms Clay and his guests into dancing zombies.

Additional cast includes:

Tori Kelly - Meena
Nick Kroll - Gunter
Scarlett Johansson - Ash
Taron Egerton - Johnny
Garth Jennings - Miss Crawly

The highly anticipated premiere of Michael Jackson's Thriller occurred on MTV on Dec. 2, 1983. The video received much airtime and doubled the sales of Jackson's same-titled sixth studio album, his first No. 1 album. "Thriller" was a groundbreaking music video that transformed music videos into more of an art form.

Jackson and Landis co-wrote the story and referenced '50s B movies, Night of the Living Dead, and featured many other horror movie references. The addition of Vincent Price as the narrator was a great choice.

Jackson's record company refused to fund the video, so Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary about making the video, was created to fund it. It sold over a million copies and was the best-selling videotape at that time.

Be sure to check out Sing: Thriller on Netflix.