I don’t know who else out there celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this way, but when I was growing up, MLK Day was honored at my school by the annual watching of Our Friend, Martin, a 1999 animated movie about a group of teenagers who time travel through different points of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life to learn about the Civil Rights Movement. I looked forward to this movie every year, and now, even without nostalgia goggles on, I can honestly say that it is incredibly accurate and surprisingly good quality.
What I didn’t realize when I was in elementary school was that this 60-minute educational film boasts some serious heavyweight voice acting — with actors like Levar Burton, Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Golburg, James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Susan Sarandon, John Travolta, Angela Basset, and Ashley Judd bringing these characters to life. What’s even better is that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s actual son and daughter, Dexter and Yolanda King, provided voice talent as well.
Feel like a true #90skid and get your MLK on with this unexpected little gem of a movie.