The animated series aims to teach kids about voting, taxes, and what it means to be an American citizen.
The trailer for We The People, the upcoming Netflix series from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, debuted online and the general vibe is Schoolhouse Rock for the 21st Century.
The 10-episode animated series features a star-studded roster of talent, with Janelle Monae, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, and Bebe Rexha lending their musical skills to the series. Similar to Schoolhouse Rock, the show is designed to educate kids about a variety of topics through music.
Anyone who was raised on those educational short films can speak to their effectiveness, as entire generations learned to understand the basics of lawmaking through “I’m Just a Bill.” The catchy songs managed to teach countless kids about important topics and it looks like We The People is aiming to do the same thing for kids today.
Of course, We The People is not actually a reboot of Schoolhouse Rock, and the trailer alone makes it clear there are some significant differences between the two shows, like the animation and musical styles. But the main difference between the two is that while Schoolhouse Rock focused on all aspects of education, including mathematics, grammar, and science, We The People is exclusively focused on teaching kids about civics in America.
As the trailer shows, the songs in the series will help teach kids about a number of topics relevant to life in the United States, such as how voting affects social change, why knowledge about taxes empowers people, and what it means to be an American citizen.
This emphasis on socio-economic issues makes more sense in a modern context, as nationwide protests and controversy about election results have caused many young Americans to become more socially conscious. And a show like this could help provide them with a foundation of knowledge on several key topics.
We The People will be available to stream on Netflix on July 4.
