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We the People (2021 TV series)

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We the People
Promotional poster
Created byChris Nee
Directed byVarious
Voices ofVarious
Theme music composerMeshell Ndegeocello
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Ada Chiaghana
  • Erynn Sampson
  • PeeDee Shindell
Running time4-5 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)

We the People is a 2021 American animated educational limited television series aiming to teach kids about civics. Each episode is a 4-5 minute animated music video by a popular performer. Created by Chris Nee, who executive produced it with Kenya Barris and Barack & Michelle Obama, the series premiered on July 4, 2021 on Netflix.

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byOriginal release date
1"Active Citizenship"Peter RamseyJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about citizenship; performed by H.E.R.
2"The Bill of Rights"Trisha GumJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about the bill of rights; performed by Adam Lambert.
3"Taxes"Victoria VincentJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about taxes; performed by Cordae. Produced by Take a Daytrip.
4"The Three Branches of Government"Benjy BrookeJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about the three branches of government: legislature, executive, and judiciary; performed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Daveed Diggs, Brittany Howard, Robert Lopez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
5"The First Amendment"Mabel YeJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about the First Amendment; performed by Brandi Carlile.
6"Federal vs State Power"Tim RauchJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about the differences in federal power and state power; performed by Kyle.
7"Immigration"Jorge GutierrezJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about immigration; performed by Bebe Rexha.
8"The Courts"Daron NefcyJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song about court cases; performed by Andra Day.
9"We The People"Everett DowningJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A song performed by Janelle Monáe.
10"The Miracles of Morning"Kendra RyanJuly 4, 2021 (2021-07-04)
A music video based around Amanda Gorman delivering her "The Hill We Climb" poem at the Inauguration of Joe Biden back in January 2021.

Production

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Michelle and Barack Obama in January 2021.

We the People was conceived by Chris Nee at a dinner party in Los Angeles, California in November 2018.[1] Nee cites Schoolhouse Rock! as one of the most significant inspirations for the series.[2] H.E.R. described working alongside the Obamas on the series as a "life-changing" experience.[3]

Release

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We the People was released on Netflix on July 4, 2021.[2]

Reception

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The series received a mixed reception. Caroline Framke of Variety described the series as "well-meaning", but "not especially illuminating in the way it would like to be".[4] Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media called the series "Modern Schoolhouse Rock" and argued it "makes great bops from U.S. civics." She also said that the videos are "generally non-partisan, but [that] some of the content leans slightly left" and called it a "superlative effort from a diverse group of talented creators."[5]

The series was nominated for a GLAAD Award in Outstanding Children's Programming.[6]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref
2022 49th Annie Awards Best Animated Television Production for Children We the People (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Netflix Nominated [7]
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production We the People (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Stephen Loveluck Nominated
33rd GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Children's Programming We The People Nominated [6]
1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Short Form Program Kenya Barris, Antonio Canobbio, Nick Carmen, Tonia Davis, Ben Kalina, Joe Nash, Chris Nee, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Emily Ricard, Priya Swaminathan, Justin Harris, Billy Mack, Ada Chiaghana, Will Feng, Jess Pierik, Erynn Sampson, Peedee Shindell, Tim Rauch, Benjy Brook, Everett Downing, Trisha Gum, Daron Nefcy, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Peter Ramsey, Kendra Ryan, Victoria Vincent, Mabel Ye, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Andra Day, H.E.R., Denzel Michael-Akil Baptiste, Brandi Carlile, Ronald Colson, Cordae Dunston, Oak Felder, Jeff Gitelman, Amanda Gorman, Kay Hanley, David Harris, Kyle Harvey, Nathaniel Irvin, III, Scott Krippayne, Michelle Lewis, Robert Lopez, David Charles Marshall Biral, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Maxx Moore, Janelle Monáe Robinson, Daniel Petty, Michael “Smidi” Smith and Tim van Berkestijn Won [8]

References

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  1. ^ Ito, Robert (July 1, 2021). "'We the People' Updates the Sound of Schoolhouse Rock With Rap and R&B". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (July 4, 2021). "Netflix's 'We the People': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Reilly, Nick (July 5, 2021). "H.E.R. says working with the Obamas was a "life-changing" experience". NME. BandLab Technologies. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Framke, Caroline (July 4, 2021). "Netflix's 'We the People,' From Executive Producers Barack and Michelle Obama, Puts Optimistic Spin on Civic Duty: TV Review". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Moulton, Ashley (February 28, 2022). "We the People Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "GLAAD Announces Nominees For The 33rd Annual GLADD Media Awards" (Press release). GLAAD. January 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (2021-12-21). "'Raya and the Last Dragon' Leads 2022 Annie Awards Feature Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  8. ^ "CHILDREN'S & FAMILY EMMY® AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED!" (PDF). Children's and Family Emmy Awards. 11 December 2022.
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