We the People (2021 TV series)
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American animated television series
| We the People | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Created by | Chris Nee |
| Directed by | Various |
| Voices of | Various |
| Theme music composer | Meshell Ndegeocello |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 4–5 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
We the People is a 2021 American animated educational musical limited-run 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.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Active Citizenship" | Peter Ramsey | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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A song about citizenship; performed by H.E.R. | ||||
| 2 | "The Bill of Rights" | Trisha Gum | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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A song about the bill of rights; performed by Adam Lambert. | ||||
| 3 | "Taxes" | Victoria Vincent | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
| 4 | "The Three Branches of Government" | Benjy Brooke | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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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 Ye | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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A song about the First Amendment; performed by Brandi Carlile. | ||||
| 6 | "Federal vs State Power" | Tim Rauch | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
| 7 | "Immigration" | Jorge Gutierrez | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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A song about immigration; performed by Bebe Rexha. | ||||
| 8 | "The Courts" | Daron Nefcy | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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A song about court cases; performed by Andra Day. | ||||
| 9 | "We the People" | Everett Downing | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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A song performed by Janelle Monáe. | ||||
| 10 | "The Miracles of Morning" | Kendra Ryan | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | |
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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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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
Reception
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 Media Award for Outstanding Children's Programming.[6]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 |
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Song in a TV Show/Limited Series | "Change" – H.E.R., Ronald Colson, Jeff Gitelman, David Harris, and Maxx Moore | Won | [7] |
2022 |
Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production for Children | We the People (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, and Netflix | Nominated | [8] |
| Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | We the People (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Stephen Loveluck | Nominated | |||
| 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 | [9] | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Children's Programming | We The People | Nominated | [6] | |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Song Written and/or Recorded for Television | "Change" (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Ronald Colson, Jeff Gitelman, David Harris, Maxx Moore, Gabriella Wilson, and Jen Ross | Nominated | [10] | |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Animated Series | We the People | Won | [11] |
References
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Moulton, Ashley (February 28, 2022). "We the People Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- 1 2 "GLAAD Announces Nominees For The 33rd Annual GLADD Media Awards" (Press release). GLAAD. January 19, 2022.
- ↑ "2021 Music in Visual Media Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (December 21, 2021). "'Raya and the Last Dragon' Leads 2022 Annie Awards Feature Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ↑ "CHILDREN'S & FAMILY EMMY® AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED!" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. December 11, 2022.
- ↑ "The 12th Annual GMS Awards". Guild of Music Supervisors Awards. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ↑ Zhan, Jennifer (February 26, 2022). "NAACP Image Awards Winners Include Jazmine Sullivan, Will Smith, Red Table Talk". Vulture. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
External links
Awards for We the People | |||||||||||||
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