Our Friend, Martin (1999)

This is the story of a black teenager named Miles, who has to go on a class field trip to the museum of learning what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did for humanity, he thinks that he'd ... See full summary »

Directors:

Robert Brousseau (as Rob Smiley), Vincenzo Trippetti

Writers:

Dawn Comer Jefferson (story) (as Dawn Comer), Chris Simmons (story)

Stars:

Edward Asner, Angela Bassett, Lucas Black

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Asner	...	Mr. Harris (voice) (as Ed Asner)
Angela Bassett	...	Miles' Mom (voice)
Lucas Black	...	Randy (voice)
Theodore Borders	...	Martin at Age 12 (voice)
LeVar Burton	...	Martin at Age 26 (voice) (as Levar Burton)
Jessica Garcia	...	Maria (voice)
Danny Glover	...	Train Conductor (voice)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Mrs. Peck (voice)
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Turner (voice)
James Earl Jones	...	Daddy King (voice)
Ashley Judd	...	Mrs. Dale (voice)
Richard Kind	...	Mr. Willis (voice)
Dexter King	...	Martin at Age 34 (voice) (as Dexter Scott King)
Yolanda King	...	Christine King (voice)
Zachary Leigh	...	Kyle (voice)

Storyline

This is the story of a black teenager named Miles, who has to go on a class field trip to the museum of learning what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did for humanity, he thinks that he'd rather play baseball. But the trip turns into an exciting adventure when he and his best friend, Randy, who's white, are sent back in time meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at several points during his life.

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Plot Keywords:

time travel | altering history | alternate reality | archive footage | magical watch | 

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Taglines:

A movie for kids...A message for everyone!

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Our Friend, Martin

Company Credits

Production Co:

DIC Entertainment, Intellectual Properties Worldwide (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Over fifteen shots of actual footage from back in the 1950s and 1960s, were used for flashbacks.

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Goofs

On the train, the open book on the table in front of Dr. King disappears and reappears in consecutive shots.

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Quotes

Kyle: Following you dorks was a major mistake. I guess that's what happens when you read science-fiction comics on the toilet all the time.

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Crazy Credits

Photographs from Martin Luther King's life are shown within the photo frame as the watch is set and adjusted and glows on the dresser next to it.

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Soundtracks

Friendship Train
Written by Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong
Performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips

User Reviews

Elementary School Video

I think that this video should be used to show elementary school students. The reason why I say that is because it teaches about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. by making a cartoon out of it (that way it would seem less brutal for youngsters when telling about the horrors that African Americans faced). Our Friend, Martin does show some actual scenes taken but it is mainly a cartoon video. I think this video was successful at talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and why he has made a huge difference today. For example, when Miles and Mr. King travel through time to the year 1998, and since Martin has been taken out of the past and into the future, he wasn't there to fight in the past (it erased everything that Martin did in the past). When Miles and Martin arrive in 1998 African Americans were going through the same turmoil as they did before Martin Luther King Jr. could fight for them. This is when you know that Martin Luther King Jr. had a great affect on the relationships of blacks and whites today. I like the movie because like I said it teaches, in a less brutal way, about the horrors faced by African Americans before Martin Luther King Jr. could fight for them. I rate this video ten out of ten and recommend it to everyone.