Focus Features has released the first official trailer for the Mr. Rogers' documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor that explores the life and contribution of esteemed entertainer Fred Rogers to television.

Old Footage

Using never-before-seen-footage of Rogers, the documentary takes viewers back to his days entertaining children. The trailer features archival clips that paint the television entertainer as a righteous man, who spent more than 30 years teaching children about the intricacies of life and death and all that comes in between.

Rogers treated kids in his show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood like intelligent people who deserve to know about adult things. He taught them about social issues like divorce and civil rights.

"He's always trying to get a message across in every show. A week on death, on divorce," the voiceover says as a child asks what assassination means and footage of then U.S President John F. Kennedy on a podium plays in the background. Mr. Rogers then talks about divorce in a way that children can easily understand.

"Some people get married and after a while they are so unhappy that they don't want to be married anymore," he tells a group of kids on his show.

Cast

Won't You Be My Neighbor brings back previous cast in the show, including Francois Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons. The actor reminisced on how his involvement on the show was a statement against the treatment of colored people at the time.

"They didn't want black people to come and swim in their swimming pools. My being on the program was a statement for Fred," Clemmons recalls as an old footage of him and Mr. Rogers having a fun moment sharing a basin of water for their feet to dip in plays out on the screen.

Won't You Be My Neighbor brings back the people who have worked with Mr. Rogers and know his pure heart. As the voiceover in the trailer says, he had a "singular vision of kindness and love."

"Love is the root of everything, all learning, all relationships. Love or the lack of it. The greatest thing that we can do is help somebody know that they are loved and capable of loving," Rogers says in the archival footage.

Won't You Be My Neighbor from director and Oscar-winner Morgan Neville of 20 Feet from Stardom, opens in theaters on June 8. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to warm welcome and positive reviews.

Related