If you grew up in the late nineties or early 2000s, you probably remember that specific smell of a dusty AV cart being rolled into your classroom. It was the universal signal for "no notes today." Usually, that meant a boring documentary. But for a lot of us, it meant watching a group of middle schoolers find a magical watch in a museum and accidentally change the course of American history.
I’m talking about Our Friend, Martin.
Honestly, it’s one of those rare "educational" films that actually stuck. Most of those old VHS tapes are long forgotten, but people are still searching for the Our Friend Martin watch and how to stream the movie in 2026. It wasn't just a history lesson; it was a bizarre, star-studded, time-traveling adventure that featured everyone from Samuel L. Jackson to Oprah Winfrey.
The Watch That Started It All
The plot is kinda wild when you actually sit down and think about it. You’ve got Miles, a kid who’s basically failing history, and his best friend Randy. They’re on a field trip to Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood home. They wander into MLK’s old bedroom, and that’s where things get weird.
They meet Mrs. Peck, the museum curator (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg), who is winding a mysterious antique watch.
Through some "magical movie logic," the boys touch Dr. King’s old baseball glove while the watch is ticking, and boom—they’re in 1941. It’s not just a plot device; the Our Friend Martin watch represents the connection between generations. It’s the literal engine of the movie.
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Eventually, the kids realize they can’t just be spectators. In a moment that probably traumatized a few second-graders, they actually bring a young Dr. King into the "present" (1999) to save him from his assassination.
Why the alternate timeline was actually terrifying
When they bring Martin to the future, the world changes instantly. It’s a "Man in the High Castle" situation for kids.
- The school is no longer integrated.
- It's renamed after Robert E. Lee.
- Miles's friends don't know him because of the color of his skin.
- The museum is a burned-out shell.
It was a heavy-handed way to show 11-year-olds that history isn't inevitable. It's made by people. Dr. King sees the "future" he created, realizes he has to die for it to exist, and goes back to 1968. That’s a lot for a G-rated cartoon.
A Cast That Makes No Sense (In a Good Way)
The biggest thing most people forget about this movie is the sheer amount of star power behind the voices. We're talking about a direct-to-video educational special that somehow secured an A-list roster that would cost $200 million to assemble today.
Check out this lineup:
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- LeVar Burton and Jaleel White (Steve Urkel!) both voiced Martin at different ages.
- James Earl Jones played "Daddy" King.
- Angela Bassett played Miles's mom.
- Samuel L. Jackson was a character named Turner.
- John Travolta even showed up as a racist dad in the 1940s.
It’s actually insane. Even MLK's own children, Yolanda and Dexter King, were involved. Dexter King actually voiced his father as an adult. It gave the film a level of "E-E-A-T" (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) before that was even a term people used for Google.
Where Can You Even Watch Our Friend Martin Now?
This is where things get frustrating. Because it was a DIC Entertainment production and distributed under the old CBS/Fox Video label, the rights are a mess. As of early 2026, it isn't sitting on Disney+ or Netflix.
Most people end up finding it on YouTube in 480p, looking like it was recorded through a screen door.
If you’re looking for a high-quality version of the Our Friend Martin watch scene or the full movie, your best bet is actually physical media. Amazon still has the DVDs occasionally, but they’ve become weirdly collectible. Some libraries still carry it, but you're more likely to see it screened at a local museum or community center during MLK Day events. In fact, places like the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta still hold screenings because, despite the dated animation, the message holds up.
Does it Still Work?
Look, the animation is "late 90s TV" quality. It’s a bit stiff. The transitions between the cartoon and the real-life historical footage are jarring. But there’s a reason teachers still talk about it.
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It doesn't "whitewash" everything. It shows the Birmingham riots. It shows the dogs and the fire hoses. It mentions the "disease of racism" in a way that feels surprisingly modern. It’s not just about "having a dream"; it’s about the cost of that dream.
The Our Friend Martin watch might be a fictional piece of jewelry, but the idea of being "responsible for the future" is the actionable takeaway the movie hammers home.
How to use this movie today
If you're a parent or a teacher trying to explain the Civil Rights Movement without just reading from a textbook, this is still a solid tool.
- Watch the film (if you can find a copy that isn't too grainy).
- Discuss the "What If" scenario. Ask what the world would look like if people stopped standing up for what's right today.
- Compare the voices. It’s a fun game to see if kids can recognize Samuel L. Jackson or Whoopi Goldberg.
- Research the "Real" Watch. While the time-traveling watch is fake, MLK did have a real gold Rolex Datejust that he wore frequently—a fun bit of trivia for the watch nerds.
The film ends with Miles getting an 'A' on his history project, but the real ending is the montage of real-world progress. It reminds us that while we can't change the past, we're the ones winding the watch for the next generation.
Grab a copy of the DVD if you find one at a garage sale. It’s a piece of 90s history that’s actually worth keeping.
Actionable Insight: If you want to see the real locations featured in the film, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta offers free tours of his birth home. It looks exactly like the house in the movie, minus the time-traveling museum curator. Be sure to book your tour early in the morning, as they fill up within hours of the park opening.