Can Hollywood teach kids to love America?

Few questions matter more to our country’s future than this one: How do we inspire our kids to love America?

For me, the answer involves the movie “High School Musical.”

Stay with me! A few years back, I watched the film with my three kids. I wouldn’t call High School Musical a masterpiece. I doubt it will stand the test of time. I say this as the CEO of an independent film and television studio, so judging art is kind of my job.

But High School Musical does one thing exceptionally well. It convinces you to love what’s happening on screen.

Before we turned the TV on, my kids didn’t care about basketball—at all. But after an hour and thirty-eight minutes of watching the characters shoot hoops, that’s all my kids could talk about. High School Musical convinced them basketball was cool. That it’s something they absolutely had to do. That they would be so much happier dribbling and shooting the day away.

That’s the real power of art. It shapes your mind. It moves you to believe. And it moves you to act on that belief. To this day, my kids play basketball. All because they saw High School Musical.

But where is the art that inspires that same kind of love and action for the sake of America? Where are the films that convince you it’s cool to be patriotic? When is the last time you went to the silver screen and left thinking that our country’s principles are solid gold?

I suspect the answer is either never or not in a long time. If you have kids or grandkids, I bet they’ve never seen a film or show that left them with a deeper love for America.

That’s not just a shame. It’s a cultural crime. America’s future depends on instilling in them an appreciation for this nation—its past, its principles, and all its progress.

Imagine if we had movies that did that. Actually, you don’t have to imagine, because my studio is all about this. The Wonder Project is committed to telling courageous stories that spur the restoration of faith, family, and patriotism. And on July 3^rd, we released a powerful new movie: Young Washington.

This movie tells the story of George Washington, starting when he was just 11 years old. He’s lost his father and all he wants is to become a British officer. He basically thinks that status is all that matters, because that’s what the British system taught. There was no equality. There were aristocrats. And the young George Washington wanted to be part of the upper caste.

But then he grows older—and he keeps being rejected. His failures awaken something deep within him. He realizes that status isn’t the be-all, end-all that he thought. And at age 22, in the year 1755, George Washington comes to see that in this New World, we can do and become something new. A nation founded on liberty and equality and justice for all.

This movie is made for a younger audience. It’s both light-hearted and heavy at the same time. And it helps younger viewers see themselves in our nation’s story. They want to like George Washington because he’s good looking and tall and athletic to boot. And they arrive at the same realization as him—that America can be fundamentally different, and fundamentally good.

I won’t spoil the movie. Some of the scenes really bring this message home. But at the risk of insulting this piece of art that I already love, I think it can do the same thing as High School Musical. That movie gave my kids a love of basketball. Young Washington can give kids nationwide a love of America.

On June 8th, we held a screening in Grand Rapids. We invited local leaders from business, faith, and philanthropy. After the movie, we asked them to “pay it forward” and buy tickets for young people across the city and broader region.

That’s a call to action for leaders across America. If young people go and see this movie, they’ll wrestle with things they’ve never really thought about. They’ll be ready to see their own country in a new light.

Isn’t that what America needs? The next generation has largely been taught to hate this country and deny its progress. But there’s far more reason to love this country and celebrate how we’ve continually put our principles into fuller practice.

While of course I hope that everyone sees Young Washington in theaters, I have an even deeper hope. May this 250^th anniversary year be the turning point for American art, whether movies, shows, or anything else. No medium is more powerful at shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation. Surely it’s time we helped them recognize that America is the best country in history—and they can help make it better still.

Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten is CEO of the Wonder Project.