01x15 - Roving Robbie

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] At Marvel,
our stories and our superheroes

are inspired by real-life heroes.

So, the editors of some
of our best-known comics

have come together
to work on a special project:

to find and tell the stories of kids
doing the extraordinary,

helping communities near and far,

and changing the world.

These are the kids who will inspire
our stories for years to come.

National parks will only be here once.

I want to keep them pristine
and beautiful.

I started to educate across the country.

I think kids are the best voice
to solve problems.

[narrator] Robbie is already a hero.

Now, we bring his story to the world

with the surprise of a lifetime:

making him into a Marvel superhero,

immortalized in his very own comic,

as a member of Marvel's Hero Project.

They're everyday kids...

who have accomplished the amazing.

Now, their true stories...

will reveal the heroes that live among us.

This is Marvel's Hero Project.

[Sana Amanat] There's this young kid.

He's the perfect person to have
in our Hero Project.

He's traveling around the country,
speaking about national parks.

[Stephen Wacker]
You're talking about Robbie.

-Robbie, yeah.
-[Sarah Amos] He's great.

He's so great. And he's doing such
great work with environmental advocacy.

Telling people that it's so important
to protect the environment.

And empowering them
to start doing it on their own.

I would say kind of like Nightcrawler
from the X-Men. Right?

Robbie always talks about the fact
that you can't truly love a place

and want to protect it,

until you've experienced it
or learned about it.

Yeah, it's so hard too.
Because obviously if you wanna

bring the park experience to people,
you have to take them there.

-That's a lot.
-It's a lot.

And so, the way he's managed
to bring the park to the people...

-[Sana Amanat] It's so cool.
-[Alanna Smith] Yeah.

It feels like he is getting
his physical powers

from the world around him.

His enthusiasm is just so contagious.

Like, he just loves these parks so much.

His face lights up
when he talks about them.

I think one of my favorite things
about Robbie is

he has such a great little catch phrase,

in the fact that he says,
“I'm small, but I have giant ideas.”

[chuckles] I can see Hank Pym saying that.

[Alanna Smith] Oh, yeah, sure.

You know, the Pym family is one
of the many Marvel dynasties

of explorers and innovators.

Robbie's family and the Pym family.

I feel like they would get along
really well.

[announcer] One of the leaders
of our future, Robbie Bond.

[crowd cheering]

It's really hard to educate people
about something

if you don't even know
what you're educating them about.

So, I'm planning on going to
all 27 national monuments under review.

[Robin] It takes a lot of guts
to do what Robbie is doing.

His willingness to push the envelope
and be a part of something bigger

than himself.

[cheering]

I just want you all to keep fighting
and protect our national monuments.

[cheering]

[Robin] He sees opportunity
where most people see a closed door.

[Robbie] If you're born
and live in Hawaii,

you're pretty much obligated
to be an environmentalist.

[chattering]

When I go, like, for a long period of time

without going outside or seeing nature,

it kinda makes me sad.

I like to go hiking. I like to go camping.
I like swimming.

I just like everything outdoors.

I mean, you got a place as beautiful
as this just in your backyard.

I wanna keep it that way
'cause it's just amazing,

and I can't let it be destroyed.

[Robin] I credit my father.

Giving us the opportunities
to do the stuff that we like to do.

He spent majority of his time,
you know, on the ocean.

And passed that onto me as a kid,
and I passed it onto Robbie.

One thing that me and my dad
and my grandpa have in common

is that we all love the environment.
We all love the ocean.

And we're all environmentalists.

Anytime there was anything
that affected the ocean and the beach,

I used to try to be involved in that.

You used to have the...

My grandpa knows his stuff.
He knows a lot.

He taught me pretty much everything I know
about protecting the environment

and being green,
and environmentally responsible.

When are we gonna, like, get started?

[Michelle] He's always had a broad
perspective on the impact of things.

Even if he's just at the beach,
he was always picking up trash.

That's a lot.

[Michelle] You got some work to do, huh?

-[Robbie] Yeah.
-[Michelle chuckles]

[Robbie] Whoa.

Then you just do this.

Microplastics are the perfect size
for fish to eat.

And some of them even look like
the food that they normally eat.

And it's really poisonous for them.

Oh, wow.

[Michelle] Even at preschool,
he was always precocious.

He loved the ocean so much.

He wanted to talk to his classmates
about the ocean.

All the little preschoolers were like,
“Robbie! Robbie!” when he came in,

and it was the first time that I realized
he had such an impact on his peers.

[Robbie] National parks are the best way
for everyone to experience nature.

Wow! That is huge!

So when in April of 2017,

the government tried to reduce
the size of 27 national monuments,

I wasn't very happy about that.

Robbie's like, "Mom,
we have to do something about this."

That's when everything changed.

[Robbie] The parks will only be here once.

If you get rid of them
and turn them into cities

or oil drilling sites
or something like that,

you can't get them back
to the way that they were.

And I really want to keep them pristine
and beautiful.

Kids Speak for Parks is
a non-profit organization that I started.

And it's dedicated to educating kids

about the importance of the national parks
and monuments.

And also, how they can protect them.

I went across the country
visiting those national monuments.

Hi, everyone! Robbie here,

and we just got to
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

We just got into Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument.

We're an hour away from Bears Ears
and we just got to Utah.

[speaking Navajo]

Go, Bears Ears!

[Michelle] I think ten different states

he visited the senators
and representatives from.

So, I think he was nervous, you know?
Is it gonna make a difference?

Probably the biggest part
of Kids Speak for Parks

is making sure that kids believe
that they have a voice

and using their voice
for the good of other people.

[cheering]

[Michelle] Watching him through
that process, like, going to D.C.

and speaking to different congressmen.

He's got the potential to make
other people make a difference.

[applause]

We are unstoppable!

Tons of people either
don't know about the issue

or think that other people
will solve the issue for them.

But that's not true.

[children singing in foreign language]

[singing continues]

That was really cool.
[chuckles] Thank you.

Welcome back home, my friend.

We know your travels
have made such a huge impact.

Your voice has been powerful and strong.

We applaud your efforts.

I'm just trying my hardest to spread
the word about Kids Speak for Parks.

I started to talk at schools
and educate kids

that they have just as much power
as an adult does to make change.

-Hello. Hi.
-[children] Hi.

Uh, I'm Robbie Bond. I came here
about a year and a half ago.

Ever since I started Kids Speak for Parks,

I've been touring the national parks
and monuments.

And so far, I've been to 20 monuments
and nine parks.

And each one of them
was amazing and different

and just really cool.

My goal is to convince kids
that all kids have a voice

and they can use their voice to speak up
about things that they care about.

Out of every park you've ever been to,
every monument,

what do you think is the best, and why?

It's called Grand Staircase-Escalante.

It's really cool,
because, um, there's this one canyon,

it's called Singing Canyon,
and there's these holes in the walls

where they're like Swiss cheese

so you could jump in one
and come out the other.

And they all connect into each other
and it's just like a playground,

but it's natural.

Why did you choose to speak to us?

'Cause you guys will be impacted the most

if a national monument near you
gets shrunk or destroyed.

What advice or tips
can you give our students

about what it takes to do what you do
to make an impact in our world?

I think love is a great behavior.

'Cause you need to love something

before you can actually start trying
to save it.

'Cause if you don't believe
in what you're doing,

it's impossible to get something done.

Raise your hand if you've been
to Hawaii Volcano.

Okay, I actually just started this.

So, I'm making VR, like, virtual reality.

-It's really cool.
-[children murmuring]

So, I'm making tours,
because a lot of kids,

whether they don't have
the money to go to national parks,

or they're in a city where
there's no national parks near it,

they can use virtual reality
to visit national parks.

And I think that's really cool.

I think technology,
if it's used correctly,

can be very helpful for causes like this.

I hope that they'll think it's fun
to look around

and to actually be in a national monument
where they normally wouldn't.

If I'm just going to individual schools,

I'll never be able to reach more kids
as I could

if this was integrated
into their curriculum.

So the VR videos get to be shown
to all the kids.

It was cool to see
what they think about it.

I hope that they feel inspired
by what they see,

to stand up and make a difference.

Whoa! It's an island.

Sometimes if you don't see things,
you won't believe it.

With the VR tours, if they see
how beautiful and extraordinary

this world is to us,

they'll be able to understand how we feel
and be able to take care of it.

If we don't have as much
national park space,

then how are we gonna learn about
all these other cool things around us?

Look up! Look up! Look up!

He set an example that all kids
have a chance to make a change.

No matter how small you are,

you can still make a big difference
in the world for everyone.

Hey, everyone! I'm Robbie Bond

and I'm the founder
of Kids Speak for Parks,

and right now we're at
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

[man] What do you think is gonna be
the coolest thing to show kids?

[Robbie] Probably the steam, like,
coming out of the ground.

[man] Mm-hmm.

[pants] What do you think?
Where should we set up?

[Robbie] Right... there.

[man] Okay.

[Robbie] And then we're gonna
make this taller, right?

Well, no, 'cause it's gotta be
at your eye level.

-Right?
-Oh, yeah.

'Cause we don't want a bunch of
sixth-graders to be looking down at you.

It's tilted.

[man] There's the one camera up here.

[Robbie] Yes.

-And then all these cameras, right?
-Mm-hmm.

So we're 360.
And each pair of the cameras...

-Represents your eyes, right?
-Yeah.

So it's gonna be 3-D and 360 degrees.

Cool.

Can you tell me and the viewers
a little bit about Kilauea?

Absolutely. We had a 276-foot-deep crater

turn into this 1,800-foot-deep hole
in the ground through volcanic collapse.

I feel like the petroglyphs would be cool.

Mm-hmm.
I think we're gonna head there next.

This is something he's been wanting to do
for a year and a half since he started.

[Robbie] So right now we're at Pu'Uloa.

And it's an ancient Hawaiian site
where the Hawaiians made petroglyphs.

I'm super excited to make the video

and to publish it
so other kids get to see it.

I wanna go over there, but I'm too scared

-'cause I don't wanna fall in.
-[man chuckles]

We've seen a lot of challenges
to our public land,

so it's wonderful to see
young people stepping up.

They're the voice of the future
providing a voice for the land.

These landmasses, they're so special.

Once people get a chance
to actually learn a little bit about it,

to see it virtually, hopefully
they'll have a higher value for it

and really engage with protecting
all of our public lands here.

[Robin] Robbie's life of 11 years so far

has been spent in the company
of this cleft palate.

As a child, I had my own issues
with my cleft palate.

Kids can be really cruel.

I didn't want him
to have to go through that.

[Michelle] He had his first surgery
at three months,

and his second surgery
was six months later.

He had several surgeries a year
up until last year.

And they said he'd have to be
in speech therapy.

Most people, I don't think, would see
what he's been able to accomplish

in terms of becoming a, you know--
He is kind of a public figure,

and he's gotten quite a bit of attention
over the last couple years

for what he's been doing.

It's given him a unique set of challenges

that other people haven't been exposed to
at a very young age.

Having a cleft palate and growing up
with tons of surgeries and stuff,

I think it's definitely made me,
like, stronger and tougher,

and it's made me a better person.

It's a beautiful thing to let him
get out into the world

and show other kids that
that's okay to be that way.

To be who he is.

That's... that's it.

[director]

Oh, yeah.

I am beyond proud. Absolutely.

I think it might inspire other kids with,
like, similar problems.

Well, they're not problems,
they're just... you're different.

It might inspire them to think,
"Hey, if he's doing it, I can do it too."

[Michelle] I'm most proud about his heart
and kindness

because he cares so much, I think
it's kind of contagious to other people.

He's learning that you have to be brave

to make things happen
and believe in yourself.

I used to believe that,
"Ah, kids can't do it,

it's adults who are gonna
fix the problem."

Kids, they see stuff in a different way.

I think kids are the best voice
to solve problems.

[Stephen Wacker] The way I see it
is Robbie's teaching us

how difficult it can be sometimes
to be a hero,

especially when you're a kid.

And what's important,
and I think what he teaches us,

is that kids have a voice too.

-I mean, he has such joy, right?
-Sure.

You see him surfing, hanging out
in the ocean with his dad.

It is so incredible to just watch.

And he wants to bring other people
into that world

-with his VR work.
-Yeah.

I love the way that Robbie
really focuses on the fact

that kids can do anything,

and they shouldn't feel like they're
limited just because of their age.

-That's why we start in the classroom.
-Yeah!

That's why we picked it up there
with him talking to his class.

And the power we gave him, I love.

-So he's got the virtual reality...
-Yep.

where you can take the tour of the park.
What we did is turn it into teleportation.

Yeah and I love it 'cause we're going
to some of his favorite places.

And it's a perfect superpower
and it's probably the one he would choose.

-Oh!
-When he can visit a park at any moment.

Entirely. Imagine. He would've been
to every single park by now.

It was great too adding, like,
we've picked out his favorite clothes.

We even got Grandpa in there.

-Well, I mean, you have to...
-You have to.

...like, Grandpa is where this all began.

They are three generations
and the foundation is Grandpa.

Right. And so, Grandpa is important,
because he's part of the surprise.

-You know, Robbie moved.
-To Reno.

Right. He lives in Reno now,

and he's addressing his class
for the first time,

sort of bringing his national parks tour
to them and we're gonna see that.

Yeah. No one better to help be a part
of this big moment than Grandpa.

Well, at this time,
I wanna thank you, personally,

for all the hard work that you're doing
to change our world.

As a part of that gratitude,

-I'd like to bring your dad up...
-[Robbie chuckles]

...as we have a little something
for you as well.

-But thank you for speaking today.
-Ooh. Thank you.

-Awesome.
-Can I get a hug?

-I would love a hug.
-Hugs.

-[kids] Aw.
-It's a Hawaii thing.

-[Robin sighs]
-Okay.

All right.

Let's see what's in here.

"Dear Robbie. In front of your classmates,

your friends at Marvel want to thank you

for your dedication to protecting
the national parks.

You know how precious
our natural resources are

and you've inspired so many
other young people

to speak out on behalf of our planet.

Like Black Panther,

you have shown that with vision,
passion and dedication

you can change the world.

You've set an example
and it inspires us all."

[exhales]

-Don't laugh at me, kids.
-[Robbie chuckles]

-Grown men cry. It's all right.
-[kids chuckle]

And my dad's super manly so like,
you can tell.

[all laughing]

So, "And now we have
a special delivery for you."

Wait. [chuckles] Whoa.

Okay, so this is my granddad.

-[kids chuckle]
-Wait, what?

-All right.
-Okay, so a box.

"Open this box, and begin your initiation

into an elite group
of young people like you.

The next generation of heroes
whose exploits are making an impact

in their communities
and around the globe."

Okay.

Whoa.

[kids murmuring]

This is really cool. Wow.

"Robbie, welcome to
the Marvel Hero Project."

-How'd they know my size?
-I don't know.

-Talk to them. Talk to them.
-[laughing]

Okay.

"To show you how much
you have inspired us all,

we are making a donation in your honor

to an organization that seeks
to protect the environment

and support our national parks
in the amount of $10,000."

[Robbie] It's actually $10,000?

That's what it says.
I'm just reading it, brother.

"Now, we want you to look around
at your classmates and friends

as they open up the envelopes
that are sitting next to them.

They'll find something
we think is pretty cool."

Whoa.

"Issue number one of Roving Robbie,
a comic book inspired by you."

"We hope that in these pages
you'll see yourself

in the same way that
the mighty Marvel Bullpen sees you,

as a true superhero."

That's really cool.

[kids murmuring]

"Welcome to the Marvel Hero Project.
Your friends at Marvel."

-Can I get a hug, Dad?
-Absolutely.

[Robbie]
It's really special to have a comic.

Especially a comic that's, like, made by
the biggest comic company like Marvel.

"This is where I started taking
a serious interest in the environment.

Thanks to my family especially my grandpa,

who helped establish
the educational center at Hanauma Bay."

-And that's you.
-[Robbie] Mm-hmm.

-[kids chattering]
-It looks like you.

-[Robin chuckles]
-That is really cool.

It's pretty amazing, buddy.

It's just super inspirational.

I'm super proud of him and, I mean,
he looks like a little hero.

Firstly, I think it's deserving,
he's put a lot of work into this.

Yeah, all the dots are national parks.
The pictures are the ones I've been to.

[Spencer] Yeah, okay that's--

Like, that's Golden Gate
and then that's Grand Teton.

That's Hawaii Volcanoes.

It's cool seeing, like, me in the comic.

You could tell 'cause I had,
like, a cleft palate.

[Spencer]
And they also have the teleportation.

-[Robbie] I mean that is the...
-[Spencer] The teleportation.

[Connor] Oh, I never noticed that.

In the comic book,
he can teleport people around,

and I wish he could actually do that.

-This is sick. This is awesome.
-[boy] Yeah, this is cool.

He is now an official Marvel superhero.
[chuckles]

I hope the kids were inspired
by my speech and the comic

to help save the national parks
and spread the word.

Like, do what I'm doing
and stand up for what they believe in.