Mr. Rogers was a welcoming face on television for over three decades. Each week, the kindly, gray-haired man, sporting his trademark sweaters and relaxed smile, would kick off his shoes and reach into the hearts of millions of children who were sitting mesmerized in living rooms and dens across the country.

Yet Fred Rogers the man remains a mystery to many Americans — and that’s made him a source of fascination in popular culture. A new documentary called “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” seeks to separate fact from fiction regarding a man who still stirs the public imagination.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” has sparked a devoted following since hitting theaters last month. It has acquired a spectacular 99 percent critical approval and 98 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Directed by Morgan Neville, the documentary seamlessly handles footage from nearly 900 “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” episodes, while weaving in testimonials from colleagues and family, including from Rogers’ wife, Joanne.

Oscar-winning director Neville sat down with KTLA in Los Angeles to explain why he made the film. Surprisingly, it began with a fascinating discussion.

“It was a conversation with Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist,” Neville said of the project’s origins. “I was making a film with him and, one day at lunch, I happened to ask him, ‘How did you figure out how to be a famous person?’ And he said, ‘Oh, Mr. Rogers taught me.'”

“And I kind of laughed,” Neville continued. “And he said, ‘No, really. He really mentored me over years to show me how I could use fame as a force for positive social change and not a weight around my neck.”

“A lightbulb went off in my head,” the director said. “That’s not the Mr. Rogers I thought of. I need to think more about this and dig into it. And that led me to making this film.”

The life of Fred Rogers is relevant in a world that seems to have lost its moral bearings. He was an ordained minister, though he never served in the military, as many popular rumors have suggested.

Curiosity is at such a peak about Rogers that in addition to the new documentary, he’ll also be portrayed in an upcoming dramatic film by Tom Hanks.

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Rogers was, by all appearances, as gentle-natured a guy as he seemed, though apparently he had a stubborn streak. The various aspects of his personality are convincingly depicted by his show’s puppets, from Daniel Tiger to King Friday XIII.

The new documentary does not shy away from sensitive subjects. Rogers was asked during his lifetime about his sexuality, and about his counseling and acceptance of gay cast member François Clemmons, an opera singer who played neighborhood friend Officer Clemmons.

The film is also not without drama, as Rogers was once blamed for purveying a self-absorbed culture by telling children he liked them “just the way they are.”

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” shows the social relevance of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” throughout the changing times of the 1960s through the 1990s. At a critical juncture in the history of the Public Broadcasting System, it was Rogers’ simple and powerful congressional testimony on behalf of children that cemented a $20 million government grant.

One of the strongest impressions of the film is the intensity of Fred Rogers, as contrasted with his on-air persona of a relaxed and welcoming Mr. Rogers. He was a man with a serious vision; he was a relentless advocate for children.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” invites us to reconnect with our own childhoods — and ignites a passion to preserve the innocence of children, who still crave a neighborly guide in a world that’s all too often confusing and frightening.

Kyle Becker is a content writer and producer with LifeZette. Follow him on Twitter