BEING ELMO A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY begins with a nine-year-old boy becoming fascinated with puppetry. The boy is Kevin Clash and his love affair ultimately becomes his career. BEING ELMO is an inspirational documentary story that explores “the soul of puppeteers” and what goes into bringing the puppets to life. The film tells the tale by focusing on Kevin Clash, a puppeteer whose characters have included Elmo, Hoots the Owl and Baby Natasha. He became Sesame Street’s Senior Puppet Coordinator, Muppet Captain and Senior Creative Consultant. This is a documentary that in the end is about doing and focusing on your passion despite what anyone else may think or say.
In addition to being a “A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY” this documentary takes you behind the scenes with a short history of Sesame Street and the process of creating puppet characters for the TV program, Muppet movies and other older television shows that featured puppets. Kevin makes his way from a local show in Baltimore to other shows and ultimately New York where he meets Jim Henson and other puppeteer/designers like Kermit Love who mentor Kevin in his early years. Archival footage is incorporated into the film bringing uniquely candid views behind the scenes at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop. BEING ELMO A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY also includes interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others involved in the world of puppetry. The documentary is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, who also appears in the film.
“Clash’s first television work was for the CBS affiliate in Baltimore. He came to Sesame Street after attracting the attention of Muppet™ designer Kermit Love. Clash’s film credits include Jim Henson’s 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I and II, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space and Elmo in Grouchland. His television work includes The Great Space Coaster, Captain Kangaroo, Dinosaurs and Muppets Tonight.” – BEING ELMO A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY
BEING ELMO A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY offers a rare look at how the puppets are made and how they are operated when Kevin is seen training French puppeteers for the French version of Sesame Street. It is amazing to see the small things that make the puppets appear human like. The documentary is a must for anyone interested in puppeteering or who has ever wondered what makes them go. This leads to how Kevin brought Elmo’s character into being and how he found a “hook” for the character of Elmo.
BEING ELMO A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY is a well paced documentary that both entertains and informs giving you insight into the people who create the puppets that they then bring to life. There does seem to be some gaps in the story as the film moves from Baltimore to New York and other places. It would have also been interesting to see a bit more of Kevin and others at work or performing. To the extent that the documentary is about Kevin’s journey there seems to be some blank spots in showing his life and career. However, there is enough there to tell the story and at one point his relationship with his daughter is highlighted.
There is a special moment at the end of the documentary when Kevin meets a boy starting out, as he once did. This seems to tie together the soul of Elmo, created and brought to life by Kevin Clash, Elmo the teacher and the love of learning.
DIRECTED BY CONSTANCE MARKS an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker and writer director Phillip Shane. BEING ELMO A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY 2011 – 80 Minutes
Review by J R MARTIN – AUTHOR CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEOS AND MULTIMEDIA — See other documentary reviews by J R Martin at https://www.jrmartinmedia.com/reviews
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