Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

Just perfect...

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A Masterpiece!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

So good I had to write a review! I have never watched something and smiled from ear to ear the whole time. I'm still grinning as I write this. I feel so inspired after watching this like I could walk outside and conquer the world. A story of such a humble, sweet, professional n slightly shy man who created such a wonderful world for himself and children and adults alike with Elmo. I was never really a fan of Sesame Street growing up but I am in awe of how hard puppeteers work after watching this. This documentary really shows you should NEVER give up on your dreams and also that you can still be successful and not forget those who helped you get there. 10 out of 10

Inspiring. Magical. Imaginative.These are just some of the words that come to mind as I thought of how to describe this documentary. Most documentaries these days seem to want educate about some horrible event or injustice with the requisite call for action. While those kinds of documentaries are very important, it was nice to see one that just made you feel good. The second I saw this trailer, I knew it was going to be something special and had to see it. Rest assured, it didn't disappoint.This is the story of Kevin Clash; the amazing man behind Elmo from Sesame Street. It chronicles his life from youth where he discovered his love of puppets; to his big breaks meeting people like the man who created Captain Kangaroo and Jim Henson (the creator of Sesame Street) and how he came about Elmo and the tremendous impact it's had. As you watch the documentary, it's becomes clear that Kevin was born to this. As he pursues puppetry you can't help but cheer for him. Along the way I got a glimpse of a world I knew very little about and it was fascinating: how the puppets are built, tricks of the trade, how the puppeteers bring them to life and the really interesting people in the industry.While this isn't the best documentary I've seen from a technical perspective, the story is what makes this great. It's just really moving (it had me fighting back tears on a number of occasions). It's just incredible to see how these guys (and Kevin specifically) can bring so much joy to children; all with just a piece of cloth. I found it amazing that you'd see Kevin at an event with Elmo. And even though there's a man standing there holding a puppet, you can't help but be drawn to Elmo. There's so much life and personality breathed into it, it's almost like Kevin isn't there. Especially with the children he visits. Someone in the film says with great puppets what you are seeing is the soul of the puppeteer. And after watching this, I'd have to agree. It's really amazing stuff; these guys are magicians in my eyes and under appreciated.A sense of joy just permeates through this documentary in a way that is very rare. When it was over, I wanted more and didn't want it to end. I think what stuck me the most was something he said that reminded me a bit of a Steve Jobs graduation address that was being circulated after he died. Kevin seems to hit on the same theme and says (I'm paraphrasing here):"Some people may say, well, you won't make any money doing that... All those things will go away if you focus on what makes you happy".Kevin Clash is living his dream and this documentary inspires us to do the same. Definitely watch this, you won't regret it.http://andretms.blogspot.ca/@the_movie_snob

There's an impulse within some people to create that becomes a single-minded passion. Kevin Clash remembers when the itch to create puppets first struck him. At a young age, he laid eyes on the perfect fabric and was propelled to start cutting, shaping and molding until he had created the image that was in his head. The problem, he remembered, was that the fabric came off of his father's coat. Awaiting a horrendous response, his father came home and told him. "Next time . . . ask".In a way this was a desire never left him. Brought up in a middle-class family in Baltimore, Clash had a shy personality and learned that creating puppets seemed like a means of expression. He designed puppets in his bedroom and put on shows for the kids in his mother's daycare. The creative impulse to design puppets was with him, he confesses, even before he knew what a Muppet was, although it didn't exactly make him a social prize. Kids around him accused him of playing with dolls. The teasing stopped when he was given a chance to work on a local television show while he was still in high school.Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a proper title because it carries us along on Clash's journey from a shy kid in Baltimore to not only a successful career as a puppeteer, but also as the producer and director of "Sesame Street." His journey seems to have been divided into equal parts determination and luck that eventually put him in contact with Jim Henson, whom Clash seems to have regarded the same way most kids look as sports heroes or Superman. So great was his love for puppeteering and of the Muppets that he seemed to have regarded Henson, Frank Oz and Muppet designer Kermit Love as some sort of Holy Trinity. Clash describes the heartrending task of having to turn down Henson's offer to work on The Dark Crystal because he was working on two local kids shows back home. He would later accept a small part in Labyrinth.The encounter with Henson would lead him to "Sesame Street" and to his biggest success. One day, puppeteer Richard Hunt became frustrated while operating a small red monster whose deep caveman voice made it sound like a junior-league Cookie Monster. During the break he threw the puppet at Clash, who rethought the voice into a falsetto and ultimately brought Elmo to life. By taking away the caveman voice and giving him a gentler manner, Clash was able to endear Elmo to preschoolers in a way that few creations ever have. Elmo had the dimensions of a child that little kids could relate to. What Clash was able to bring out in Elmo would make him a global phenomenon, culminating in riots over the Tickle-Me-Elmo dolls in the mid-90s which had parents literally fighting one another in the aisles of toy stores.Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is focused almost exclusively on Kevin Clash's work. His personal life, outside of his upbringing, remains only in faint glimmers on the edges of the journey. He mentions his ex-wife but mainly talk about his daughter. Discussing his creative instincts, he is realistic on the point that he can create any kind of Muppet but nothing compares to creating a child. There is mention of his ex-wife and we are left only to surmise that the relationship ended because of Clash's total dedication to his work. We see a guy who is loving, happy, good-hearted and hard-working, but we only see faint images of his life now. He is able to give his daughter a massive sweet-sixteen party with birthday wishes from Jack Black and L.L. Cool J, but little of his current life is actually covered.The movie culminates with the death of Jim Henson, and this – based on the film - seems to be his only dark chapter. Realizing his dream of working with his hero, he remembers going on The Arsenio Hall Show and afterwards, noticing that Jim was coughing. The next phone call he got delivered the bad news.What is special about Kevin Clash is not only his skill at creating Muppets but his skill at bringing them to life. We see him in action as he explains that even when the Muppets aren't talking, you have to keep them moving so they won't seem immobile. Most Muppets don't have eyes that move independently, and their clam-like mouths don't do anything more than just open and close, but Clash is able to work around that. One moment in particular explains that clenching his fist while operating Elmo will give the character a bashful look. A twist of the fingers and Elmo looks confused. It is those details that make the Muppets so enduring.

There are basically three ways to tell a story, written, verbal and film. Film captures all three in one medium, and Being Elmo tells the story of achievement and success attained by following a dream unequivocally. One cannot tell Kevin Clash's story however, without also telling the story of Sesame Street, Jim Henson and the talented and dedicated staff of the most beloved children's television program of all time. By following the story of Clash's life in chronological order, Constance Marks, Director, is able to bring this story to life, much like the way a puppeteer breathes life into the character of the puppet they perform with.Mr. Clash is the artist who brought Elmo to life on Sesame Street, and Clash's story has at its heart the classic "rags to riches" factor. As a young boy in Baltimore, he became enamored with puppets while watching his favorite TV shows. With unwavering commitment the youthful Clash began creating puppets with the drive of the successful artist he was to develop into. As Marks follows his life from the backyards of Baltimore to New York City, Paris and beyond, one is left with a sense of the unlimited possibility that Clash's passionate drive cultivates. The story is told in the first person narrative and directly to the viewer. When the narrator Whoopi Goldberg or Clash himself are adding to this narrative, they are speaking directly to the audience. The film clips of Clash's life and rise to "Elmo" fame are blended beautifully in the first person. We see and hear Clash's parents telling the audience the story of how Kevin went directly from high school to New York.Being Elmo has the distinct advantage of a story told about performances on TV, thus having many clips, episodes and interviews from which to draw. Marks brilliantly weaves the elements of Clash's story, his life and rise as a puppeteer together with a combination of clips, narration of Goldberg, Clash himself and a wide variety of others. In the telling of this intimate, moving and beautifully done story, Director Constance certainly hits her Marks.