Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

I knew about this documentary for sometime and while it was in theaters, it unfortunately never came close to being shown hear my home area. Thank goodness for the iTunes store. When I finally got to see “Being Elmo”, it was obvious that Kevin Clash’s story was so good that the documentary filmmakers didn’t have to do much to make it entertaining and touching. Not only does it tell Kevin’s story but also it is a peak into the history of the Jim Henson Studio. The best way I can explain why I like this documentary so much is to mention my favorite parts.

Kevin’s life is pure & simple a rags-to-riches story and that is always entertaining. We root for a sympathetic character that has big dreams. In “Being Elmo”, we get to see Kevin wishing to go to Disneyland and later he goes to work in Disney World as a Muppeteer. At the start of the film as a kid, he is entranced by the work of Frank Oz and later as an adult; he has his arm around Oz in a show of comfort. The film has two events that bookend one another. We see him being mentored at the start of the film and at the end, he is the mentor. I am getting ahead of myself actually. I like the introduction of Sesame Street with the 1969 footage because you don’t recognize it until the words of the song begin to be sung. Suddenly, you realize the humble beginning Sesame Street had and how much it has changed. But Kevin wasn’t interested in just Sesame Street, he was interested in the creator of it: Jim Henson. I can relate to that because as a child, I understood also that there were adults who make a living by working in the movies or on TV. The sequence where Kevin cuts up the coat is wonderful because of the drama of what his parents might say. Their encouragement is inspirational to many parents in the world. Kevin’s high school years saw him being teased and I can relate to that. The moment when he first meets Jim Henson was well portrayed. I really loved Kevin’s performance as Phifer in his audition tape and as the Royal Laundry Man on “Captain Kangaroo”. The latter shows how Kevin could act without the puppets. The scene when Kevin had to turn down his hero, Jim, is dramatic. One dream of mine is to have my name on the credits of a major Hollywood movie and so when Kevin is surprised to see his name on the credits of “Labyrinth”, I could connect with that. His arrival at Sesame Street is also a powerful moment of the documentary. Hoots the Owl is someone I remember very well from my childhood and I am thankful to Kevin for that. I also love the scene when Kevin is doing the commercial in between Jim Henson and Frank Oz and how nervous he was.

Then comes the story of how Elmo came to be. Richard Hunt’s voice for Elmo seems absolutely wrong and it is proof of how great a character Elmo was for Kevin. The story of how Kevin and Elmo came together sounds so stupid at first. Hunt tosses the Elmo puppet to Kevin in surrender and it seems a little phony but because it is true, we accept it. Kevin needs to prove himself a Muppeteer and so when he goes back to Baltimore, then the story begins to sound momentous. A dying child’s wish to see Elmo almost brought tears to my eyes because of how well the documentary works. It was the perfect way of portraying to the audience just how much of an impact Elmo has on society. I love the part when Kevin puts away Elmo and gives a gift box to the visiting family. The dad you can tell is very thankful to Kevin. I sort of like the home movie of “Elmo” taking Kevin’s ex-wife to the hospital. It seems really weird but then you think about it and say “Oh, man. That would make my kid’s day if Elmo was there when they were born”. The story of Elmo cannot be told without mentioning “Tickle Me Elmo”. Because of that toy, Whoopi Goldberg got beat up and Rosie O’Donnell become like a crack dealer of Tickle Me Elmo’s. Because of Elmo, Kevin gets to meet many celebrities such as Hugh Jackman and Secretary General Kofi A. Annan. A really funny part of the documentary is Elmo’s funky dance moves. There was a moment of Kevin’s life that I was quite interested in before I saw this movie and I am glad that it was addressed. His only photo with just Jim Henson at Disney World couldn’t have come at a better time because months later, Jim was gone. Kevin even got to perform with Jim in his last interview on the Arsenio Hall Show. The clip of Jim Henson’s funeral where we see Kevin’s arm around Frank Oz now has so much subtext. Kevin has to comfort one of his heroes. That is one sight that Kevin couldn’t have imagined and if he did, he probably would have not have wanted it to come true. Ever since I discovered the YouTube video of the Muppeteers singing “Just One Person” at Jim Henson’s funeral, I couldn’t stop watching it. To have it part of this documentary was one of the best parts for me. That clip in the context of the documentary brought me to tears once again. Elmo, a symbol of love, was singing in tribute to Jim Henson.

Kevin has come a long way and that is why “Being Elmo” is so important. Frank Oz calls Kevin “a brother”. Kevin has won nine Emmys to date. The kid who used to watch Sesame Street is how a head honcho at Sesame Street. Personally, I remember as a kid Baby Sinclair from the TV show “Dinosaurs” and when his parents are being interviewed, you can see that character in the background. A more important Kevin Clash character for me as a youngster however was Splinter from the first two Ninja Turtles movies. The filmmakers should have at least mentioned that. Another bit of criticism I have is the narration of Whoopi Goldberg. She did fine but because the documentary did not start with her narration, she seemed out of place throughout the film. Her interview clip also got in the way of her role as the narrator. Those are just some microscopic problems I have because “Being Elmo” was very good. Because of this film, I finally get to see what Bill Barretta looks like and Carrol Spinney wearing Big Bird’s legs. This was a great rags-to-riches story and you can’t help but celebrate the accomplishments of Kevin Clash and Elmo.

4 Stars