I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

I like "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" because of its underdog story. It also provided a window behind the scenes and into the history of Sesame Street and the Muppets. Caroll Spinney may not be as much as an underdog as Kevin Clash but "I Am Bid Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story" is more of a celebration of his long career on a single TV show. Even though I like "Being Elmo" a little more, the controversy surrounding Kevin Clash after the release of that film has affected my viewing of that documentary. Spinney and his character have been involved in controversy over the years and "I Am Big Bird" addresses those moments but we continue to "follow that bird". The documentary educates, makes you laugh and can also produce tears from those watching it. It is inspirational as we go behind the feathers of this beloved character and his puppeteer that have been entertaining children and their parents for almost 50 years.

I like how the documentary uses "To Tell the Truth" to introduce Caroll Spinney just like "Catch Me If You Can". The image of this movie that best represents the subject matter is Spinney without the upper half of the suit on but still wearing the bird feet and legs. We see this at many points in the story through both archival and contemporary footage. There are many parallels in the back-stories of both Kevin Clash and Spinney such as a rough childhood. For Spinney, he had an abusive father. Like Clash, he was also teased for "playing with dolls". In both the lives of Clash and Spinney, Muppet builder Kermit Love was a huge influence. In the case of Spinney, Love talked him out of quitting "Sesame Street". Caroll's wife Debra mentions that when her husband reminiscences, he feels as if it happened yesterday. We see this constantly throughout the documentary. As Spinney tells us about the teasing, you can tell that he is still hurt. I relate to what he said in anger as a child concerning the bullies: "Someday, those @^#$*% are gonna brag they knew me". Sometimes, I still feel like saying that. The underlying message of this sentence is that these former bullies hypothetically would be too proud to say they teased Spinney and also too proud to not be silent about their connection to him. Bullying can affect the lives of the victim and the perpetrator. Another time Spinney becomes sincerely emotional concerning the murder of Judith Nilan on his property. It is apparent he has great remorse but what is more dramatic is Jon Baker's path to closure beginning when he sees Spinney in the grocery store. The story of the Big Bird puppet being vandalized is also touching. The use of animation in a documentary is not unique but the style of it in this documentary is. It feels very family friendly but at the same time, it doesn't bring "Sesame Street" to mind. One thing the film leaves out is that Jim Henson and Spinney first met in 1962 but Spinney misunderstood the phrase "talk about the Muppets". It appears that in Salt Lake seven years later, Spinney knew enough to sense the job offer that came with that phrase. One of my all-time favorite things that Jim Henson did was "Muppet Family Christmas" where all the Muppets, including those from "Sesame Street" and "Fraggle Rock", spend a Christmas in a large farmhouse. "I Am Big Bird" contains so much behind-the-scenes footage from that TV special that I feel like I just discovered treasure. The love story between Spinney & his wife is quite sweet and I really enjoy the story of how Oscar the Grouch's voice came to be. I had never thought of the connection between Oscar and an NYC taxi driver but it makes perfect sense. Again, the animation does wonders in telling this tale. Another great part of the film is when comparisons are made to the solidarity of both Big Bird and Oscar with the solidarity of Spinney. Jim Henson saw this sweet, spirited man and gave him characters he could relate to. Spinney could also bring them to life in his element.

Previous to seeing this documentary, I did not know that before Christa McAuliffe there was talk of sending Big Bird on Challenger. I applaud the film for addressing this while not taking away from the tragedy. Spinney may have escaped death but seven others did not and that is what needs to be remembered. Jim Henson's death came as a shock to everyone but especially to Carroll because he was expecting his father to pass around that time. In "Being Elmo", you can tell that the story is leading up to the passing of Henson but "I Am Big Bird" recreates the surprise that the whole world felt. One minute, they are talking about Spinney's aged father and then suddenly comes the call that Jim Henson is no more. I have known for sometime that Big Bird sang "It's Not Easy Being Green" at the memorial service but I have not seen the footage until this documentary. As Big Bird begins to sing, you can tell that Spinney is emotional underneath the suit and it continues to the end of the song. I love how they show the whole song. I think it is important that we are informed that Spinney was crying in the suit while performing and can we blame him. Unlike Jim Henson, Carroll took time to find a successor for his characters long before retiring. This transition is happening gradually because, as we hear towards the end of the documentary, Spinney doesn't want to stop. One part of the documentary that I don't agree with concerns Mitt Romney. I don't think Romney's mention of Big Bird caused his defeat. I didn't think much of it as I watched the debate. I think the public and press overreacted. Besides, Governor Romney said, "I love Big Bird"; he did not say, "I hate Big Bird". Some final parts of the documentary that I think are noteworthy are "At the Raspberries" and the Daytime Emmys where Spinney is wearing a yellow feather pin on his suit. The level of resolution in this film is pretty good. I love how Spinney forgave his father. What a great message that is. What makes me even happier is that his dad felt remorse though he never said it directly. To conclude the film with the reunion of the Spinney's with Xiao Foo was pretty cool.

I wish "I Am Big Bird" had been made before "Being Elmo" because while the latter is a slightly better film, the subject matter of the former is more pleasing. We learn about the history of the man but also see the adventures of the bird. I learned things I didn't know before and felt the genuine emotion that this man has for his life and past experiences. I love Big Bird too.

4 Stars