Big Bird is familiar to countless people of multiple generations all around the world who grew up watching “Sesame Street.” But who’s the man behind (or inside, actually) the 8-foot-tall, perpetually six-years-old, 4,000-feathers-covered bird? That would be Caroll Spinney, who has puppeteered Big Bird since the first “Sesame Street” episode aired in 1969. He also puppeteers Big Bird’s next-door neighbor, Oscar the Grouch. Now 81, Spinney still works on the PBS show as both characters and has no plans for retirement. Spinney is the subject of new documentary “I Am Big Bird” (now available to VOD and iTunes in a limited theatrical release), a sweet, reverent tribute to the man behind the yellow feathers. The film puts a spotlight on both his joyous and difficult times on “Sesame Street” and features archival footage and interviews with Spinney, his wife and several “Sesame Street” cast and crew members. Here are the...
- 5/9/2015
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
8 Feet Tall and Light as a Feather: Walker and Lamattina Chronicle the Life and Love of a Puppeteering Legend
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know Big Bird. Of the many beloved creatures that sprang from the genius of Jim Henson, Sesame Street’s Big Bird may well be the most universally recognizable. Bearing the spirit of a child within the body of an 8-foot canary yellow behemoth, Big Bird became a larger than life icon of children’s television. Yet, despite Caroll Spinney’s famed collaborators and lengthy list of accolades that include Emmys, Grammys, and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you may not recognize the lanky, mop-headed man who has brought the bird, as well as Oscar the Grouch, to life for the last 45 years. Following the success of Constance Marks’s Kevin Clash bio-doc Being Elmo, directors Chad Walker...
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know Big Bird. Of the many beloved creatures that sprang from the genius of Jim Henson, Sesame Street’s Big Bird may well be the most universally recognizable. Bearing the spirit of a child within the body of an 8-foot canary yellow behemoth, Big Bird became a larger than life icon of children’s television. Yet, despite Caroll Spinney’s famed collaborators and lengthy list of accolades that include Emmys, Grammys, and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you may not recognize the lanky, mop-headed man who has brought the bird, as well as Oscar the Grouch, to life for the last 45 years. Following the success of Constance Marks’s Kevin Clash bio-doc Being Elmo, directors Chad Walker...
- 5/4/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
As the Kevin Clash sex scandal continues to unravel, the former voice of Elmo is still experiencing misfortune after allegations of having sexual relationships with three underaged accusers.
Clash’s latest loss comes from the hands of Warner Bros. Pictures, who has reportedly canned an untitled upcoming feature film that was in development with the puppeteer. According to development document obtained by Vulture, Clash was working with the studio in recent months to develop a new character centered around “a ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ kind of movie about a kid and his stuffed animal that takes on a life of its own because of the child’s imagination.”
Although Warner Bros. has severed ties with the developing film, one insider close to the project revealed to the site that it’s unlikely another studio may be interested in the motion picture due to Clash's recent controversy.
“After all that stuff happened,...
Clash’s latest loss comes from the hands of Warner Bros. Pictures, who has reportedly canned an untitled upcoming feature film that was in development with the puppeteer. According to development document obtained by Vulture, Clash was working with the studio in recent months to develop a new character centered around “a ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ kind of movie about a kid and his stuffed animal that takes on a life of its own because of the child’s imagination.”
Although Warner Bros. has severed ties with the developing film, one insider close to the project revealed to the site that it’s unlikely another studio may be interested in the motion picture due to Clash's recent controversy.
“After all that stuff happened,...
- 12/6/2012
- by Brennan Williams
- Huffington Post
Reviewer: Jeffrey M Anderson
Ratings (out of five): *** 1/2
Constance Marks' documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey tells the story of a shy black kid, growing up poor in Baltimore. Kevin Clash has a dream, but it has nothing to do with sports or hip-hop music. Rather, he wants to be a puppeteer on "Sesame Street."
This is a great twist for a movie, but Being Elmo does not dwell on it. In fact, it hardly brings up Clash's skin color at all, and it only brings up his former poverty in terms of the obstacles he overcame. For example, in order to meet puppet designer Kermit Love, he had to wait for a school trip to New York; his family couldn't afford train fare otherwise. (What the movie does not explain is why there was a camera present and footage of this first meeting.)...
Ratings (out of five): *** 1/2
Constance Marks' documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey tells the story of a shy black kid, growing up poor in Baltimore. Kevin Clash has a dream, but it has nothing to do with sports or hip-hop music. Rather, he wants to be a puppeteer on "Sesame Street."
This is a great twist for a movie, but Being Elmo does not dwell on it. In fact, it hardly brings up Clash's skin color at all, and it only brings up his former poverty in terms of the obstacles he overcame. For example, in order to meet puppet designer Kermit Love, he had to wait for a school trip to New York; his family couldn't afford train fare otherwise. (What the movie does not explain is why there was a camera present and footage of this first meeting.)...
- 4/5/2012
- by weezy
- GreenCine
Countless movies over the years have dealt with the exploits of fictional characters that have brought things to life-from Doctors Frankenstein to Herbert West ( the Re-Animator flicks ). With the new documentary Being Elmo we learn about a real-life re-animator named Kevin Clashwho,instead of body parts or mechanical men, gives life to stitched together bits of foam and felt. More importantly, he’s the guy behind the pre-k superstar of Sesame Street, Elmo.
Clash’s journey to that TV street began on a real, urban street in Baltimore in the early 1970′s. He was fascinated by puppets and marionettes and was encouraged by his family ( his father was not upset that he used the lining of his trench coat for one of his first puppet creations ). Entertaining the children in his mother’s day-care service in the back yard ( a blanket tossed over the clothes line was his stage ) to...
Clash’s journey to that TV street began on a real, urban street in Baltimore in the early 1970′s. He was fascinated by puppets and marionettes and was encouraged by his family ( his father was not upset that he used the lining of his trench coat for one of his first puppet creations ). Entertaining the children in his mother’s day-care service in the back yard ( a blanket tossed over the clothes line was his stage ) to...
- 12/2/2011
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Most Jim Henson fans will find it hard to compete with Kevin Clash, a puppeteer who almost literally followed in Henson’s footsteps. Like Henson, Clash built his own puppets in his parents’ house when he was a boy, and launched his career on a local kiddie TV show when he was still in his teens. (And all in the DC/Baltimore area, no less… same as Henson.) Clash eventually graduated to Captain Kangaroo and The Great Space Coaster, and then—thanks to the mentoring of Muppet-builder Kermit Love—was invited to work on Sesame Street. There, Clash took over ...
- 10/20/2011
- avclub.com
Love or loathe, but almost everyone knows Elmo. And after the release of "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey," audiences will know--and likely love--the man behind the Muppet, Kevin Clash. Constance Marks' acclaimed documentary tracks how Clash went from being a Muppet-obsessed teenager to being noticed by Muppet designer Kermit Love and landing on "Sesame Street," where he's played Elmo since 1985. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Marks' portrait includes interviews with ...
- 10/19/2011
- Indiewire
Love or loathe, but almost everyone knows Elmo. And after the release of "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey," audiences will know--and likely love--the man behind the Muppet, Kevin Clash. Constance Marks' acclaimed documentary tracks how Clash went from being a Muppet-obsessed teenager to being noticed by Muppet designer Kermit Love and landing on "Sesame Street," where he's played Elmo since 1985. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Marks' portrait includes interviews with ...
- 10/19/2011
- indieWIRE - People
If you grew up watching Sesame Street, or ever marveled at the magic of Jim Henson‘s Muppets, than you’ll want to seek out Constance Mark‘s Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey which provides an in depth behind the scenes look at Kevin Clash, the man behind one of the most loved and adored children’s characters, Elmo. Kevin, who grew up as a teenager in 1970s Baltimore always had inspirations to be a puppeteer, especially after being entranced by the magical world envisioned by Jim Henson on Sesame Street. Backed by the love and support of his family, Kevin pursued his dream with all his passion and the result is one of the most incredible and heartwarming tales you’ve ever seen.
Combining a mix of incredible archival footage that show the meteoric rise of Jim Henson’s Workshop, along with candid interviews from Kevin and those close to him,...
Combining a mix of incredible archival footage that show the meteoric rise of Jim Henson’s Workshop, along with candid interviews from Kevin and those close to him,...
- 1/27/2011
- by Raffi Asdourian
- The Film Stage
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