Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

Director:

Constance Marks

Writers:

Philip Shane
Justin Weinstein

Release Date:

27 April 2012 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet - the heart and soul of Elmo - Kevin Clash.

Plot Keywords:

Puppeteer | Interview | Puppets | Show Business | Puppetry

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Whoopi Goldberg	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Barretta	...	Himself
Fran Brill	...	Herself
Kevin Clash	...	Himself
Joan Ganz Cooney	...	Herself
Arsenio Hall	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jim Henson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hugh Jackman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kermit Love	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rove McManus	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rosie O'Donnell	...	Herself (archive footage)
Frank Oz	...	Himself (archive footage)
Regis Philbin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Martin P. Robinson	...	Himself
Caroll Spinney	...	Himself (archive footage)

Directed by
Constance Marks

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Philip Shane
Justin Weinstein

Produced by
Corinne LaPook	....	producer
Constance Marks	....	producer
James J. Miller	....	producer (as James Miller)

Original Music by
Joel Goodman

Cinematography by
James J. Miller		(as James Miller)

Film Editing by
Philip Shane
Justin Weinstein

Sound Department
Jay Fisher	....	sound editor
Ken Hahn	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ken Hahn	....	supervising sound editor

Editorial Department
Anne Alvergue	....	additional editor
Mirabelle Ang	....	post production supervisor
Todd Holmes	....	additional editor
Jonathan Liebert	....	digital cinema mastering
Roger Matthews	....	assistant editor
Kristen Nutile	....	additional editor

Music Department
Kevin Bluhm	....	music editor
Michael Croiter	....	musician

Other crew
Adam Chazen	....	post production assistant
Chris Cliadakis	....	archival researcher
Steve Kullback	....	post production consultant
David Magdael	....	publicist
Christopher L. Perez	....	clearance counsel
Robert Stein	....	legal services
Anne Stulz	....	publicist
Steven Wallace	....	publicist

Thanks
Ria Borzak	....	thanks
Rickey Boyd	....	thanks
Mike Halsey	....	thanks
Mark Magner	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Constance Marks Productions

Distributors

• Madman Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Submarine Entertainment (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• Docurama Films (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• ITVS (2011) (USA) (TV)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (South Africa) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2012) (Canada) (DVD)
• New Video (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2012) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Magnetic Dreams  digital arts and animation

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language including a brief drug reference

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Company:

Constance Marks Productions

Movie Connections:

References "The Great Space Coaster" (1981)

475th Review. A Wonderful, Joyous Documentary

It is sad that of the 15 documentaries currently nominated for the 2012 Oscars this wasn't one of them - it clearly deserves to be - it may not be about great injustices or uncovering the new, but it does something that the very best documentaries can do - it makes the world a a better place and the viewer a better person for watching it.

This is simply one my favorite films of the year. Kevin Clash is the man behind Elmo, but he is also a man who never ever wanted to do anything from his earliest memories than to make puppets and be a puppeteer. We live in an age where, thank goodness, video records childhood and meetings and TV archives have the records - so we get not only the interviews but also some wonderful footage - and the full story of how Kevin went from making puppets in his bedroom to being a world-class puppeteer.

I do like documentaries - and the best transcend their category and simply take you on the journey - that journey that the greatest drama and comedies can - where you can't wait to see the next frame - where as the story unfolds so does the magic.

Being Elmo does have movie magic. What lifts this is the joy it brings and shares, not just the Muppets and Jim Henson, but just the wonderful spirit that doing what you really love can bring.

It may not be a pure documentary in the truest sense of the word, but is immensely charming and it leaves you laughing, crying, and wishing everyone got to do what they hoped to do as a child.