Beloved by millions of children and adults alike, sesame streets elmo is an international icon. Being elmo a puppeteers journey begins with a nineyearold boy becoming fascinated with puppetry. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, kevin ultimately found a. A puppeteers journey is a documentary film about the life and career of kevin clash. To use this banner, please refer to the documentation. A puppeteers journey, the inspirational tale of kevin clash, the man who plays the. Few people know his creator, kevin clash, who dreamed of working with his idol.
One of the biggest crowdpleasers out of this years festival circuit was being elmo. You can use the amazon prime app on your phone, computer, smarttv or whatever other way you access prime to watch being elmo. A puppeteers journey follows clashs remarkable career, while also offering a behindthescenes look at sesame street and the jim henson workshop. Criticisms and nitpicks crumble at the feet of a documentary like being elmo. A puppeteers journey tells the story of elmo s creator kevin clash, whose childhood dream was to work with his idol, jim henson. Nov 16, 2011 theres a remarkable restraint in the documentary being elmo. In terms of being a documentary, being elmo is a fine film that goes deep into its subject, and makes for terrific viewing. To improve this article, please refer to the guidelines.
A puppeteers journey spotlights one of the most adored characters in the world and the nearanonymous man who brings him. A puppeteers journey is a 2011 american documentary film about kevin clash, a puppeteer who performed the sesame street character elmo. As a teenager growing up in baltimore in the 1970s, clash had very different aspirations from his classmateshe wanted to be a part of hensons team, the creative force responsible for delivering the magic. With kevin clash, whoopi goldberg, frank oz, bill barretta. Clash s destiny as a performer, producer, director, teacher, mentor, and enchanter seemed to be secured from the moment he took scissors to his father s overcoat at. If you see elmo its hard to imagine what the guy behind it would look like and if you would see kevin clash walking down the street, you would never guess he is the one responsible for this great character. A puppeteers journey november 1, 2012 as more and more pictures and reports come in, our thoughts are with our resilient neighbors in the tristate area. The film was directed by constance marks and debuted at the sundance film festival on january 23, 2011 narrated by whoopi goldberg, the documentary features archival footage, including clash puppeteering as a teenager with his own handmade puppets, as well as. A puppeteers journey 2011 pg 1h 16m criticallyacclaimed documentaries whoopi goldberg narrates elmo creator kevin clashs remarkable journey from a workingclass baltimore neighborhood to jim hensons sesame street.
Narrated by whoopi goldberg, being elmo traces clashs early beginnings from backyard puppet shows to working with his idol, jim henson, and creating one of the most famous puppet characters in the world. The film follows the rise of kevin clash, puppeteer and voice of every childs favorite furry, red sesame street character, elmo. Being elmo is a rare documentary that will connect across generations and cultures to delight viewers worldwide for years to. A documentary on the man behind the muppet elmo puppeteer kevin clash. A puppeteers journey tells the story of elmos creator kevin clash, whose childhood dream was to work with his idol, jim henson. A puppeteers journey premieres on pbs independent lens in april. Corinne has reunited with her 8th grade film classmate connie marks to produce being elmo. Best sound editing sound effects, foley, dialogue, adr and music in a feature documentary. His name is kevin clash, and he is the fiftysomething sesame street performer who operates and voices the character of elmo. Clash is arguably the creative force behind todays sesame street, producing, directing and traveling around the globe training other puppeteers. This exceptionally moving documentary by constance marks tells the story of kevin clash, the man behind elmo, sesame streets most recognizable little red monster. Even if you dont like sesame streets elmo, youll love this film. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet the heart and soul of elmo. One of my most anticipated films of the 2011 sundance film festival was a documentary titled being elmo.
Instead of using the character as a basis, it chronicles the life of the man who brought elmo to life. Youll see this firsthand in the festival awardwinning pbs documentary being elmo. As a teenager growing up in baltimore in the 1970s, clash had very different aspirations from his classmates he wanted to be a part of hensons team, the. The film tells the tale by focusing on kevin clash, a puppeteer. From his earliest childhood, he dreamed of becoming a muppeteer a puppeteer for the muppets. The film argues that the love that elmo puppeteer kevin clash experienced through his life is the defining quality of elmo that would inspire and. A puppeteers journey i dont care how black you think your heart is, this is a documentary everyone will love and not just because it has elmo. He started making puppets when he was very young and made his first puppet by using. Elmo, who is recognized as one of the worlds most beloved childrens characters, could have allowed. A puppeteers journey focuses on the muppet performer kevin clash, who performed and voiced elmo, the adorable and lovable red monster from sesame street until late 2012.
A puppeteers journey, which premiered at sundance back in january. The boy is kevin clash and his love affair ultimately becomes his career. A puppeteers journey was one of the most talked about documentaries coming out of the 2011 sundance film festival. A puppeteers journey is only tangentially concerned with elmo s commercially ubiquitous existence. A puppeteers journey was released in 2011 on friday, october 21, 2011 in new york movie theaters. This article is within the scope of wikiproject film. Kevin grew up poor and africanamerican in baltimore. A puppeteers journey ek 2011 mein bana english film hain. A puppeteers journey, which christens the bloor cinema as the new home of hot docs this friday. The movie follows his upbringing in baltimore, his passion for. I have little doubt in my mind that the avengers will end up being my favourite movie of the year, but one film has come really close to taking the top spot in the form of jason segels attempt to bring the muppets back into the public eye. Whoopi goldberg narrates elmo creator kevin clashs remarkable journey from a workingclass baltimore neighborhood to jim hensons sesame street. The documentary will have its pbs premiere on independent lens in april, 2012. A puppeteers journey, it was after it wowed audiences and took home a special jury prize at the 2011 sundance film festival.
Other movies from 2011 with similar scores include films like tomboy, the lost valentine and win win. Few people know his creator, kevin clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer jim henson. I could have lived without the unnecessary, sporadic narration by whoopi goldberg, but thats a minor complaint. Ill never say a kind word about elmo, but as for being elmo, its an audience pleaser in the most respectable sense of the term. A fascinating look behind the curtain of sesame street, being elmo. Follows the man behind the beloved children s icon, elmo, examining the life of puppeteer kevin clash. This inspiring and awardwinning documentary film tells the story of baltimore native kevin clash, who dreamed of being a puppeteer as a child.
A puppetteers journey introduces us to kevin clash, the first africanamerican to work as a muppeteer and the heart and soul of elmo. Start this article has been rated as startclass on the projects. He came from baltimore with a dream to work with jim henson and now is a pivotal piece in the sesame street puzzle. Pivotal to the film is the exploration of jim hensons meteoric rise, and kevins ultimate achievement of his goal to become part of the henson family of puppeteers. Documentary competition from the sundance film festival 2011 trailer genre. As a teenager growing up in baltimore in the 1970s, kevin had very different aspirations from his classmates he wanted to be a puppeteer. We learn a lot about elmo and the journey that character experienced under the spotlight, but much more about clash, whose seemingly charmed life unfolded like a grownup fairy tale. Apr 27, 2012 directed by constance marks, philip shane. And at 76 minutes, its the perfect running time for a documentary portrait.
If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see lists of open tasks and regional and topical task forces. Yea film usa mein constance marks ke direction mein bana tha. A puppeteers journey dvd, 2012 sesame street brand new being elmo. Beloved by millions of children around the world, elmo is an international icon. Elmo character and name are trademarks of sesame workshop. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet the heart and soul of elmo kevin clash. I was in high school and my girlfriend and i were on a movie date and theres a glorified patriotic moment late in the movie, where mel gibsons character, his son recently killed in the revolutionary war that mel actively opposed, poetically takes up an american flag in a.
Provides behindthescenes views of sesame street and the jim henson workshop and featuring interviews with frank oz, rosie odonnell, cheryl henson, and joan ganz cooney. As a teenager growing up in baltimore in the 1970s, clash had very different aspirations from his classmateshe wanted to be a part of hensons team, the creative force. Being elmo tells the story of baltimore native kevin clash, who became obsessed with puppeteering at an early age. Choice award at the 2012 sedona international film festival and the. Narrated by whoopi goldberg, this behindthescenes insightful film follows kevin clash, the man behind the puppet, and his remarkable transformation from a dedicated teenaged puppeteer growing up in 1970s baltimore to an integral part of the sesame street team. There were 12 other movies released on the same date, including the three musketeers, johnny english reborn and the mighty macs. Being elmo received its world premiere at the 2011 sundance film festival.
Yet, with all of elmos fame, the man behind the icon is able to walk down the street without being recognized. A puppeteers journey is a 2011 american documentary film about kevin clash, the puppeteer behind the sesame street character elmo who became a rising star and created a global sensation. A puppeteers journey has won numerous film festival awards including a special jury prize at the 2011 sundance. A puppeteers journey is a wonderfully uplifting, positive, insightful portrait of kevin clash, the man behind elmo, the popular muppet character. Beloved by children of all ages around the world, elmo is an international icon. The muppet elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. The overall box office leader, paranormal activity 3, was. Being elmo simply shows that if you love what you do, trust yourself, and give back to others who may need mentoring, other people will recognize the joy in your work, and youll be rewarded. A puppeteers journey, a flawed documentary that has, at its center, the most unquestionably likable protagonist this side of marge gunderson. Being elmo is an inspirational documentary story that explores the soul of puppeteers and what goes into bringing the puppets to life. A puppeteers journey is above the average cinafilm score for movies made in 2011, which stands at 59%.
Children of all ages know the furry red monster and his friendly highpitched voice, but few people would recognize his creator, kevin clash, if they passed him on the street. Biography documentary hosted by mary louise parker, published by pbs broadcasted as part of pbs independent lens series in 2012 english narration cover informationevery day, millions tune in to sesame street to see one of the worlds most adored and recognizable characters a furry red threeandahalf yearold monster named elmo. Follows the man behind the beloved childrens icon, elmo, examining the life of puppeteer kevin. A puppeteers journey offers a backstage look at clashs life and times, a look into his working methods, and insight into how he informs elmos personality and uses the character to send a positive message to the world. To this day, when a make a wish child or a sick child is there, the majority of the time, theyll ask for elmo. However, few people know the softspoken man behind the furry red monster.
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