This had been sitting in my Netflix queue for awhile, but I got a chance to watch it after a bad day where I was stuck in bed. Might as well make use of it, right?
Being Elmo is the story of Kevin Clash, the man behind the puppet Elmo as we currently know him. It tells the story of his upbringing outside of Baltimore, his early love of puppets, and how he became a puppeteer for Jim Henson. Clash is currently a co-executive producer for Sesame Street, as well as the only puppeteer who handles Elmo.
I find puppets interesting, which is why I wanted to watch it, but I didn't expect the story to be so touching. It covers the challenges that the popularity of Elmo has caused for Clash as he spends a great deal of time away from his daughter. The creative process involved, the training for puppeteers - the entire film was much more detailed than I expected. I also got sniffly a few times, especially when Elmo meets with Make-a-Wish kids, with whom he is very popular. Clash appears to be a man who genuinely cares about the people that Elmo touches.
The film also shows him investing in the next generation of puppeteers. When a child who is interested in identified, he invites them to see where he works, interacting with them as a fellow professional, asking to see their puppets and discuss technique. This was done for him when he was a teenager by legendary puppeteer Kermit Love and you can see him passing along that legacy. To me, that shows the character of the man. He is reportedly one of the highest paid puppeteers every between merchandising (all the Elmo voices is him) and appearances, but he takes the time to help inspire people who want to do what he does. For a niche field such as puppeteering, that's so incredibly important.
I recommend this to anyone who has the time to sit and watch it. It's fascinating to see how the puppets are made, how puppeteers are trained, what goes into some of them, but also knowing that a man like Clash is behind Sesame Street makes me warm inside.
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