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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Following Constance Marks's Being Elmo: a Puppeteer's Journey (2011), this is a charming insight into the life and art of Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who has played Big Bird on Sesame Street since it was launched in 1969. Buying his first puppet at a rummage sale, Spinney sought refuge in performing from paternal abuse and school bullying. He spent some years creating his own characters before meeting Muppet man Jim Henson, who was helping to develop a new children's show. Henson entrusted him with Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, who became national treasures. Documentarists Dave LaMattina and Chad Waker coax the various interviewees into discussing the rivalry between Big Bird and Elmo, but Spinney himself prefers to show them his unique working conditions and methods in exhaustingly intimate detail. Nowadays, the octogenarian lets protégé Matt Vogel do much of the physically demanding stuff, but he remains involved and delights in a home life with his soulmate Debra.

How to watch

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Streaming

Credits

Cast

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Big Bird / OscarCaroll Spinney

Crew

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DirectorDave LaMattina
DirectorChad N Walker

Details

Theatrical distributor
Kaleidoscope
Released on
2015-05-01
Languages
English | German
Guidance
Swearing.
Available on
DVD
Formats
Colour
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