“Jim Henson Idea Man,” a Disney+ release that starts streaming Friday, is rated TV-PG.
FILE - Muppets creator Jim Henson poses in his 69th Street office in New York on Dec. 30, 1985. Henson is the subject of the documentary "Jim Henson: Idea Man." There are moments when the spark of creation suddenly ignites and history stops. Like when the Wright brothers got a plane to fly. Or when Oreo added double filling. Maybe just as resonant was whenand it’s apt to start with the sweetly outgoing Kermit, who is in many ways Henson’s alter ego.
It’s also a portrait of a driven, brilliant creative man who wanted to be taken seriously as an artist and had lifelong ambivalent feelings about becoming America’s favorite preschool entertainer. Writer Mark Monroe makes it seem as if he often felt straightjacketed, like an arm stuck in a puppet’s felt body.
One weird quibble is the decision by Howard — who apparently met Henson once, briefly — to put his interview subjects in a sterile, grey room with brick walls. Why keep going back there to celebrate a figure who opposed formality? There are fascinating moments — like when we learn that Kermit wasn’t originally a frog at all — to ones more sublime, like how Miss Piggy made her dramatic entrance as a star in her own right. Viewers may shake their head when learning that all the networks initially passed on “The Muppet Show” and it had to be made in England.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Movie Review: Muppets creator Jim Henson gets a documentary as exciting as he wasThe origins of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are part of the engrossing and enlightening documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man.
Read more »
Kermit Voice Actor Says Jim Henson's Spirit Has 'Withered' Ahead of New DocThe former Kermit the Frog actor says he's not hurt he's excluded from the upcoming Jim Henson documentary ... he's hurt 'cause he thinks Jim's spirit within The Muppets is dying.
Read more »
Grendel: Jeff Bridges, Dave Bautista Cast in New Beowulf Adaptation From Jim Henson CompanyJeff Bridges, Dave Bautista, Bryan Cranston, and more join the cast of Grendel, a new Beowulf adaptation from The Jim Henson Company.
Read more »
Jeff Bridges Is 'Grendel' in New Movie From the Jim Henson CompanyJeff Bridges as Dan Chase in The Old Man Season 1
Read more »
Here are 7 things you didn't know about Jim HensonThe life and career of the famed puppeteer and film and TV director will be featured in the new documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man' on Disney+ on May 31.
Read more »
With 'Jim Henson: Idea Man,' Ron Howard renews appreciation for the Muppet mastermindRon Howard's Disney+ documentary about Jim Henson, which features interviews with his family and close associates, is an admiring but unvarnished look at the puppet innovator.
Read more »