SnoopyStyle Kevin Clash is the puppeteer of Sesame Street's Elmo. He's an African American who spent his childhood in "Chocolate City" Baltimore. He fell in love with puppets and the art of puppeteering. He made his own puppets doing his shows. With the help of his mother, he contacted Jim Henson and found a mentor in legendary puppet maker Kermit Love. He worked on Captain Kangaroo which ended in 1984. He worked for Henson on Labyrinth and Sesame Street. Soon, he began to perform as Elmo.This is an insightful look at the world of puppeteering. It is a world I never really thought about. It's interesting to see the puppets being made. It doesn't dig too deeply into his personal life and I noticed it even before the scandal. While this movie is an insightful in its area, there was a bigger human story that only got a passing mention. There are the race issue and the homosexual issue. The filmmakers simply dropped the ball. Sesame Street is very progressive and I wonder if the filmmakers failed to see the tree for the forest. He's a gay black man who was married but they thought it wouldn't matter on a kids show since it's the progressive Sesame Street. Maybe it's the lawsuits that broke the camel's back but the filmmakers should have realized that there is a story there before that.

Mike B This is such an awe-inspiring, life-affirming documentary! How can one not admire and love the creators of Sesame Street? I still remember watching this show almost daily with my children as they were growing up.This documentary recounts how at a young age, Kevin Clash, was obsessed with puppets – and strived to be a puppeteer. He started with a local show in Baltimore, moved to Captain Kangaroo – and finally reached his dream with Jim Henson's Muppets and Sesame Street. We feel his motivation and self-starting ability – and also his humbleness as he approaches his life's dream. What is of great significance is how he was mentored, by both his parents and fellow puppeteers – and how this mentoring tradition is being kept on. That is why Sesame Street has endured; entertained and educated children – and their parents, since it's inception in 1969.A wonderful documentary – highly recommended. Life proof-positive!

TheSquiss I think I've fallen in love with a Muppet! Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a very simple documentary about a child's captivation by Sesame Street, his passion for puppetry and where it took him. It's the most uplifting, engaging and compelling documentary I've seen in years and the most enjoyable since the completely bonkers Tabloid.The story: Once upon a time, Kevin Cash was a young boy in a poor household when a new TV show appeared on the family TV. Sesame Street changed his life, inspiring him to learn the craft of making and performing with puppets. He staged puppet shows in the local community and was rewarded with bullying at the hands of his peers for spending more time with his creations than humans. But the dream of working for the great man, Jim Henson, took him on an incredible journey… If you've read the title, you'll have a fairly clear idea of where the journey takes him but, oh boy, what a trip it's been for Cash! By the time the final credits roll, you'll see that it's not so much a linear trip, either, but a cycle that has been and will continue to be repeated. Inspiring, touching, effecting, rewarding… Being Elmo is a very brief portrayal of the puppeteer's personal development and growth as a person as well as a puppeteer. At just 80 minutes I was left wanting so much more but the treat director Constance Marks has given the world is a heart-warming, eye-moistening delight of triumph over adversity, determination in spite of criticism and other such clichés. However,the documentary is far from being a cliché itself. Marks is not afraid to show the flaws in Cash and the puppeteer himself admits to failing as a father at times as Elmo duties consume his life. What we see is an adult who understands the importance of never becoming a grown-up, that evil transmogrification that far too many children unconsciously suffer, but embraces the child we intrinsically were but so many forget to be.Retrospectives can often be dull affairs with stuffed cardigans reflecting on times gone by and corpses who were once influential. Being Elmo is anything but dull. Even the photographs are brought to life, given another dimension; not so much a window to the past but a tunnel from the past into your own present.Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a story about love. How would you react if your child introduced your coat to a pair of scissors to make a puppet and then left the result in your bedroom as a gift? If your reaction is anything other than Mr. Cash Senior's then shame on you. The Cash household embraced Kevin's passion and nurtured his talent even if they didn't fully understand it. Is it any wonder, then, that he transformed a Muppet without a direction into the most loving, lovable, huggable, reliable, inspiring Muppet of them all? Elmo is alive and he brings smile and happiness to those in need and he gives love freely and unconditionally to all he meets. Just as it is impossible to eat cake and remain miserable, it is impossible to resist the charms of that little, scruffy ball of scrawny, red Muppet.Yes, I knew him before, but today I think Elmo melted my heart all over again and before you write me off, there's one VERY good reason you should watch Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey: Elmo loves you, too!For more reviews and insights subscribe to my blog: www.thesquiss.co.uk

TheMovieSnob247 Inspiring. Magical. Imaginative.These are just some of the words that come to mind as I thought of how to describe this documentary. Most documentaries these days seem to want educate about some horrible event or injustice with the requisite call for action. While those kinds of documentaries are very important, it was nice to see one that just made you feel good. The second I saw this trailer, I knew it was going to be something special and had to see it. Rest assured, it didn't disappoint.This is the story of Kevin Clash; the amazing man behind Elmo from Sesame Street. It chronicles his life from youth where he discovered his love of puppets; to his big breaks meeting people like the man who created Captain Kangaroo and Jim Henson (the creator of Sesame Street) and how he came about Elmo and the tremendous impact it's had. As you watch the documentary, it's becomes clear that Kevin was born to this. As he pursues puppetry you can't help but cheer for him. Along the way I got a glimpse of a world I knew very little about and it was fascinating: how the puppets are built, tricks of the trade, how the puppeteers bring them to life and the really interesting people in the industry.While this isn't the best documentary I've seen from a technical perspective, the story is what makes this great. It's just really moving (it had me fighting back tears on a number of occasions). It's just incredible to see how these guys (and Kevin specifically) can bring so much joy to children; all with just a piece of cloth. I found it amazing that you'd see Kevin at an event with Elmo. And even though there's a man standing there holding a puppet, you can't help but be drawn to Elmo. There's so much life and personality breathed into it, it's almost like Kevin isn't there. Especially with the children he visits. Someone in the film says with great puppets what you are seeing is the soul of the puppeteer. And after watching this, I'd have to agree. It's really amazing stuff; these guys are magicians in my eyes and under appreciated.A sense of joy just permeates through this documentary in a way that is very rare. When it was over, I wanted more and didn't want it to end. I think what stuck me the most was something he said that reminded me a bit of a Steve Jobs graduation address that was being circulated after he died. Kevin seems to hit on the same theme and says (I'm paraphrasing here):"Some people may say, well, you won't make any money doing that... All those things will go away if you focus on what makes you happy".Kevin Clash is living his dream and this documentary inspires us to do the same. Definitely watch this, you won't regret it.http://andretms.blogspot.ca/@the_movie_snob