Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey: Review
Kevin Clash may not be a household name but that one man is responsible for millions of kids’ happiness. He’s Elmo. Yes, Elmo. Starting with his upbringing in Baltimore, his love of puppets began after watching The Muppet Show. Right away he looked up to and wanted to emulate Jim Henson and Frank Oz. He started creating puppets of his own at a VERY young age and with a chance meeting with famous puppet-maker Kermit Love sealed the deal and got him into the door as a performer on Sesame Street. From there his professional life flourished and snowballed and now he’s a very important part of Sesame Street’s operations. He now acts as Producer, Director and trains puppeteers globally for international versions of Sesame Street.
Watching this film brought a smile to my face and made me feel like a kid again. Kevin Clash breathes life into Elmo like no one else can (and they tried. Hes actually the 2nd person to voice Elmo.) and creates magic with a unique voice and some hand movements. It’s amazing to see how he can convey a certain emotion with the flick of a finger or two. The other thing about this documentary that was really great was all the archival footage that was included (personal and show footage). There was even footage when he was 18 years old and leaving to New York City to go work for the Captain Kangaroo show. Seeing him perform and grant wishes for children of the Make-A-Wish foundation instantly brings an unexplainable type of joy and really made me respect this man so much more. It’s a very well put together documentary and the interviews were stupendous. A recommended watch, even if it’s just for nostalgia purposes.
