Review of Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011) by Melvin W — 16 Apr 2012

Being Elmo is much more interesting than it first appears. It's about a man, Kevin Clash, who became fascinated with puppets at an early age. He began making his own and doing shows for neighborhood kids and parents. Before long, he was making a living from it and then he made it huge with the character of Elmo. A character that his friends say resembles him. .

The film is beautifully made and is quite moving. We see a guy(celebrity in his own right, even though you may not recognize him) who had to endure and fight for what he wanted to do and that was to be a puppeteer. He received help from some of the best in the business. Without them, he may have never created the Elmo we know today. He knows that too, because now he helps those kids that are just like him. The kids that are just as fascinated with puppets as he was as a child. He hasn't forgotten the feelings he had as a kid, and remembers that he needed help. The film goes through the reversal from when Kevin was receiving the help to now, where he is giving the help. It's really nice to see a success like Kevin Clash, that still gives back and helps. .

If there is a complaint with the film, it would be that it is too short. It come in at around 73 minutes and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing; I could have definitely watched more. I guess that says more about how good it is, rather than being a complaint. This film really won me over, especially because I didn't know how I would react to it. I was never a huge Sesame Street fan, nor have I ever been enthused by puppets. But that really doesn't matter here. I like Kevin Clash and this movie shows the man behind the puppet in a really engrossing way. I would find it hard to believe that anyone could watch this and not fall in love with it.