One Muppet that has always captivated both kids and adults alike is the red furry but lovable monster, Elmo from Sesame Street; and “Being Elmo” which follows the story of Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind Elmo, is a wonderful documentary which is both ambitious and absolutely inspiring.

The documentary is essentially a love story:  A romantic relationship between Kevin Clash and his love for the art of pupeteering. The film initially revolves around Kevin’s childhood which was not an easy one, and how the television, like for the most of us served as an escape from the difficulties he had to face in the real world. He was lucky enough to watch the first ever episode of Sesame Street in 1969 at the age of 9, and he describes how the world of Muppets created by the legendary Jim Henson immediately captivated him. Ever since then, he wanted to be on the set of Sesame Street. 

 

This led to him designing his own puppets and putting on shows for kids at his mother’s day care when he was as young as 10 years old. Soon his talent was discovered by a local TV station and with a lot of hard work, he finds himself on the set of Sesame Street, right beside Jim Henson himself.

 

Born to a relatively under privileged family, his struggle to make his dream come true along with his passion for what most would consider a rather weird and unusual hobby of playing with puppets, is extremely moving and inspiring. The film does a great job of accentuating the message that; if you work hard enough and with enough passion, you can achieve your dreams.

 

What is great about this documentary is that it not only follows this very human story about the man behind Elmo, but also contrasts it with that of Elmo himself, a more idealistic and at times magical character that manages to bring joy to children around the world. It’s almost as if Mr. Clash turns into a superhero when he becomes Elmo.

 

 

 

The movie does an artful job of telling the story of how Elmo was created, an incident purely of chance and how Kevin develops the character into the lovable Muppet we all know today. As soon as Kevin touches the Muppet he decides to center Elmo’s character on the most positive forces of nature: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

 

“Being Elmo” captures this true essence of what makes Elmo such a great character and it’s an absolute joy to watch how Kevin molds Elmo into the true embodiment of happiness and love. But what is perhaps most moving of all, is how he chooses to use Elmo, often sacrificing his own time and energy to travel the world helping Children not only by bringing them joy by being Elmo, but also through his philanthropic activities.

 

I must say that certain anecdotes in the documentary such as the moment where an extremely sick child asks to meet Elmo as her final dying wish is so moving, that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

 

Brining out this core message of positivity was only successful because this documentary is a great piece of film making that perfectly complements the story that it is trying to convey. Directed by Constance Marks and narrated by Whoopi Goldberg along with great music and historical and rare stock footage, the number of awards this brilliant film has won, comes as no surprise.

 

 

 

Winning the coveted Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival along with many other awards to follow, this documentary also managed to win over audiences around the world, making Kevin Clash a house hold name.

 

I give Being Elmo a 10/10, not only because it’s a great piece of movie making, but mainly because of the message it conveys. I’ll let Kevin Clash tell you himself: “If everybody else your age is doing something very different than what you're doing, there's always going to be someone saying to you that you might not succeed with it, you might not make any money with that... there's always going to be some type of obstacle in the way. All of those things will go away if you really focus on what makes you happy.” 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by Maleen Jayasuriya 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

 

Documentary

 

The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet - the heart and soul of Elmo - Kevin Clash.

 

Director: Constance Marks

 

Writers: Philip Shane, Justin Weinstein

 

Stars: Kevin Clash, Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Oz