Jim Henson Idea Man

Jim Henson Idea Man, is a sparkling new documentary, courtesy of director Ron Howard, who has done many feature films, but is building a reputation as a fine documentarian. His work, Julia, on the life of Julia Child, and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, suggest he has a real knack for this. In this film, his signature blend of weird and sweet meets an almost perfect subject. The man behind The Muppets, the man who, for many, was the backbone of their childhood. What Howard manages to accomplish here is not a hagiography, but neither will you come away thinking poorly of Henson. Instead, you will see him as a complex human being.

This is in many ways a conventionally structured biography, of a most unconventional personality and talent. It has, however, a modicum of the flavor of weirdness that is common to all Henson works, and, indeed, the earliest films of Howard himself. This is a documentary with the stylings of the Muppets, yet which just as easily tells the story of Henson and his wife growing together and then splitting terribly apart. It is the story of a driven, shy artist who loved his family but loved his work and presenting his ideas to the world maybe a little more. It is about the tension between art and commerce, between success and failure and between work and family.

Courtesy Disney+

Filled with many interviews, chiefly Frank Oz, Jennifer Connoly and Henson’s children, including Brian, who in some ways took up his father’s mantle, the film avoids hagiography by allowing those telling the story their truths. Sometimes, these truths are not flattering, but neither are they shattering, unless you imagined Henson was some sort of perfect being. You get the feeling watching this that his kids and friends do not hold his faults against him. Indeed, as they mention, he had this theory about embracing the differences of others. Maybe they likewise decided to embrace his flaws.

But what were his flaws? This is a man who, faced with leaving his children little to no legacy, risked his fortune to buy back the rights to the Muppets and more, in order to secure something for his children, and who then made a deal to sell his work to Disney in order to fund new things. The film hints at directions Henson might have taken, noting his interest in CGI characters, and integrating live action, animation and puppetry, or even merging all three. What might have been? The world will never know, but this viewer has always wondered if Henson had lived, how differently 90’s and even 00’s family films and tv programing might have been.

Courtesy Disney+

The film does spend a majority of its run time, professionally, on Sesame Street and the Muppet Show, giving somewhat short shrift to his later work and non-Muppet branded films. It makes up for this oversight by delving deep into his personal life as well as giving one much insight into his early work, including footage that has remained unseen, or rarely seen, for decades. If you have not seen some of the commercials Henson made early in his career, or his short, experimental films, you may be in for an awakening. This is a film for longtime fans and newcomers alike, and serves the material as well as any documentary might hope to, since no film will ever be able to devote the amount of time a written biography would be able.

It might have been nice to hear from more people, and it might have been nice to get some perspective from those who were not as in his corner as what we are presented with. Again, this is not a hagiography but more contrasting viewpoints rarely do harm for clarity and depth. You are probably asking yourself, is this worth seeing and the answer is yes, it is. It is very worth seeing. It is entertaining, but not in a popcorn movie sort of way. It has moments of tenderness, and the footage from Henson’s funeral may bring moisture to your eyes. Do stay through the credits. They are the perfect way to end the film.

IDEA MAN is now streaming on Disney +