Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Tickled Red - ★★★½
An intriguing look into the world of Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo; his insecurities, drive and determination to spread Elmo’s message of love.
The film follows the normal route for documentaries with talking heads, moving photographs and stock footage. It’s pretty much linear going from his humble beginnings in Baltimore to his eventual rise through the puppeteer ranks. We discover his addiction to TV shows like Captain Kangaroo and the fateful moment when a brand new show called Sesame Street started broadcasting on public broadcast television. He talks about that moment when Bert and Ernie first turned to the camera and welcomed him, the viewer, to their show.
