Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.
Being Elmo is a warm, well-crafted documentary that traces Kevin Clash's remarkable journey from a Baltimore kid building puppets out of household materials to becoming the voice and soul of one of the world's most beloved characters. The narrative arc is genuinely compelling — a classic underdog story elevated by sincere passion and rare archival footage. The film benefits from strong interview subjects including Frank Oz and Cheryl Henson, lending it real insider credibility. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable for a documentary of its era. Its novelty lies in pulling back the curtain on Sesame Street's creative world and humanizing an icon, though the biographical documentary form itself is familiar. The ending is emotionally satisfying, celebrating Clash's achievement, though it predates the controversies that later emerged around him, which gives the film an inadvertently incomplete quality in retrospect.