Toronto – Simply put, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey is a wonderful inspirational documentary about following your dreams. Chronicling the life and times of Kevin Clash, the man responsible for the beloved Elmo character, this film takes us from the days when Kevin was a child, aspiring to be a cast member of Sesame Street to present day, where he is not only a puppeteer, but also director and producer of the kids show. It’s a heartwarming tale and nicely incorporates historical elements of the story of Sesame Street as well, featuring lots of archival and behind the scenes footage of the people who put so much joy to children’s lives. The documentary also serves as lovely tribute to Jim Henson, the man behind it all and a source of great inspiration in Kevin’s journey.
With it’s warmhearted nature, wonderful editing and mountains of classic footages, this was easily my favorite documentary at Hot Docs and you should definitely check it out.