Your Thoughts: Jim Henson "Idea Man" on Disney+

[Phillip]

Remember the life. Honor the legacy. Inspire your soul. The Ron Howard documentary "Jim Henson Idea Man" is now streaming exclusively on Disney Plus. Watch this beautiful tribute and let us know your thoughts.

If you watched Jim Henson "Idea Man", please like this post and share your thoughts below.

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

I read the Jim Henson Biography that came out a few years ago a lot of what was in the book was in the Documentary I liked the Documentary except two things not really talked about in the Documentary one was when Jim was a kid he moved to Maryland with his family so he also grew up in Maryland and they hardly talked about his time at University Of Maryland and talking Home economics classes at UMD because the school didn't have a puppetry class so he took the home economics class to learn how to make puppets and it's where he met his future wife! They also didn't really touch upon his love of England he would have lived there most of the year but didn't want to pay the high taxes in England. They hardly talked about the Lotus car being a gift from The English government to drive in England when he was in England. I guess it would have been a 3 hour plus documentary if that was included or at least close to 3 hours. I wasn't upset with the omishen of Steve Whitmire they really only covered his life and most who new Whitmire said he was getting full of himself and demanding they write the Muppets a certain way less depressed he thought he owned the character of Kermit. Even Jim's kids agreed with his firing im inclined to agree with Jim's kids! And the Muppets always seemed depressed has anyone actually not seen Muppets Take Manhattan and not gotten a depressed feel? As bitter as Oz comes off sometimes he has a working relationship with the studios and Disney! I really enjoyed it I give it a 9 out of a 10

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

 

[Prof Bunsen]

I loved it.

I think this is the greatest documentary I've ever seen on the man as he was known by his family and friends. Ron Howard and his team did a brilliant job. It was extensively researched. I think they did a great job with the interviews. They chose practically everyone who knew him, like his best friend and collaborator, Frank Oz, some of the other Muppet performers, like Fran Brill and Dave Goelz, designers like Michael Frith and Bonnie Erickson, and even pulled some archival footage of Jim, Jane, Jon Stone (who died in 1997), Jerry Juhl (who died in 2005), and Caroll Spinney (who died in 2019). And like I said, these were the people who knew him, who knew of his vulnerabilities, and yet who he was deep inside, a lovable human being who saw the potential in everyone and wanted them to be the best (or shall we say, wackiest) they could strive to be. It's kind of a shame that due to time constraints and other assorted barriers, they couldn't get interviews from Kevin or Steve. Or even pull archival footage of Don Sahlin, Jerry Nelson, or Dickie Hunt. I guess they had to limit what they could accomplish together within two hours or else it would've ended up like The Beatles' Get Back (episodes totaling to 9 hours long), but I still thought the documentary was comprehensive enough to know where he came down from, how he connects with all of us, and knowing that there is definitely a little bit of Jim in all of us. It was well done.

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

I loved it.

I think this is the greatest documentary I've ever seen on the man as he was known by his family and friends. Ron Howard and his team did a brilliant job. It was extensively researched. I think they did a great job with the interviews. They chose practically everyone who knew him, like his best friend and collaborator, Frank Oz, some of the other Muppet performers, like Fran Brill and Dave Goelz, designers like Michael Frith and Bonnie Erickson, and even pulled some archival footage of Jim, Jane, Jon Stone (who died in 1997), Jerry Juhl (who died in 2005), and Caroll Spinney (who died in 2019). And like I said, these were the people who knew him, who knew of his vulnerabilities, and yet who he was deep inside, a lovable human being who saw the potential in everyone and wanted them to be the best (or shall we say, wackiest) they could strive to be. It's kind of a shame that due to time constraints and other assorted barriers, they couldn't get interviews from Kevin or Steve. Or even pull archival footage of Don Sahlin, Jerry Nelson, or Dickie Hunt. I guess they had to limit what they could accomplish together within two hours or else it would've ended up like The Beatles' Get Back (episodes totaling to 9 hours long), but I still thought the documentary was comprehensive enough to know where he came down from, how he connects with all of us, and knowing that there is definitely a little bit of Jim in all of us. It was well done.

I agree with everything you wrote well said my friend! I always felt the Muppets with there flaws and imperfections were super relatable after all no one is perfect!

 

[fragglevision]

I quite enjoyed it! Did feel in some areas like a rehash of the other Henson docs that came before it, but being reminded that JH didn't have an easy time trying to convince networks that the Muppet Show was a good idea, and how Labyrinth was reappraised years after being initially written off as a disappointment, gives me hope as a creative who herself is struggling to advance in her area's rapidly growing industry. Not to mention my fear of being unable to finish all the creative work I need to (re: Time Piece)

 

[CL1FFXD]

I really enjoyed it! I feel like there’s better Jim Henson documentary’s out there (my personal favorite is the one by defunctland) but it’s really solid and an enjoyable watch!!

 

[Phillip]

For those who haven't yet seen, Jim Henson "Idea Man", Sunday night you can watch the prime time network television premiere of the Emmy-nominated documentary at 8:30|7:30c on ABC.

 

[Muppet Master]

I got a chance to watch this when it aired on ABC, and I thought it was a very well-done documentary. Echoing what others have said, I do wish we could have gotten some interviews from Richard Hunt or Jerry Nelson talking about Jim, but I realize (especially with Hunt) that that footage is probably extremely limited. It's quite a shame that we couldn't get an interview from Steve, I wish the Henson kids would put their grudge aside and realize that he was an integral part of the Muppets. Still nice to hear new interviews from Frank Oz and Dave Goelz at least.

I do think they glossed over the period between Labyrinth and The Jim Henson Hour. It really felt like they rushed through the mid-to-late '80s period far too quickly. However, I get that those bits may be insignificant to the main narrative. Still, it would have been neat if they included some behind-the-scenes footage from the various Muppet specials produced during that time (Muppet Family Christmas, A Celebration of 30 Years, etc.). It's also quite a shame that production of The Great Muppet Caper was completely ignored, as was the making of The Muppets Take Manhattan. There is definitely behind-the-scenes footage they could have thrown in. I may be remembering incorrectly, but I believe Jim making a safe Muppets film like Caper was the reason the studio let him do Dark Crystal, so they could have included that detail alongside any footage they had.

Criticisms aside, I'd say this was a very solid film. If you've read the Brian Jay Jones biography, I'd say this very much feels like a film adaption of that. I'd give it an 8/10 overall. If you're a huge Henson fan, you probably won't learn anything new, but it's still a sleek repackaging of an incredible life story.