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Jim Henson: Idea Man
Directed by
Ron Howard
PG
2024
1h 48m
Documentary
,
Biography
7.7
90%
Add to Watchlist
This documentary features interviews of fans of Jim Henson's work, interspersed with footage from his works, including Wilkins and Wontkins Commercials, that were previously lost.
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Where to Watch Jim Henson: Idea Man
Disney+
Subscription
Cast of Jim Henson: Idea Man
Jim Henson
Self (archive footage)
Frank Oz
Self
Dave Goelz
Self
Fran Brill
Self
Rita Moreno
Self
Jennifer Connelly
Self
Brian Henson
Self
Lisa Henson
Self
Alex Rockwell
Self
Heather Henson
Self
Cheryl Henson
Self
Bonnie Erickson
Self
Michael K. Frith
Self
Jane Henson
Self (archive footage)
Orson Welles
Self (archive footage)
Jerry Juhl
Self (archive footage)
Don Sahlin
Self (archive footage)
Jimmy Dean
Self (archive footage)
Dave Garroway
Self (archive footage)
Richard Schaal
The Man in the Cube (archive footage)
Rex Sevenoaks
Manager (archive footage)
Jon Stone
Self (archive footage)
Jerry Nelson
Self (archive footage)
Alex Stevens
Baker (archive footage)
Caroll Spinney
Self (archive footage)
Kermit Love
Self (archive footage)
Emilio Delgado
Luis (archive footage)
Bob McGrath
Bob (archive footage)
Loretta Long
Susan (archive footage)
Sonia Manzano
Maria (archive footage)
Northern Calloway
David (archive footage)
Will Lee
Mr. Hooper (archive footage)
Roscoe Orman
Gordon (archive footage)
Richard Hunt
Self (archive footage)
Stevie Wonder
Self (archive footage)
Rollie Krewson
Self (archive footage)
Bernie Brillstein
Self (archive footage)
Chevy Chase
Self (archive footage)
Lew Grade
Self (archive footage)
Morley Safer
Self (archive footage)
Roger Moore
Self (archive footage)
Raquel Welch
Self (archive footage)
Steve Martin
Self (archive footage)
Diana Ross
Self (archive footage)
Alice Cooper
Self (archive footage)
Harry Belafonte
Self (archive footage)
Julie Andrews
Self (archive footage)
Elton John
Self (archive footage)
Mark Hamill
Self (archive footage)
Anthony Daniels
C-3PO (archive footage)
Liza Minnelli
Self (archive footage)
David Lazer
Self (archive footage)
Steve Whitmire
Self (archive footage)
Johnny Carson
Self (archive footage)
Gene Shalit
Self (archive footage)
James Frawley
Self (archive footage)
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Self (archive footage)
Brian Froud
Self (archive footage)
David Bowie
Jareth (archive footage)
Norman Seeff
Self (archive footage)
George Lucas
Self (archive footage)
Michael Eisner
Self (archive footage)
David Bowe
Self (archive footage)
Jim Henson: Idea Man Ratings & Reviews
theicephoenix
February 7, 2025
Jim Henson: Idea Man is a heartwarming and insightful documentary about the legendary creator of The Muppets, directed by Ron Howard. It takes viewers through Henson’s journey from his early days in puppetry to the massive success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and even darker projects like The Dark Crystal. The film is packed with rare archival footage, behind-the-scenes clips, and interviews with Henson’s family and longtime collaborators like Frank Oz. Fans will love seeing how some of his most famous creations came to life, while newcomers will get a great introduction to his boundless imagination. While the documentary doesn’t dive too deep into Henson’s personal struggles, it does a great job celebrating his creativity and passion for storytelling. Some critics feel it sticks to a pretty standard documentary format, but that doesn’t take away from how inspiring it is to see Henson’s ideas evolve. The use of animations based on his drawings adds a nice creative touch. Overall, Jim Henson: Idea Man is a must-watch for anyone who grew up with The Muppets or appreciates visionary artists. It’s a loving tribute to a man who changed entertainment forever.
TheWrap
Steve Pond
Henson and Howard are a fine match, and the sort of film you'd expect Ron Howard to make - straightforward, skillful, honest and sympathetic - is pretty much the kind of movie you'd want about Jim Henson.
Culture Mix
Carla Hay
Jim Henson Idea Man could've easily been just a nostalgia trip of Jim Henson's successes. However, this candid documentary gives an illuminating look at the ups and downs of his life without glossing over how his flaws affected his personal relationships.
Common Sense Media
JK Sooja
Jim Henson: Idea Man still manages to capture who Henson was, what fascinated and inspired him. All the great behind-the-scenes material perhaps best helps let Henson be who he was, playful, dedicated, communicative, and a team player.
KSNV (Las Vegas)
Derek Sante
Creativity and kindness seeped from this man, and he still has many generations asking, "Why are there so many songs about Rainbows?"
Sioux City Journal
Bruce R. Miller
"Idea Man" doesn't oversell but it also doesn't give Henson the special place he deserves. Broadway canonizes Stephen Sondheim every other year. Television could do the same for Henson.
KTRS Radio (St. Louis)
Lynn Venhaus
Fascinating portrait of a creative, inventive and wonderful artist, and his family is candid about his restless spirit...He grew up humbly in Mississippi, took his mother's coat and cut a ping pong ball in half to create Kermit the Frog.
Tampa Bay Newspapers
Lee Zumpe
The film tracks Henson's progress as a creative visionary, revealing his superlative imagination, his persistence, and his unyielding dedication to his craft.
FilmWeek (LAist)
Andy Klein
It's totally enjoyable and well put together.
FilmWeek (LAist)
Amy Nicholson
A fairly honest portrait of him thanks to his kids, who are willing to put their fingers into his relationship with his wife, Jane... That lens into Henson's life was completely unfamiliar to me, and I really did appreciate that.
CinemaDebate
Sheraz Farooqi
A comprehensive look at Jim Henson and the iconic Muppets. Set through the lens of Henson's unique imagination and frantic need to create, Ron Howard puts together a documentary that tells the icon's life with the same flavor as his work.
Screen Zealots
Louisa Moore
Despite an interesting subject of a beloved icon, the documentary is very straightforward and conventional, but it offers a heartfelt and comprehensive tribute to one of the greatest creative geniuses to have ever lived.
AniMat's Review (YouTube)
Mat Brunet
You don't get to learn about literally everything that happened in Jim Henson's life, but this is still a great documentary nonetheless, and it is still worth watching.
Newsday
Robert Levin
You leave the movie with a better understanding of this monumental figure, while also feeling like he's still something of an enigma. And that's as it should be.
Los Angeles Times
Robert Lloyd
[Ron Howard] knits a cavalcade of old and new clips and interviews into a film with narrative clarity and emotional force. It would be the very incurious, unreceptive viewer who leaves Idea Man without a heightened appreciation of the human and his work.
CNN.com
Brian Lowry
Kermit might have sung that it's not easy being green, but watching "Jim Henson: Idea Man," it's very easy appreciating the mind that gave us the Muppets and more, while still acknowledging the human foibles of the hand behind them.
RogerEbert.com
Peter Sobczynski
As is the case with Henson's legacy as a whole, I liked a lot of what I saw in this film-I wish that there had been more to it.
Associated Press
Mark Kennedy
Watchers will walk away with a deeper understanding of a man who had such an outsized presence in their childhoods.
Variety
Michael Nordine
Sweet, heartwarming and rather unadventurous. If it's easy to wish "Idea Man" were as bold as its subject, though, it's just as easy to be won over by this deservedly heartfelt tribute to him.
The Hollywood Reporter
Daniel Fienberg
Anybody with affection for Henson and his work will get the requisite laughs, nostalgia and probably emotions from the footage Howard assembled here.
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