If you were born after 1969, Jim Henson probably had a huge impact on your life. If not, I just feel bad for you. That means Labyrinths, Dark Crystals, Elmo, Grover, Big Bird, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Rolph, or Kermit were not a part of your childhood in any way. But Ron Howard’s documentary plunges the depths of the Jim Henson of the title, showcasing how he became such a beloved figure for everyone: kids, adults, family, collaborators, etc, from his endless supply of ideas. A rainbow connection if you will.
Howard basically uses Frank Oz, one of Henson’s longest and greatest collaborators, to walk us through the Jim Henson timeline of creativity. Along with a host of family members, coworkers, and actors inspired by his work, we learn of Henson’s humble beginnings and his ascent into the hearts of families everywhere, constantly pushing things forward with every new medium he chose to bring his talents to. And there were many mediums: stage, kids TV, late night TV, movies, computers, etc.
And that’s probably the biggest takeaway from the title: Idea. Henson was a Renaissance man of the arts, through and through, perfectly built to trailblaze. Similar to James Baldwin, Henson studied abroad (in France), and saw how that country treated its puppeteers. He took that knowledge back to the US, and merged his own creativity and incredible work ethic with that knowledge to basically invent a new way into showbusiness. And after he hit it big onscreen? Jim’s internal sparks continue to blaze, pushing him into newer creations, new ways to use muppets, or sketches of stuff the world wasn’t ready for yet…but would be eventually. That type of person only comes along once in a blue moon, so the rest in the puppet business like Frank Oz (Yoda he was, for the Star Wars kids) were drawn to him, and he to them, pushing each other further than they could never have gotten individually. Without that idea collaboration and Henson’s incredible creative hot streaks, we would have never gotten any of the great kids television, or a Muppet TV show, let alone a movie like Labyrinth.
Which brings us to the other part of the equation: what about his family? We get enough from Howard and the Henson family members to know that it wasn’t easy. When you’re designed to get out all your ideas as often as possible, that means all your time is devoted to your ideas first. So, all the kids ended up working in the family business, in part because it’s successful, but also because it was the only way to get close to their dad. As for his wife Jane, that relationship that started when Jim was in college was probably doomed from the get go, though through Howard’s direction we learn she remained close because she knew how special he was. On the scale of talented career family deadbeats, Jim’s a C-, but it shows he wasn’t some Mr. Rogers level saint either.
But Ron Howard and I felt the same thing when we heard the name “Jim Henson.” He was a man who completely shaped learning for children through television in the most fun way possible. He also helped those Sesame Street kids mature their sense of humor with the Muppet show into adolescence. And most importantly, his family made the greatest Christmas Carol adaptation of all time. That’s right Brits: all we needed was Michael Caine and Jim Henson, and we usurped the most well known Dickens novel from you. I can’t believe this isn’t an anthology movie set yet: Muppet Macbeth, Muppet Huck Finn, and my personal favorite: Muppet Lord of the Rings, the only reason I’ll ever watch a remake of LOTR again.