After watching too many horrifying, mud paced, drivel, B- movies on the TCM web site, I was thirsting for something, anything stimulating and inspirational. The primary reason I followed up on watching this gem were the incredible reviews on Amazon. Oh! How compelling and interesting this film was on so many levels.How many of us would stop to think of the talented people inside the puppets orchestrating such nuanced performances. And these shows were for kids!I was amazed at the central characters life story, crushing childhood pain and attempts to create joy and sacredness through his profession. The transformation was transcendent and am grateful to those who contributed to make this incredible documentary.The depth of information presented is an extremely rare find, but the family home movies and fascinating footage of their journey to create the world's most famous character was exhilarating. I thank all who shared and participated.Extremely high recommend for seeing someone successfully struggle through many life challenges and the back stage efforts to develop a genuinely heartfelt children's program. RIP Jim Henson and HUGS to all!

"He didn't fit in, and he knew it." Frank OzI Am Big Bird: the Caroll Spinney Story is a big, feel good doc about the man under the bird for over 40 years. While Big Bird is arguably the best known animal icon for kids in the world, relatively few know the soul of that puppet, much less the workings of its animated presence on Sesame Street.Caroll Spinney's story, as told in this documentary for all ages, is an upbeat survey of a life well lived for children by him and other geniuses like Jim Henson, for whom puppets were an expression of the highest creativity even when the circumstances are not as perfect as the kids' perception of Big Bird.Directors Dave LaMattina and Chad N. Walker do not sugar coat or dumb down Spinney's story: He was initially wracked with doubt about his abilities, his director did not like him for unknown reasons, and his role was alone amidst the very social other members and roles of the cast. Yet out of this isolation came a character that showed his humanity in ways different from everyone else, to such a successful extent that NASA invited him to fly with Challenger. That role's last minute cancellation spared Spinney's life and saved him for generations of youngsters.The Challenger tragedy and his contemplation of suicide keep this doc from being too sweet, peppering it with the kind of reality Sesame Street never shied away from, and in the case of Henson's death, was able to turn the grief into a lesson for the kids.

The Plot.Think you know everything there is to know about Sesame Street? You don't. You might know that Frank Oz turned down an offer to play Big Bird, but you probably don't know that until a last minute change of heart by NASA, Big Bird was supposed to go to space aboard the Challenger. Or you may know that Oscar the Grouch got his voice from a cantankerous cabbie, but you'd be surprised to learn that a fire in his trash can almost led to Caroll's untimely demise. Caroll's stories are the stuff of legend. He has been a constant presence in our lives for over 40 years, his path weaving through American history like that of Forrest Gump. His time inside the Bird has taught him about the world and about himself. I AM BIG BIRD will peel away the instances in Caroll's life that inspired his creation of characters that influenced generations of children. And, as the yellow feathers give way to gray hair, it is the man, not the puppet, who will steal your heart.Really? Who would be interested in this garbage?The music is pathetic too. Who on earth put up a hundred grand to make this trite crapola?Everyone n the ovie jumps on the accolades wagon and it's absolutely silly. The guy did the animation for Bozo. They show it and it's the worst animation you'll ever see but they make it sound like he's Orson Welles!And besides all of this...the muppets are so yesterday and Sesame me Street hasn't been watched since 1980. It's the worst show on TV and they hire pedophiles!UGH

The real winner of this film is the subject himself, Carrol Spinney. The film making itself is pretty straight-ahead, and the sound track is lousy (No percussion at all? Who's idea was that? This is a movie of men and muppets, for the love of puppetry give us an occasional rhythm or beat!). That said, Carrol Spinney, the man behind the bird and the grouch, really carries the film just by being himself. Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch are iconic world-renowned characters that continue to enjoy a long legacy. And Mr. Spinney demonstrates himself to be a person full of creativity, love, joy, pain, and a genuine passion for his work and for his wife. I would recommend this film as a solidly entertaining watch with lasting pathos. The subject is very strong and magnetic, despite the bland filmmaking and schmaltzy soundtrack.