Jim Henson: Idea Man
Something was lost when Jim Henson died in 1990. Yes, “Sesame Street” and The Muppets have endured- as has the creativity of the creature shop that bares his name- but nobody has really been able to match his heart, and the love with which he imbued his characters. If Ron Howard’s heartfelt documentary about Henson does nothing else, it reminds us, painfully, about the truly special person we lost in our lives in his passing.
With this being a documentary for Disney+, which owns The Jim Henson Company and The Muppets, it’s easy to understand why a “warts and all” film wouldn’t happen, but if “Idea Man” does anything particularly exceptional, it gives us a look at how complicated it is to live a life of purpose while also maintaining strong familiar relationships. The marriage of Jim and Jane Henson was one with profound love of each other, and of the art they created together, but as Jim became overly consumed with “Sesame Street,” “The Muppet Show” and then the movies he created, it’s natural that distance would come between them, and indeed, they did divorce. But theirs was not a traditional “Hollywood divorce”- they put their family first, and did not appear to be any lingering animosity.
There’s not much in “Idea Man” that really plays outside of traditional documentary form. What we are left with is the beauty in Henson’s invention. The evolution of the puppets, the versatility of the performers, and the purity of purpose with which Jim, Jane, Frank Oz and the rest of the writers and performers they brought into the company put in their craft. Seeing the collaborations, and feeling the heart that went into everything Henson and co. did- including dark cinematic fantasies like “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth”- and seeing how Henson was interested in how technological advances could expand the artform (he seems to be toying with the first CG performance capture in one moment) makes the sting of his loss all the stronger. That just makes the work we’re left with more valuable, and I will never take that for granted.
