Puppetry icon Jim Henson, who brought beloved film and television titles like The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, Sesame Street, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal to live with his unique blend of humor and heart, is the focus of a new documentary coming to Disney+. Set to launch on May 31, Jim Henson Idea Man is helmed by Oscar winner Ron Howard.
“If there was going to be a definitive documentary about Jim Henson, we had hoped it would be in the hands of an accomplished filmmaker,” Lisa Henson, Jim’s daughter and current CEO of The Jim Henson Co., shared in Vanity Fair’s first look story. “Ron Howard is both a creative and personality match for my father, unlike anyone else we could have contemplated.”
Synopsis: Jim Henson Idea Man takes us into the mind of this singular creative visionary, from his early years puppeteering on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and beyond. Featuring unprecedented access to Jim’s personal archives, Howard brings us a fascinating and insightful look at a complex man whose boundless imagination inspired the world.
The project is produced by Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment through its Imagine Documentaries division, for Disney Branded Television. Howard also serves as a producer alongside Grazer, Sara Bernstein, Margaret Bodde, Justin Wilkes, Mark Monroe and Christopher St. John. Paul Crowder, Meredith Kaulfers and Michael Rosenberg serve as executive producers.
The title is inspired by an experimental short created and narrated by Henson, which was used for a live performance with his abstract Muppet character Limbo on The Mike Douglas Show in 1966.
[Sources: Vanity Fair, Imagine Entertainment]
