Wonderful character development!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

For those of us who grew up watching Jim Henson and his magical band of Pied Pipers, this is a must see. Carroll Spinney's life story is almost as fascinating as the characters he has created over his lifetime. From a rough relationship with his father, first wife, and television director, to finding the love of his life, reconciling with his father, and almost being a part of a NASA shuttle mission, this documentary on the puppeteer's life will make you life and shed a tear. The way he met Jim Henson and his relationship with this genius will amaze you. Extremely effective story telling and journalism is apparent in this film. I would recommend it to everyone, and will be purchasing the DVD shortly.For those of you who do not like The Muppets, or have written the shows and organization off after certain members of the cast were accused of molestation, you are missing out. The old school were the lovers and the dreamers who were passionate about puppets and the stories that could be told and principles that could be taught through them. Do not write off the modest genius and pure innocence these men and women offered to us. An amazing tribute to an extraordinary man. A documentary worth watching.

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!

Sesame Street was an integral part of my childhood. Sure, I had Mr Rogers, Sharon Lois & Bram, and Mr. Dress-Up too, but Sesame Street was by far my favourite show. I remember rushing downstairs in the morning to watch Big Bird and all his pals have fun, I remember begging my parents to buy me an stuffed Elmo doll, hell I even remember my parents rummaging through my aunt and uncle's attic to find VHS tapes of when they had taped Sesame Street off the TV for my cousins when they were kids back in the 80s. I was a nut.This documentary is based around the life of Caroll Spinney, the man who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. It not only does a fascinating job of chronicling his life as an actor, but the discourse pertaining to his philosophy on life, and how he translated that into the Big Bird who we all know and love. We get to know Big Bird like never before, on the part of Caroll Spinney as himself, Caroll Spinney as an actor and Caroll Spinney as Big Bird. It's wrapped in these fantastic layers that might seem daunting in text, but when the movie is over with, you go "My god, that makes perfect sense!". It showcases how Spinney really is one of our most remarkable and unseen actors of our age, and how delicate (metaphorically, of course, playing Big Bird as a puppeteer is a task and a half) his performance has been on to generation after generation of kids.The movie also goes into detail on the journeys that both Big Bird and Spinney have had in their life - such as being the first Western pop culture (with Bob Hope) to venture into China after it opened it's doors, becoming a household name in America, and, one of the biggest shocks and surprises, nearly taking part with the crew on the NASA Challenger spaceship, which of course exploded a minute after launch, killing all on-board.This movie is why I love being immersed in pop culture. There's a lot of people who have told me over the years that it's a bad thing to be surrounded by commercial products, but this movie packs a punch in that it personally warps me back to a simpler time, a time when my bestest friend was Big Bird and he taught me how to love the world.Sure, I Am Big Bird has it's flaws. I would have liked for it to go deeper into the darker parts of some of the times of Caroll Spinney's life, but in the end I think that it would detract from the overall magic of the movie. I Am Big Bird is a heartwarming documentary for fans of puppeteering, but at it's core, an even warmer story for us who grew up with that lovable yellow bird.

"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.