I loved Sesame Street as a child and never really thought about the people behind the muppets. Which is probably right. I guess any film around one of that team is going to be moving.
The story of Caroll Spinney who actually is Big Bird really is inspirational. He is so close to Big Bird he says he does "own his soul" even though Matt Vogel became the apprentice Big Bird for when Caroll can't do it any more.
I spent most of the film with a lump in my throat and several times tears fell.
I had no idea that there had been plans for Big Bird (and Caroll) to go up in the Challenger which were cancelled due to lack of space. Seeing him and Debbie, his wife, talk about how that ended was terrible. When Judith Nilan was viciously murdered on Caroll's property, he and Debbie created a garden in her memory. As a couple, they seem so in touch with tragedy and real life.
Check out the extras, too. A great piece about Oscar meeting Michael Jackson and some home movies with puppets. Nice touches.
He's described as "blessedly normal" by a fellow cast member. What a great testimony. He is Big Bird, but he's so much more. He's an artist in every sense of the word. Too often, we only remember the skills of people when they've died. It would be great for more genuine praise to be poured forth for Caroll Spinney while he can still enjoy it. And while he still IS Big Bird.
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