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Jim Henson: Idea Man debuts in May.
Disney+ has released the trailer for Jim Henson: Idea Man, the upcoming documentary about the legendary puppeteer and creator from filmmaker Ron Howard. The documentary is set to debut on the platform on May 31st. Jim Henson: Idea Man is set to be a wide-ranging look at the life and work of Henson who created The Muppets, co-created Sesame Street, and was behind such iconic films such as Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and more. You can check out the trailer for yourself in the video below.
Here’s how Disney+ describes Jim Henson: Idea Man: “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.”
“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, CEO of the Jim Henson Company, said in a previous interview. “Ron Howard is both a creative and personality match for my father, unlike anyone else we could have contemplated.”
“It was sort of anarchy on the outside, but underneath it, there was always a smart idea — a witty point to make, an observation about the world,” Howard said. “To see that evolve through the medium of puppetry and television, and then on into movies, was so interesting to me. I felt like you could actually observe a lot about entertainment, what entertains us and why, through his journey.”
Henson died in 1990 at the age of 53, but his works have continued to live on. In particular, Disney purchased the rights to the Muppets from the Jim Henson Company in 2004. As for the documentary, Howard is directing as well as producing. Brian Grazer, Margaret Brodde and Imagine Documentaries’ Sara Bernstein and Justine Wilkes are producing for Disney Branded Television under the Disney Original Documentary banner. The film is executive produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Michael Rosenberg and Disney Original Documentary’s Marjon Javadi. Mark Monroe serves as a writer/producer with Paul Crowder editing and executive producing.