I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

2015

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

Critics Consensus

Every bit as good-natured as longtime fans might hope, I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story offers heartwarming behind-the-scenes perspective on a cultural icon.

83%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 71

79%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,738

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I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story Photos

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Movie Info

For 45 years, Caroll Spinney has been beloved by generations of children as the man behind Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch - and at 80 years old, he has no intention of stopping. A loving portrait of the man in the yellow suit, I Am Big Bird features extraordinary footage of Spinney's earliest collaborations with Jim Henson as it traces his journey from bullied child to childhood icon. And as the yellow feathers give way to grey hair, it is the man, not the puppet, who will steal your heart. (C) Tribeca

Cast

Frank Oz
Jim Henson
Matt Vogel
Kevin Clash
Dave Goelz
Sonia Manzano
Roscoe Orman
Eric Jacobson
Alison Bartlett O'Reilly
Stephanie D'Abruzzo
Emilio Delgado
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Critic Reviews for I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

All Critics (71) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (12)

  • There's little sour to temper the sweetness of this portrait.

    June 25, 2015 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Michael O'Sullivan

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • Though its gooey, sentimental soundtrack is a misstep - this story is quite sweet enough already - "I Am Big Bird" is mesmerizing for anyone (and that's a lot of us) who grew up with "Sesame Street."

    June 18, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Moira MacDonald

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • Very much a heartwarming tribute, bordering on treacly.

    May 29, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Dave McGinn

    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic

  • Spinney is a one-of-a-kind personality, an oddball even among the oddballs who pioneered Sesame Street's Children's Television Workshop.

    May 28, 2015 | Full Review…

    Jim Slotek

    Toronto Sun
    Top Critic

  • Affectionately saccharine.

    May 15, 2015 | Rating: B | Full Review…

    Peter Rainer

    Christian Science Monitor
    Top Critic

  • There's no ducking the frank admiration and love on display in "I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story." Then again, there's a lot to love and admire here. It's freaking Big Bird.

    May 15, 2015 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

    Tom Long

    Detroit News
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (71)

Audience Reviews for I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

  • Dec 06, 2015
    Nice, but not a patch on the Elmo documentary.
    Marcus W Super Reviewer
  • Nov 20, 2015
    The story of Caroll Spinney is told from a perspective tinged with nostalgia and childlike wonder. Though he has been behind the scenes, so to speak, for the better part of forty years, Caroll is a childhood icon of millions of children, and a man of many talents. Principally looking at his work with Big Bird, but also Oscar the Grouch, this documentary looks at the life of the now septuagenarian puppeteer. Read more at http://www.bluefairyblog.com/reviews/2015/10/1/i-am-big-bird
    Spencer S Super Reviewer
  • Mar 04, 2015
    I saw this at the 2015 Cleveland International Film Festival. Caroll Spinney, the guy behind Oscar the Grouch and inside Big Bird since 1969, gets his own biographical documentary. This, of course, focuses more on the creation of Big Bird. Caroll is well aware that there aren't many of the original cast of puppeteers for Sesame Street who are still alive, but at the age of 80 when this doc was being filmed he was not ready to retire. He has been training a young puppeteer to learn Big Bird's mannerisms, but besides the increasing green screen work on Sesame Street, which Caroll doesn't care to do, most recent live appearances of Big Bird have still involved Caroll's performance skills. I'm from the generation that watched Sesame Street in the 80s, so not at the very beginning of the program, but well before Elmo took off in popularity with toddlers. I vaguely remember my parents taking me to see Follow that Bird in the theaters as well. As a young child Big Bird was real and Big Bird was the star. Now we get to learn the inner workings of Big Bird, how Caroll Spinney operates the controls in Big Bird's face with his arm extended over his head and how he moves around the set with only a tiny video monitor strapped to his chest to see his surroundings. It is still AMAZING how he does this while on roller-skates so often. This film also explores his family relationships, especially the love story between Caroll and his second wife Debra. It seems like they have found true love and the home movie footage is quite special. The story about the NASA Challenger mission is heart-stopping. Not only is Caroll a super talented puppeteer, but he is also an animator, so it is appropriate that the closing credits show off his art work. The movie covers a wide swath of his life and, though there doesn't appear to be a book biography of Mr. Spinney, my only complaint is that the filmmaker tried to cram too much material in, so that it felt much longer than its hour and a half run time.
    Byron B Super Reviewer
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