Posters

I AM BIG BIRD – THE CAROLL SPINNEY STORY Trailer Debuts

By Melissa Thompson | March 13, 2015

If you grew up watching Sesame Street, especially in the days prior to cable TV, you will love the documentary I AM BIG BIRD – THE CAROLL SPINNEY STORY.

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.

I AM BIG BIRD was largely funded by a 2012 Kickstarter campaign. The project set its goal at $100,000, a mark which it surpassed handily.

1976 backers pledged $124,114 to a campaign that offered rewards including original art by Caroll Spinney, a group video chat and a dinner in New York with the legendary puppeteer.

Caroll and Debra Spinney’s home archive consists of thousands of photos and hundreds of hours of footage on every format available since the inception of film. The filmmakers went through each tape, laboriously transcribing and logging each clip.

The first season of Sesame Street featured three regular puppeteers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Caroll Spinney. Though Oz occasionally returns to set for cameos, Caroll Spinney is the last puppeteer who works on the show.

From Tribeca Film, I AM BIG BIRD: THE CAROLL SPINNEY STORY will be available on iTunes & VOD: May 5 and select theaters beginning May 6.

http://www.iambigbird.com/