I AM BIG BIRD: The Caroll Spinney Story is a Loving Tribute

by Liam O’Donnell

I have to be up front with you so that, as a reader, you understand where I am coming from for the rest of this review. For me, there is something about The Muppets, and I mean to use that term broadly to describe all of the Henson-created properties, that get at something so essentially human, so transcendentally joyful, and so brilliantly creative that just thinking about them gives me pleasure. Sure, that is tempered some by the most recent films, which have been charming in some ways but mostly mediocre. Still, not only the art that is The Muppets and Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock, but the very project that Jim Henson started and invited these wonderful people to be a part of represent everything for me which is beautiful and wonderful about the creative life. I truly believe that any one creator or performer on those shows, regardless of mitigating circumstances of who they are and what not, has by being a part of that project achieved something more profound than anything I have yet been blessed to do or be a part of.

I Am Big Bird is not in any way an insightful documentary. It is in every conceivable way a fluff piece, working almost entirely as a bit of propaganda about Caroll Spinney, both his life and his work. There is almost no attempt to show the complexity of Spinney, to show the difficulties of Sesame Street, or to in any way combat the tendency that any Big Bird fan has toward sentimentality of the worst kind. None of that matters to me though. I found I Am Big Bird so powerfully sentimental that I was in a constant state of alternating between giggles of joy and tears. I cried when things were sad, but I also cried when they were wonderful and touching. I was in fact so embarrassingly involved in every melodramatic element of Spinney’s story that writing this review is difficult for me. However, I have to say, that for anyone for whom Sesame Street is an important force in their history and development, I cannot recommend this film enough.

Caroll Spinney is a charming and creative man, but he is also a solitary one. I Am Big Bird shows the ways that Spinney did struggle to find his art, to connect with his fellow performers, and even his slow-to-develop friendship with Henson himself. In that sense, I Am Big Bird flirts with actual documentation. It would be easy to assume that the film is so positive because Spinney himself is simply a saint and a creative genius. I am not so naive to assume that, though. There is a narrative flaw here, and I have to point that out in order to feel as if I am doing my job. In all honesty though, I don’t really care. The story of the ways Spinney failed those he loved is not the one I want to hear. Yes, he was not the most present dad in the lives of his children. When he was present though, he was a joy to be around, and THAT is what I want to hear. His creativity, his ability to perform in some of the harshest conditions, and especially the cultural influence his characters had all over the world all matter to me. I Am Big Bird does an amazing job giving me what I want, a love ode to the work of Spinney.

This alone, the way that Spinney crafted both Big Bird and Oscar, really gets at me. These two characters function for Spinney as two sides of himself, ways for him to express himself while also connecting with kids. Chances are if you are in your mid 30s, these characters matter to you too. The film tells the story of their creation, both narratively and literally, explaining how their performances work. It also talks about their identities, how Spinney crafted their voices and personalities. Even moreso though, their creation is a story of the response to them, the ways their fame created the phenomena that was Sesame Street. Big Bird, for a time, was the most recognizable children’s character in the world, and the film really expands that for the audience.

I simply find this idea, the ways that Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch form together the personality of Spinney, so interesting. It is, perhaps, a bit surface and not that deep. Yet I so often find myself surrounded by folks hoping for Big Bird and frustrated at finding Oscar, as if every human is not a strange combination of hope and frustration. Big Bird somehow gets at our wonder, our childlike joy at discovery and our willingness to be open to the world. This is in essence what the film is about, how the character shaped Spinney’s life, and not just how he shaped it. Through this one character, Spinney was able to see and affect the world. In that way, I Am Big Bird inspires me, and will inspire anyone willing to buy into its unadulterated sentimentality.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

This disc comes with a variety of cut scenes, extra material, and extended interviews. Every little moment on it, whether long or short, is endearing. If you want to bathe in your love for Big Bird and Sesame Street in general, these features will bring you joy. Entirely worth it.

I Am Big Bird is in no way a ground breaking documentary. It is, in fact, one long hagiography to Caroll Spinney. Yet, as such, it filled me with great joy and inspired me to want to create and touch the lives of others. It got under my skin and robbed me of my critical faculties, but I am ok with that.