Jim Henson Idea Man Summary and Quotes by the Ent. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: Jim Henson Idea Man
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Length: 1 hr 51 mins.
Age suggested: 10 and up
Release Date: May 31st, 2024
Warnings: A few lude jokes and comical violence, also some discussion of death of family and friends. Nothing overly offensive, but younger viewers may lose interest unless seriously interested in the subject matter.
Continue reading for our Jim Henson Idea Man Summary
Jim Henson Idea Man Summary
Jim Henson Idea Man is a simple documentary that splices recorded interviews with Jim Henson, modern interviews with his former peers, as well as his kids. All of this is interspersed with footage from the shows, movies and behind the scenes recordings from all of Henson’s career.
The story picks up with pretty much Jim Henson as a young adult who is just starting his creative life. We get some of the original puppetry he start with from Sam and Friends. It quickly shows the development with him and his future wife, Jane, creating Muppets Inc. while also pursuing a relationship and getting married.
Throughout the entire film, there is constant talk of Jim Henson’s race against time and how much of this stems from the death of his older brother. This strand seemingly lasts through his whole life, which is why he never stopped creating things, even at the expense of his personal life at times. This would eventually lead to the effective separation of him and Jane, although from the film, he still seemed to have decent relations with his children up until his death.
Obviously, there are so many creations of Henson that hit big in the mainstream, especially at that time. They dive into this in order of release, starting with the more toddler friendly shows, life Sesame Street and The Muppets Show (with perhaps a derailment here and there). Near the end of his life, he started making more cinematic films and shows such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Fraggle Rock. Most of the focus is on the toddler shows, but several of Henson’s creations are brought up and discussed.
Related Content: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Review
If anyone didn’t know Jim Henson’s story, then his early death may come as a shocker to many. Jim Henson died at the age of 53 after an untreated bout of pneumonia. The last little section of the documentary discusses his sudden death, his funeral, and his legacy both professionally and personally.
If you enjoyed this documentary, but want more detail of Jim Henson’s Life, I highly recommend this Jim Henson Biography.
Favorite Jim Henson Idea Man Quotes
You know, I’m an idea man. I spend a lot of time thinking. Thoughts are a funny thing. They can lead to ideas.
Now when you get an idea, you have to look at it from every direction.
When you’re running a whole several hundred person unit, you have to keep everybody else enthusiastic. You can’t really express grave doubts and stuff.
Jim created out of innocence. He was a very rare creature.
He has so many ideas and so many things that he wanted to do and so the idea of time was very much on Jim’s mind always.
It was my mother’s coat and a ping ball.
Jim wasn’t a musician himself, but he thought like a musician.
The story is he used Kermit to entertain his grandfather as he was dying.
Because he wanted to do more than what was humanly possible, there was never going to be enough time.
So the whole idea of “How do kids learn?” was really personal to him.
My dad never urged any of us kids into the industry. He just sorta encouraged us.
It’s just this feeling that the light had gone out and that it was not going to come back on.
He was ripped away from us way too young. It was an unfair, early death.
We felt like it was our life’s work and that if it could continue, we would love to carry on.
-Jim Henson Idea Man Quotes
Related Content: 5 Inspirational Documentaries
Jim Henson Idea Man Discussion Questions
Themes to Discuss: Creativity, Inspiration, Kindness, Friendship, Family
- What about Henson’s story had you not previously known? Which was the most surprising?
- Have you seen the main films and shows discussed in the documentary? Which are you most interested in watching or re-watching?
- What can you learn from this documentary about the importance of work-life balance and how one’s views affect this?
- If Jim Henson had not died so young, what could you have seen him doing creatively?
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