‘Jim Henson Idea Man’ Director Ron Howard On Seeking The Family’s Blessing To Tell The Story Of The Man Behind The Muppets – Cannes Studio

Title: Jim Henson Idea Man
Section: Cannes Classics
Director: Ron Howard
Logline: Featuring unprecedented access to his personal archives, 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.
Distributor: Disney+
Panelists: Director Ron Howard and creative advisor Lisa Henson
Key quote: “I’ve been directing documentaries for maybe about 10 years now — through Imagine Entertainment, we have a documentary group — and we just got wind that maybe there was this possibility that the Henson family would be open to someone making a film about Jim. I immediately thought it was a great idea, but it was very important to have a conversation with the family first, to understand if there were limitations, what could be available to us and so forth. We had this fantastic meeting at their studio, in the classic Hollywood screening room where I saw so much footage that I had no idea existed, about Jim’s inner creative life and his famil. Even his home movies were an expression of his creativity. And I began to see this two-sided story of somebody who, outwardly, we understand is this creative genius, but, inwardly, was not only driven to be a great artist, but also be a great dad and be a great person.” – Ron Howard

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