Jim Henson Idea Man is not just insubstantial as a documentary — it’s a rare example of a subject being so big, so artistically daunting, and so creative that he outgrows his own documentary.

| Jan 16, 2025

The film praises Henson's innovative spirit, highlighting his ability to blend technology with storytelling to revolutionize puppetry and entertainment.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Sep 20, 2024

Go ahead. Let this wonderful documentary tug at the strings of your heart.

| Original Score: 4 stars | Aug 22, 2024

Expect a tsunami of nostalgia to wash over you as you look back on the life’s work of a man who may have provided more joy to more people than any other artist.

| Aug 21, 2024

As warm, fuzzy, and deeply felt as a hug from Fozzie Bear.

| Aug 16, 2024

Henson and Howard are a fine match, and the sort of film you’d expect Ron Howard to make – straightforward, skillful, honest and sympathetic – is pretty much the kind of movie you’d want about Jim Henson.

| Aug 8, 2024

Jim Henson Idea Man could've easily been just a nostalgia trip of Jim Henson's successes. However, this candid documentary gives an illuminating look at the ups and downs of his life without glossing over how his flaws affected his personal relationships.

| Jul 21, 2024

Jim Henson: Idea Man still manages to capture who Henson was, what fascinated and inspired him. All the great behind-the-scenes material perhaps best helps let Henson be who he was, playful, dedicated, communicative, and a team player.

| Jul 8, 2024

Creativity and kindness seeped from this man, and he still has many generations asking, "Why are there so many songs about Rainbows?"

| Original Score: A | Jul 3, 2024

“Idea Man” doesn’t oversell but it also doesn’t give Henson the special place he deserves. Broadway canonizes Stephen Sondheim every other year. Television could do the same for Henson.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 27, 2024

Fascinating portrait of a creative, inventive and wonderful artist, and his family is candid about his restless spirit...He grew up humbly in Mississippi, took his mother's coat and cut a ping pong ball in half to create Kermit the Frog.

| Original Score: A | Jun 23, 2024

Unlike the multitude of creatures Henson produced, he was human after all.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 19, 2024

The film tracks Henson’s progress as a creative visionary, revealing his superlative imagination, his persistence, and his unyielding dedication to his craft.

| Jun 15, 2024

It's totally enjoyable and well put together.

| Jun 15, 2024

A fairly honest portrait of him thanks to his kids, who are willing to put their fingers into his relationship with his wife, Jane... That lens into Henson's life was completely unfamiliar to me, and I really did appreciate that.

| Jun 15, 2024

A comprehensive look at Jim Henson and the iconic Muppets. Set through the lens of Henson's unique imagination and frantic need to create, Ron Howard puts together a documentary that tells the icon's life with the same flavor as his work.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 14, 2024

Despite an interesting subject of a beloved icon, the documentary is very straightforward and conventional, but it offers a heartfelt and comprehensive tribute to one of the greatest creative geniuses to have ever lived.

| Jun 13, 2024

Both a fabulous primer on one of the world’s true innovators and humanitarians and an emotional trip down memory line that is likely to not only potentially leave you in tears, but instantly wanting to seek out his legacy.

| Jun 13, 2024

Henson was gone too soon, and this doco is a great gateway into his incredible legacy.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 11, 2024

You don't get to learn about literally everything that happened in Jim Henson's life, but this is still a great documentary nonetheless, and it is still worth watching.

| Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jun 7, 2024