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'''''I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story''''' is an upcoming feature-length documentary about [[Caroll Spinney]], the original [[Muppeteers|Muppeteer]] behind [[Big Bird]] and [[Oscar the Grouch]] on ''[[Sesame Street]]''.
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'''''I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story''''' is a feature-length documentary about [[Caroll Spinney]], the original [[Muppeteers|Muppeteer]] behind [[Big Bird]] and [[Oscar the Grouch]] on ''[[Sesame Street]]''. The documentary is produced by Copper Pot Pictures, with founders Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker and Clay Frost as the filmmakers.
   
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The project was first announced in March of 2012, and a Kickstarter campaign was launched and successfully funded that summer. The film was completed by mid-January 2014,<ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/423885877954494464 Copper Pot tweet - January 16, 2014]</ref> and had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, Canada on April 27, 2014. The film's U.S. premiere was held at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey on May 3, 2014.
The documentary is being produced by Copper Pot Pictures. Clay Frost, Chad N. Walker and Dave LaMattina are listed as the filmmakers.
 
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In October, it was announced that [[Tribeca Film Festival|Tribeca Film]] had acquired the U.S. distribution rights and will release the film theatrically and through video-on-demand services in early 2015.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/i-am-big-bird-doc-744118 The Hollywood Reporter - 'I Am Big Bird' Doc Picked Up by Tribeca Film]</ref>
   
According to a comment by Copper Pot on the [[YouTube]] video of the trailer, the film is set to be released around fall of [[2013]].
 
 
__TOC__
 
__TOC__
 
==Trailer==
 
==Trailer==
[[Video:I AM BIG BIRD Trailer|center|660px]]
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[[File:I AM BIG BIRD Trailer|center|660px]]
   
 
==Official description==
 
==Official description==
{{quote|''I AM BIG BIRD'' is a feature-length documentary about Caroll Spinney, who has been ''Sesame Street''’s [[Big Bird]] and [[Oscar the Grouch]] since [[1969]]… and at 78 years old, he has no intention of stopping.
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{{quote|''I AM BIG BIRD'' is a feature-length documentary about Caroll Spinney, who has been ''Sesame Street''’s [[Big Bird]] and [[Oscar the Grouch]] since [[1969]]… and at 80 years old, he has no intention of stopping.
   
Think you know everything there is to know about Sesame Street? You don’t. You might know that [[Frank Oz]] turned down an offer to play Big Bird, but you probably don’t know that until a last minute change of heart by [[NASA]], Big Bird was supposed to go to space aboard The Challenger. Or you may know that Oscar the Grouch got his voice from a cantankerous cabbie, but you’d be surprised to learn that a fire in his trash can almost led to Caroll’s untimely demise.
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Think you know everything there is to know about Sesame Street? You don’t. You might know that [[Frank Oz]] turned down an offer to play Big Bird, but you probably don’t know that until a last minute change of heart by [[NASA]], Big Bird was supposed to go to space aboard The Challenger. Or you may know that Oscar the Grouch got his voice from a cantankerous cabbie, but you’d be surprised to learn that a fire in his trash can almost led to Caroll’s untimely demise.
   
 
Caroll’s stories are the stuff of legend. He has been a constant presence in our lives for over 40 years, his path weaving through American history like that of [[Forrest Gump]]. His time inside the Bird has taught him about the world and about himself. ''I AM BIG BIRD'' will peel away the instances in his life that inspired his creation of characters that have influenced generations of children. And, as the yellow feathers give way to grey hair, it is the man, not the Muppet, who will steal your heart.}}
 
Caroll’s stories are the stuff of legend. He has been a constant presence in our lives for over 40 years, his path weaving through American history like that of [[Forrest Gump]]. His time inside the Bird has taught him about the world and about himself. ''I AM BIG BIRD'' will peel away the instances in his life that inspired his creation of characters that have influenced generations of children. And, as the yellow feathers give way to grey hair, it is the man, not the Muppet, who will steal your heart.}}
   
==Interviewees==
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==Credits==
 
[[Image:IAmBigBirdCrew.jpg|thumb|300px|Filmmakers Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker and Clay Frost with Oscar the Grouch.]]
 
[[Image:IAmBigBirdCrew.jpg|thumb|300px|Filmmakers Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker and Clay Frost with Oscar the Grouch.]]
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:[[Caroll Spinney]], [[Sonia Manzano]], [[Emilio Delgado]], [[Bob McGrath]], [[Lorretta Long]], [[Joan Ganz Cooney]], [[Norman Stiles]], [[Carol-Lynn Parente]], [[Ouyang Lianzi]], [[Frank Oz]], [[Matt Vogel]], [[Jane Henson]], [[Street Gang|Michael Davis]], Judy Valentine, and more.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/297157482072129536 Tweet]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/277519364524236802 Tweet]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/286464194251980800 Tweet]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/301382925390331904 Tweet]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/274267903271002113 Tweet]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/291916216497483776 Tweet]</ref>
 
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*Directed and Produced by: Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker
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*Written by: Dave LaMattina
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*Cut and Shot by: Chad Walker
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*Music Composed by: Joshua Johnson
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*Executive Producer: Clay Frost
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*Additional Footage: [[Victor DiNapoli]]
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==Interviewees==
 
:[[Caroll Spinney]], Debra Spinney, [[J Milligan]], [[Sonia Manzano]], [[Emilio Delgado]], [[Bob McGrath]], [[Lorretta Long]], [[Joan Ganz Cooney]], [[Norman Stiles]], [[Carol-Lynn Parente]], [[Ouyang Lianzi]], [[Frank Oz]], [[Matt Vogel]], [[Jane Henson]], [[Street Gang|Michael Davis]], Judy Valentine, [[Jerry Nelson]], [[Lara MacLean]] and more.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/297157482072129536 Copper Pot tweet - January 31, 2013]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/277519364524236802 Copper Pot tweet - December 8, 2012]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/286464194251980800 Copper Pot tweet - January 2, 2013]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/301382925390331904 Copper Pot tweet - February 12, 2013]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/274267903271002113 Copper Pot tweet - November 29, 2012]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/Copper_Pot/status/291916216497483776 Copper Pot tweet - January 17, 2013]</ref>
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==Screenings==
  +
*HotDocs - Toronto, Canada <small>(April 27, 28, 30 and May 1, 4, 2014)</small>
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*Montclair Film Festival - Montclair, NJ <small>(May 3, 2014)</small>
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*Seattle International Film Festival - Seattle, WA <small>(May 25-27, 2014)</small>
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*Los Angeles Film Festival - Los Angeles, CA <small>(June 14, 2014)</small>
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*AFI Docs - Washington, DC; Silver Spring, MD <small>(June 21, 22, 2014)</small>
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*Melbourne International Film Festival - Melbourne, Australia <small>(August 16, 17, 2014)</small>
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*The Screening Room - Newburyport, MA <small>(September 21, 2014)</small>
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*[[Brooklyn Academy of Music]] - Brooklyn, NYC <small>(October 25, 2014)</small>
   
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
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*[http://copperpotpictures.com/ Copper Pot Pictures - official site]
 
*[http://copperpotpictures.com/ Copper Pot Pictures - official site]
 
*[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/472635228/i-am-big-bird Kickstarter Project]
 
*[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/472635228/i-am-big-bird Kickstarter Project]
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==Sources==
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<references />
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[[Category:Documentaries]]
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[[Category:Sesame Street Behind the Scenes]]

Revision as of 16:50, 28 October 2014

IAmBigBird
File:IAmBigBird2.png

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story is a feature-length documentary about Caroll Spinney, the original Muppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. The documentary is produced by Copper Pot Pictures, with founders Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker and Clay Frost as the filmmakers.

The project was first announced in March of 2012, and a Kickstarter campaign was launched and successfully funded that summer. The film was completed by mid-January 2014,[1] and had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, Canada on April 27, 2014. The film's U.S. premiere was held at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey on May 3, 2014.

In October, it was announced that Tribeca Film had acquired the U.S. distribution rights and will release the film theatrically and through video-on-demand services in early 2015.[2]

Trailer

Official description

I AM BIG BIRD is a feature-length documentary about Caroll Spinney, who has been Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969… and at 80 years old, he has no intention of stopping.

Think you know everything there is to know about Sesame Street? You don’t. You might know that Frank Oz turned down an offer to play Big Bird, but you probably don’t know that until a last minute change of heart by NASA, Big Bird was supposed to go to space aboard The Challenger. Or you may know that Oscar the Grouch got his voice from a cantankerous cabbie, but you’d be surprised to learn that a fire in his trash can almost led to Caroll’s untimely demise.

Caroll’s stories are the stuff of legend. He has been a constant presence in our lives for over 40 years, his path weaving through American history like that of Forrest Gump. His time inside the Bird has taught him about the world and about himself. I AM BIG BIRD will peel away the instances in his life that inspired his creation of characters that have influenced generations of children. And, as the yellow feathers give way to grey hair, it is the man, not the Muppet, who will steal your heart.

Credits

IAmBigBirdCrew

Filmmakers Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker and Clay Frost with Oscar the Grouch.

  • Directed and Produced by: Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker
  • Written by: Dave LaMattina
  • Cut and Shot by: Chad Walker
  • Music Composed by: Joshua Johnson
  • Executive Producer: Clay Frost
  • Additional Footage: Victor DiNapoli

Interviewees

Caroll Spinney, Debra Spinney, J Milligan, Sonia Manzano, Emilio Delgado, Bob McGrath, Lorretta Long, Joan Ganz Cooney, Norman Stiles, Carol-Lynn Parente, Ouyang Lianzi, Frank Oz, Matt Vogel, Jane Henson, Michael Davis, Judy Valentine, Jerry Nelson, Lara MacLean and more.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Screenings

  • HotDocs - Toronto, Canada (April 27, 28, 30 and May 1, 4, 2014)
  • Montclair Film Festival - Montclair, NJ (May 3, 2014)
  • Seattle International Film Festival - Seattle, WA (May 25-27, 2014)
  • Los Angeles Film Festival - Los Angeles, CA (June 14, 2014)
  • AFI Docs - Washington, DC; Silver Spring, MD (June 21, 22, 2014)
  • Melbourne International Film Festival - Melbourne, Australia (August 16, 17, 2014)
  • The Screening Room - Newburyport, MA (September 21, 2014)
  • Brooklyn Academy of Music - Brooklyn, NYC (October 25, 2014)

See also

External links

Sources