Jim Hensonhistory’s most beloved puppeteer, first got his break with a five-minute puppet show series called Sam and friends on the Washington TV channel WRC-TV. Sam and friends was the precursor to Henson’s most recognizable project of all time The Muppets. It even featured an early prototype of a character that would later become the franchise’s figurehead: Kermit the Frog!
While The Muppets is certainly Henson’s most successful creation, he has been involved in many other projects, from hit TV shows such as Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street to directing and delivering the puppets and assisting with special effects on classic 80s movies like Labyrinth and The dark crystal. After founding Muppets Inc in the 1960s, which later became Henson Associates, the company has gone through numerous name changes since then and is now, after Henson’s deathrun by his children under the name The Jim Henson Company, and has been responsible for many great movies outside of his Muppets franchisee. Below we take a look at six of the best and rank them.
6/6 The Happytime Murders
On paper, The Happytime Murders seemed like a bull’s eye. It was actually a Muppets film made especially for adults, with a fine cast including Melissa McCarthy and Maya Rudolph. This, and the fact that it was directed by Brian Henson (son of Jim Henson himself), was enough to pique the interest of even the most casual fan of Jim Henson’s productions. Although you are none of the actual Muppets characters, in order not to tarnish their good names by associating them with the kind of adult humor found in the film, the production team was certainly influenced by their past creations and the puppetry in the film is, as expected, unparalleled. Expectations were high as we’re thrown into a world where humans and living dolls coexist, and the audience is introduced to a private puppet detective and a human police detective who must solve a murder spree of retired sitcom stars. Unfortunately, much of its potential is wasted as viewers are subjected to a constant flurry of adult humor that often falls flat, resulting in a film that spends more time being as crude as possible than developing the story and characters.
5/6 The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
Starring Elmo and the beloved characters of Sesame Street, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland was the second theatrically released film based on the children’s TV series. The plot is super cute and follows Elmo as he goes in search of his much-adored fluffy blue blanket after it gets sucked into Grouchland, the grossest place in existence. While understandably geared more towards young children than adults, there’s plenty of interest here for seasoned fans of the Henson attitude. It’s the last film under Henson’s banner to feature veteran puppeteers Frank Oz and Carroll Spinney, and it’s also the last film. Sesame Street movie starring Emilio Delgado before his death in 2022.
4/6 Five children and It
Produced by the likes of Lisa Henson (Jim Henson’s daughter) and using Jim Henson’s Creature shop to create the titular It, otherwise known as Psammead, the family fantasy feature Five children and It flew under the radar at the time of its release in 2004. Unlike most of the other works under Henson’s banner, most of the film’s special effects were computer generated, which, while still impressive, is somewhat unfortunate given the proficiency in practical effects and puppetry. Based on the beloved children’s story of the same name, the film certainly lives up to its source material. It’s definitely a worthy addition and is elevated above many of the other versions, thanks mainly to a stellar performance by famed British comedian Eddie Izzard as the grumpy and eccentric Psammead character.
3/6 The dark crystal
Marketed as a family film yet undeniably darker than expected, The dark crystal was really disturbing at the time, but a fun fantasy romp nonetheless. Released in 1982, it follows two Gelflings (elf-type humans) as they embark on a perilous quest to recover the titular’s pieces and thus save their land from the clutches of evil creatures known as Skeksis. . Story-wise, it looked like it came straight out of a JRR Tolkien novel, but visually, thanks to the team at The Jim Henson Company, it was something completely unique at the time. Directed by Jim Henson himself, the film took full advantage of Henson’s creative team in creating some of the weirdest and most wonderful puppets ever featured in the film.
2/6 Labyrinth
Released four years later The dark crystal, Labyrinth took the winning formula of creating a high-concept dark fantasy family world full of weird and wacky creatures, using top-notch puppetry, and expanded it by throwing in the biggest pop star in the world at the time. The pop star in question was, of course, David Bowie, who, despite being a musician first and an actor second, was praised by critics and the public alike for his memorable performance as the Goblin King. The film follows a young Jennifer Connelly as Sarah as she embarks on a perilous mission to reach her half-brother from the center of a vast alien maze after wishing him away to the Goblin King. On her journey, of course, she encounters dozens of creatures, good and bad, all plucked from the creative minds of Jim Henson and his team.
1/6 follow that bird
Released 16 years after the now iconic children’s show hit television screens in 1969, Sesame Streetthe first big movie follow that bird was an overwhelming success, with critics scoring a very impressive 92% on Rotten tomatoes. The story follows beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird as he embarks on an epic road trip adventure back to Sesame Street after being placed on a reserve for Dodos. Thanks to a fantastic soundtrack, biting humor, tons of heart and of course fantastic puppetry from the likes of Frank Oz, Carroll Spinney and Jim Henson himself, there is certainly a lot to love about the film. While it’s clearly aimed primarily at kids, adults will likely find joy in the string of impressive guest appearances from comedic heavyweights John Candy and Chevy Chase and legendary outlaw country singer Waylon Jennings.