Ron Howard Returns To Cannes With Documentary ‘Jim Henson Idea Man’ – First Look

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at Jim Henson Idea Man, the latest feature from veteran filmmaker Ron Howard which debuts this evening at the Cannes Film Festival. 

The doc chronicles the story of artist Jim Henson. In his 36-year career, Henson created some of the entertainment world’s most beloved characters, including classic Muppets like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy and all of Sesame Street’s iconic residents, including Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster, and Bert and Ernie. Henson also directed family classics The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. 

Produced with the full participation and cooperation of the Henson family, Jim Henson Idea Man is described as an “unprecedented, intimate look at Henson’s illustrious, revolutionary career and complex personal life.” The doc uses never-before-seen personal archival home movies, photographs, sketches, and Henson’s personal diaries, as well as interviews with those who knew him best. 

The doc will debut on May 31 on Disney+. It is a Disney Branded Television project produced by Imagine Documentaries. Howard also serves as a producer alongside Brian Grazer, Sara Bernstein, Margaret Bodde, Justin Wilkes, Mark Monroe, and Christopher St. John. Paul Crowder, Meredith Kaulfers, and Michael Rosenberg serve as executive producers. 

Here in Cannes, the doc screens as part of the Cannes Classics sidebar. Howard is on the ground in Cannes and will present the film to audiences. Howard was last in Cannes in 2018 with Solo: A Star Wars Series, which screened out of Competition. The veteran filmmaker has screened The Da Vinci Code, EDTV, Far And Away, and Willow at the fest. 

Jim Henson Idea Man is Howard’s last feature since 2022’s Thirteen Lives, starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton. Check out the clip from Jim Henson Idea Man above.