Ron Howard talks ‘Jim Henson: Idea Man’

Ron Howard’s career as a director and an actor has taken him through many turning points of innovation in film and TV. Howard became a household name and face as a child actor on The Andy Griffith Show, and as a young adult on Happy Days. He’s since made a seamless transition to directing — with films including crowd pleasers like Splash, Apollo 13, and the Oscar winning A Beautiful Mind. The latter film also earned Howard a statue for Best Director. Throughout his storied career, Howard has interspersed his features with nonfiction documentaries. His latest is Jim Henson: Idea Man, an examination of the wildly creative and innovative creator of the muppets, now streaming on Disney+. Howard tells The Treatment about bringing some of Henson’s creative flourishes to the look of the film. Plus, he shares a few of his discoveries about Henson’s more experimental work that he uncovered during the research process and talks about why he finds Henson’s life and work so compelling.