Last time on the blog, I covered Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird. From 1985, it was Sesame Street's first attempt at a big theatrical film. And while it was well received, it underwhelmed at the box office. Yet despite that, it still holds up as an excellent piece of Sesame Street history and as a good film in its own right. I call it a pivotal piece of Sesame Street's best era. Is that fair to say though? What about the 90s? Was that a good era for Sesame Street? Yes, and kind of no? Because by the end of the decade, the show went from the show with Big Bird to the Elmo show. Elmo, the furry red monster who started as an extra Muppet before becoming a staple character, gained increased popularity throughout the 90s. And in 1996, one could say that led to the most defining era of Elmo and the harbinger of things to come. Three words that bring forth the trauma of parents who survived the Black Fridays of the 90s.
Tickle. Me. Elmo.
The doll that became the hottest toy commodity. The one that created frenzies as parents flocked to get one for their kid. Its massive success became a boon to Sesame Street. And with it, Elmo became more and more of a fixture to the series itself. Not hard to see why. The character, originally voiced by Kevin Clash, is a cute little guy who speaks in the third person and comes off as a child akin to the preschool demographic. There's just a simple silly nature to Elmo that has led to the character remaining the face of Sesame Street ever since. Elmo became a celebrity. Appearing on talk shows, game shows, you name it. So, it stands to reason why Sesame Street would try again with another movie. And thus, in 1999, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland made it to theatres. Was it a good movie? Did it continue the tradition of quality that the first Sesame Street movie had set?
Uh... yeah, kinda?
It's definitely a differently structured move than Follow That Bird, that's for sure. Where that movie was more focused on the story itself, feeling more like Sesame Street is a tangible world, this one right off the bat and throughout makes it clear that this is a movie. Constant breaks of the fourth wall to talk with the proposed audience, Bert and Ernie stopping the movie at certain intervals, and the, for lack of a more fair term, Blues Clues-ian style of interacting with the kids in the audience to help Elmo out. Thankfully not a constant stream of it, but it's definitely there. Which is fine, really. Though, given this was theatrical and all, isn't it more of an antithesis to have the audience scream and yell all the time? Not starting kids off with proper etiquette there, Children's Television Workshop.
The plot focuses on Elmo and his relationship with his blanket, which is sentient so that's a bit creepy. Though I guess it's like Carpet from Aladdin, so that's more me looking too deep into this. But then again, that's the point of reviewing it at all. After Zoe accidentally rips Elmo's blanket and Telly causes the blanket to end up flying into Oscar who, in turn, throws it into his trashcan, Elmo enters Oscar's can and ends up travelling to Grouchland USA, home of the grouches. However, while the grouches and mean and nasty, they're not as mean or nasty as Huxley, played by Mandy Patinkin, a greedy man who takes everything and makes it his, including Elmo's blanket.
So it's up to Elmo to head to Huxley's house to get his blanket back. Also the Sesame Street gang show up in Grouchland and eventually have to get the grouches to work together to stop Huxley. All while Elmo learns a lesson about not being as possessive as Huxley, I guess? Although, in fairness to Elmo, Zoe did just grab his blanket without even asking. Like, I get she wasn't there for the big musical number, but surely she knows how he'd lose his mind if someone tried to covet it without his consent. And this was before she straight up starts to gaslight him about Rocko.
What I really like about this movie is how it looks. Mainly Grouchland and Huxley's house, which we don't get enough of really. We spend most of the time in a valley before Elmo deals with a tunnel and a trip to a dump run by the sultry Queen of Trash played by Vanessa Williams. The dump also looks neat as well, but of all the areas in the movie, feels the most like a movie set than even the basic valley. The other thing I really like is the heavy use of new Muppets in the film. Grouches, animals, garbage creatures, even Huxley's verbally abused underlings, including Bug, who is the side-hero of the film. I just love the creatures of the Henson Workshop and these are no exception. The effects are also decent, doing as good a job as possible in making the Muppets move and walk, though it does feel more green screen than practical like in the days of the older Muppet movies.
And then there's Mandy Patinkin as Huxley and my god he's the best part of this movie. He kills it in the role, presenting a wonderfully bad guy who chews the scenery with just how maniacally evil he can be. His song is just okay, but other than that every scene he's in he's wonderful. Playing the perfect villainous foil that could work for a younger audience. The bad, mean man who wants everything for himself, living by the "Finders versus Keepers" mentality. Bug is also a decent character. The abused underling who eventually tires of his boss' crap and calls him out for it. And Bug's design is cute in that cutesy Henson style.
And then there's Elmo. I don't care for Elmo that much. He's very much a Muppet that works better in small doses for me than being the focus of an eighty minute movie. But there are some fun moments with him and, more so than Big Bird, he does have more of a character arc. Going from whiny and possessive of his blanket to realizing that he's as bad as Huxley is. So he's far from an unlikable lead. My other notable gripe is I will say the plot didn't click as well for me, and it felt more like the Sesame Street cast felt more in the background than ever. Mattering less through the movie than they did in Follow That Bird. Though, at least we got more Ernie and Bert than we did in the previous movie, that's a plus.
Like I said last time, this movie was another flop at the box office. It also wasn't the critical darling that Follow That Bird was, but still does well in a more average rating, so kudos for that. I swear I'm not trying to just play cheerleader for Follow That Bird as much as it seems, but it just keeps happening, huh? Again, like I was saying last time, these preschool shows just don't translate into box office successes. Unless you're Paw Patrol: The Movie. That one made bank. I might watch that. Granted, if there's more interest in me covering these kinds of films. But, as I was saying, Thomas, Barney, and others have tried the gamble and didn't fully succeed in the goal.
So I made these two reviews and watched both of these films with one intention in mind. To see how the Sesame Street brand was handled with its two big theatrical films, each being in a different decade and era of the series itself. And while yes, the era I grew up with more will ultimately be the driving force in my nostalgia, that late 90s era of Sesame Street wasn't that bad either. Still feeling like that classic charm still exists. And I have watched some modern Sesame Street to feel that yes, the show still does feel special. Constantly trying to educate. Constantly trying new things and trying to keep with the changing of the times themselves. A series now over half a century long and still managing to continue. And I hope that never changes. Sesame Street, and by extension Jim Henson's legacy, are two things that feel timeless and eternal.
But what do I think of this movie overall? I think it's just okay. Worth at least a three and a half in my ratings. It's a movie that, were I the right age in 1999 I would have no doubt loved. There is a fun charm to this movie that makes it a breezy sit. I just don't think it lands everything as well as Follow That Bird did. Regardless of what era you grew up with, or even what movie, I think Sesame Street definitely tried with both of their theatrical attempts. It's a shame neither were the financial successes they could have or should have been, but I'm still thankful they exist. You know, for a movie with Grouchland in the title, I'm awfully chipper. So, Scram I guess.
RATING: ***1/2
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