The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
USA/Germany 1999
Reviewed by Heather Puttock
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
Sesame Street. Elmo refuses to let his friend Zoe stroke his blanket. They fight over it and it accidentally ends up in Oscar the Grouch's trash can. Elmo goes after it and is taken, by way of a magic funnel, to Grouchland, a country where trash is held in high regard. Huxley, a villain who steals children's toys, snatches Elmo's blanket. Elmo asks the native Grouches for help but they refuse. Secretly, a Grouch called Grizzy tells him that Huxley lives on Mount Pickanose.
The Sesame Street team - Oscar, Big Bird, Zoe, Prairie Dawn, Gina, Bob and Luis - arrive in Grouchland only to be put in prison. After escaping from a cave, Elmo meets Huxley's chief henchman Bug who misdirects him to the Queen of Trash's kingdom. Huxley releases a huge chicken which tries to eat Elmo. Meanwhile, the Sesame Street team persuade their guards to release them.
Elmo bursts into Huxley's castle and grabs his blanket but Huxley traps him in a basket. The Sesame Street team arrive, followed by the Grouches. In the ensuing fracas Elmo is freed from the basket which in turn traps Huxley. The blanket is retrieved by Bug. Huxley asks Bug to return the blanket to him and promises to give back every toy he stole. Bug isn't convinced and gives it to Elmo. Back on Sesame Street Elmo tells Zoe she can borrow his blanket any time.
Review
Produced by the non-profitmaking educational organisation the Children's Television Workshop, the US television series Sesame Street features a cast of humans and puppets who give their pre-school viewers lessons in the alphabet and counting. Their second venture into film (the first was Sesame Street Presents Follow that Bird), The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland broadens the pedagogical scope by teaching its intended audience of toddlers basic lessons in developing their social skills. To this end, during his travels in the altogether strange Grouchland, the child-like Elmo learns to be more self-aware (at one point, he has a flashback to a time when his selfish behaviour was just as bad as the villain Huxley's) and begins to recognise the importance of such concepts as friendship (his Sesame Street pals rescue him) and sharing (at the film's close, Elmo is happy to lend his blanket to his friend Zoe). The astute script, by Mitchell Kriegman and Joseph Mazzarino, also sticks to the worldview of its pre-school viewers by turning their everyday fears - of the dark, of losing a favourite blanket - into major dramatic events.
The film's relentless lessons in self-affirmation - there seems to be an unstoppable parade of woodland creatures who bolster Elmo's morale through the power of song - may grate with accompanying adult viewers. But the rickety sets and creaky animation are likely to evoke a nostalgic twinge in those who grew up with the show. Although sharing the television series' commitment to pre-school education, Elmo in Grouchland sadly lacks the gentle, hippy-like sense of irony which pervaded Sesame Street in its 70s heyday. There are a few moments when the spirit of the late Jim Henson (who created Sesame Steeet's muppet residents) winks slyly at the older members of the audience: when Elmo first arrives in Grouchland, he is greeted with a sign declaring "Unwelcome to Grouchland" and soon discovers an Ugly Parlour and - best of all - a cinema ad for Sharon Groan in It Basically Stinks. Ultimately though, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is just like its toddler hero: all wide-eyed and innocent and longing to be praised.
Credits
- Director
- Gary Halvorson
- Producers
- Alex Rockwell
- Marjorie Kalins
- Screenplay
- Mitchell Kriegman
- Joseph Mazzarino
- Story
- Mitchell Kriegman
- Director of Photography
- Alan Caso
- Editor
- Alan Baumgarten
- Production Designer
- Alan Cassie
- Music
- John Debney
- ©Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Co. Medien KG
- Production Companies
- Jim Henson Pictures presents a Children's Television Workshop production
- Executive Producers
- Brian Henson
- Stephanie Allain
- Martin G. Baker
- Co-producers
- Kevin Clash
- Timothy M. Bourne
- Production Co-ordinator
- Ingrid Johanson
- Unit Production Manager
- Timothy M. Bourne
- Assistant Directors
- Seth Cirker
- Frederic Clark
- J. David Brightbill
- Script Supervisor
- Christine Moore
- Camera Operators
- Michael Green
- Chip Hackler
- Visual Effects
- D-Rez
- Muppet Floor Crew
- Production Supervisor:
- Jane Gootnick
- Costume Supervisor:
- Stephen Rotondaro
- Floor Captain:
- Lara MacLean
- Muppet Workshop
New York - Character Design Supervisor:
- Edward G. Christie
- Project Supervisor:
- Mark Zeszotek
- Muppet Designers/Builders:
- Matt Brooks
- Eric Engelhardt
- Paul Hartis
- Rollie Krewson
- Tim Miller
- Karena Wienands
- Ronald Binion
- Henri Ewaskio
- Deborah Glassberg
- Ann Marie Holdgruen
- Elena Pellicciaro
- Göran Sparrman
- Costumes:
- Barbara S. Davis
- Victoria Ellis
- Fabric Dyeing/Painting:
- Jason Weber
- Electro-Mechanical Effects:
- Larry Jameson
- Tom Newby
- Additional Character Design:
- Paul Andrejco
- Foam/Mold Lab Supervisor:
- James Chai
- Special Effects Co-ordinator
- Michael A. Schorr
- Puppet/Talent Co-ordinators
- Elizabeth Brescia
- Danette De Sena
- Christina Delfico
- Puppeteer Captain
- Kevin Clash
- Art Director
- William G. Davis
- Set Designers
- Christopher Scott Baker
- Helen Williams
- Alan Hook
- Set Decorator
- James E. Ferrell Jr
- Design Consultant
- Val Strazovec
- Costume Designer
- Polly Smith
- Make-up Supervisor
- Cecelia M. Verardi
- Hair Supervisor
- Betty Lou Skinner
- Opticals/Titles
- Cinema Research Corporation
- Orchestrations
- Brad Dechter
- Music Supervisor
- Andy Hill
- Music Editor
- George A. Martin
- Music Engineer
- John Kurlander
- Soundtrack
- "Make It Mine" - Mandy Patinkin; "I See a Kingdom" - Vanessa Williams; "Precious Wings" - Tatyana Ali; "Together Forever"; "Welcome to Grouchland"; "Take the First Step"; "I'm a Little Teapot"
- Choreography
- Miranda Garrison
- Sound Mixer
- Carl S. Rudisill
- Re-recording Mixers
- Scott Millan
- Bob Beemer
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Louis L. Edemann
- Sound Editors
- Howard S.M. Neiman
- Ron Eng
- Lenny Geschke
- Steven Ticknor
- Scott G.G. Haller
- ADR Editor
- Gail Clark Burch
- Foley
- Artist:
- Gary Hecker
- Mixer:
- Nerses Gezalyan
- Queen of Trash Lighting Consultant
- Alan Adelman
- Muppet Stunt Supervisor
- Muppet Floor Crew:
- Fred Buccholz
- Cast
- Mandy Patinkin
- Huxley
- Vanessa Williams
- Queen of Trash
- Sonia Manzano
- Maria
- Roscoe Orman
- Gordon
- Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly
- Gina
- Ruth Buzzi
- Ruthie
- Emilio Delgado
- Luis
- Loretta Long
- Susan
- Bob McGrath
- Bob
- Voice Cast
- Kevin Clash
- Elmo/Pestie/Grouch jailer/Grouch cab driver
- Fran Brill
- Zoe/Pestie/Prairie Dawn
- Stephanie D'Abruzzo
- Grizzy/Pestie
- Dave Goelz
- Humongous Chicken
- Joseph Mazzarino
- Bug
- Jerry Nelson
- Count/Pestie/Grouch mayor/Grouch cop
- Carmen Osbahr
- Rosita
- Martin P. Robinson
- Telly/Pestie
- David Rudman
- Baby Bear/Caterpillar/
Pestie/Collander Stenchman/ice cream customer - Carroll Spinney
- Big Bird/Oscar
- Steve Whitmire
- Ernie/Stuckweed/
football stenchman/ice cream vendor/parrot - Frank Oz
- Bert/Grover/Cookie Monster
- Drew Allison
- Bruce Lanoil
- Bill Barretta
- Bob Lynch
- John Boone
- Ed May
- R. Lee Bryan
- Tim Parati
- Leslie Carrera
- Annie Peterle
- Lisa Consolo
- Andy Stone
- Jodi Eichelberger
- Lisa Sturz
- Rowell Gormon
- Kirk Thatcher
- Mary Harrison
- Matt Vogel
- Rob Killen
- Matt Yates
- additional muppet performers
- Certificate
- U
- Distributor
- Columbia Tristar Films (UK)
- 6,570 feet
- 73 minutes
- Dolby/SDDS
- Colour by
- DeLuxe