Follow That Bird (1985)

Big Bird is sent to live far from Sesame Street by a pesky social worker. Unhappy, Big Bird runs away from his foster home, prompting the rest of the Sesame Street gang to go on a cross-country journey to find him.

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Writers:

Tony Geiss, Judy Freudberg

Stars:

Caroll Spinney, Jim Henson, Frank Oz

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Caroll Spinney	...	Big Bird / Oscar the Grouch / Bruno the Trashman (voice)
Jim Henson	...	Kermit the Frog / Ernie (voice)
Frank Oz	...	Cookie Monster / Bert / Grover (voice)
Richard Hunt	...	Gladys the Cow / Feathered Friends Owl (voice)
Kathryn Mullen	...	Feathered Friend's Magistrate / Grouch Diner Patron (voice)
Jerry Nelson	...	Count von Count / Herry Monster (voice)
Paul Bartel	...	Grouch Cook
Sandra Bernhard	...	Grouch Waitress
John Candy	...	State Trooper
Chevy Chase	...	Newscaster
Joe Flaherty	...	Sid Sleaze
Waylon Jennings	...	Truck Driver
Dave Thomas	...	Sam Sleaze
Laraine Newman	...	Mommy Dodo (voice)
Brian Hohlfeld	...	Daddy Dodo (voice)

Storyline

Oscar, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the Sesame Street residents join Big Bird on a cross country adventure. Miss Finch, a meddling social worker, sends him off to Ocean View, Illinois, for the comforts of family life with his "own kind," the Dodos. But he is a disaster as a Dodo and, lonely and homesick, he soon sets off on foot for Sesame Street. Can his old friends find him before he runs "afowl" of trouble en route?

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Plot Keywords:

bird | big bird | sesame street | social worker | dodo | 

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Taglines:

The First Sesame Street Movie Ever.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Music

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

2 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird

Filming Locations:

Toronto International Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Children's Television Workshop (CTW), Henson Associates (HA), Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the Count is counting the end credits he says "Hi, Mom" when Joan Ganz Cooney's credit appears. Being the creator of the show and the founder of its production company, the Children's Television Workshop, she is sometimes referred to as the mother of Sesame Street.

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Goofs

When the Sleaze Brothers are pulled over at the end of the film, the markings on the officer's motorcycle indicate that he is a policeman. However, the end credits list the character as a State Trooper.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, would you please rise for the Grouch Anthem.
Oscar the Grouch: No, no, no! With the Grouch Anthem, you stay sitting down! Down in front there!

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Crazy Credits

The movie is sponsored by the letters W and B (Warner Brothers).

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Connections

References The Archie Show (1968)

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Soundtracks

Ain't No Road Too Long
By Jeff Pennig, Jeff Harrington and Stevan Pippin (as Steve Pippin)
Performed by Waylon Jennings, Roscoe Orman (uncredited), Alaina Reed-Hall (uncredited), Frank Oz (uncredited), Jerry Nelson (uncredited), and Caroll Spinney (uncredited)

User Reviews

My first movie!

This was the very first movie I ever saw at a theater. I was six years old and my grandma took me to see it. We both loved it. My memories are kind of fuzzy, as I haven't seen Follow That Bird since. But I remember being really sad because Big Bird was separated from his loved ones at Sesame Street. And I remember the gang trying to find him. And I remember, when the movie was over, how happy I was and how much fun I had.