The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)

A tug-of-war between Elmo and his friend sends his blanket to faraway Grouchland, a place full of grouchy creatures and the villainous Huxley. Elmo embarks on a rescue mission, learning important lessons about sharing and responsibility.

Director:

Gary Halvorson

Writers:

Mitchell Kriegman (story), Mitchell Kriegman (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Clash, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Williams

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Clash	...	Elmo / Pestie / Grouch Jailer / Grouch Cab Driver (voice)
Mandy Patinkin	...	Huxley
Vanessa Williams	...	Queen of Trash
Sonia Manzano	...	Maria
Roscoe Orman	...	Gordon
Fran Brill	...	Zoe / Pestie / Prairie Dawn (voice)
Stephanie D'Abruzzo	...	Grizzy / Pestie (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	Humongous Chicken (voice)
Joey Mazzarino	...	Bug (voice) (as Joseph Mazzarino)
Jerry Nelson	...	Count / Pestie / Grouch Mayor / Grouch Cop (voice)
Carmen Osbahr	...	Rosita (voice)
Martin P. Robinson	...	Telly / Pestie / Laundromat Guy (voice)
David Rudman	...	Baby Bear / Fat Blue / Caterpillar / Pestie / Collander Stenchman / Ice Cream Customer (voice)
Caroll Spinney	...	Big Bird / Oscar the Grouch (voice)
Steve Whitmire	...	Ernie / Stuckweed / Football Stenchman / Ice Cream Vendor / Parrot (voice)

Storyline

Elmo loves his fuzzy, blue blanket, and would never let anything happen to it. However, a tug-of-war with his friend Zoe sends his blanket to a faraway land, and Elmo in hot pursuit. Facing life without his cherished blanket, Elmo musters all of his determination and courage and heads off on an action-packed rescue mission that plunges him into Grouchland, a place full of grouchy creatures, stinky garbage and the villainous Huxley. Along the way, Elmo learns an important lesson about sharing, realizing that he was selfish with his friend and responsible for what happened.

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Plot Keywords:

no opening credits | blanket | rescue | sesame street | based on tv series | 

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Taglines:

The Good, The Bad and The Stinky.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Sesame Street set was recreated on the EUE/Screen Gems sound stage rather than using the original. The set was built fully raised so that the puppeteers could stand while performing rather than crouching below "street level."

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Goofs

When Huxley is pleading with Bug, trying to convince him that he will change, he is sticking his hand through the top of the basket, but in order to allow for this, the basket would have had to come on to Huxley from underneath him, yet Elmo catapulted it onto Huxley from the top, so therefore, he would have been unable to move his hands, especially considering the fact that Huxley had both of his arms down when the basket landed on him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ernie: [walks by humming, then turns and notices the audience] Hi there, everybody! Welcome to the movie. Hey, we're so glad you came. Now...
Bert: [Bert appears, wearing a bath towel and showering cap] Ernie, Ernie.
Ernie: Hm?
Bert: Listen, I'm going to take a shower. Have you seen my antibacterial soap?
Ernie: No, Bert, I haven't.
Bert: Oh, now where did I...?
Ernie: Now, this movie you're about to see is all about Elmo.
Bert: Who are you talking to?
Ernie: The audience, Bert. They're right there.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the movie, Bert and Ernie are on the screen. The credits start and Bert says "Ooh, credits! I want to see who did the catering."

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Connections

Spoofs Wonder Woman (1975)

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Soundtracks

I'm A Little Teapot
Written by Clarence Kelley & George Sanders

User Reviews

"You're one brave little monster"

The cleverest thing about 'The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)' is the degree of self-reference. The film begins with Sesame Street stalwarts Bert and Ernie, our hosts for the evening, breaking the fourth wall to greet the audience and introduce the feature presentation. We, the audience, are asked to count backwards from ten so that the film may begin; in keeping with the spirit of the viewing, I acquiesced. Our hosts regularly interrupt the main story whenever our hero's predicament is looking particularly dire, probably to remind the younger viewers that a happy ending is just around the corner. Then Bert gets excited about the closing credits.

The meat of the film centres on that adorable reddish monster Elmo (Kevin Clash), who wakes up one morning and begins to sing about his beloved blanket. (Bizarrely, Elmo's bedroom features just one recognisable feature – a giant poster of Tiger Woods). When he accidentally travels to the mystical Grouchland (via a '2001'-like wormhole accessed through Oscar the Grouch's bachelor pad), he loses his blanket to the sinister self-proclaimed villain Huxley (Mandy Patinkin), a human with bushy eyebrows and a desire to steal anything that isn't his. A frustrated Elmo strikes out to retrieve his prized blanket, getting occasional help from various creatures and even the audience members.

I know what it's like to lose a treasured possession. In fact, my dad threw away my favourite stuffed toy, for which I have never really forgiven him. Elmo's epic journey through Grouchland helps him to learn that material possessions are not everything, but the heartwarming finale is nevertheless rewarding in a predictable, slightly fluffy way. Movie references are abundant: 'Titanic (1997),' 'Gone with the Wind (1939)' and 'Doctor Zhivago (1965)' are offered by pessimist Bert as movies without a happy ending. They crafty larrikins at Jim Henson Pictures even managed to work in a reference to 'Basic Instinct (1992),' with the Grouchland cinema screening the picture with the title "Basically, It Stinks."

Details

Official Sites:

Sony DVD

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

Filming Locations:

Screen Gems Studios - 1223 North 23rd Street, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,255,033, 3 October 1999

Gross USA:

$11,683,047

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,683,047

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jim Henson Pictures, Children's Television Workshop (CTW), Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Company Medien KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (Digital DTS Sound) (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1