The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

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Released	October 1, 1999
Duration	73 minutes
Director	Gary Halvorson
Written by	Mitchell Kriegman (story), Kriegman and Joseph Mazzarino (screenplay)
Music	John Debney
Studio	Columbia Pictures, Jim Henson Pictures, and Children's Television Workshop
Rated	G

Elmo in Grouchland interviews

The Grouches of Grouchland

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is the second Sesame Street feature film, released in 1999.

Synopsis

In the second Sesame Street theatrical film, fourteen years after Follow That Bird, Elmo spends time with his favorite blanket. When Zoe wants to play with it, Elmo doesn't want to share it, resulting in a tug-of-war. Telly Monster accidentally pulls it away from them both while rollerskating uncontrollably. Oscar the Grouch ends up catching it, sneezes on it, and throws it into his trash can. Since Oscar isn't in his trash can when Elmo finds out, he goes into the trash can, where he finds his blanket, but Elmo and his blanket soon fall through a tunnel (Oscar sees this and only says, "Have a nice trip! Heh heh!!").

Elmo winds up in Grouchland USA, a world filled with Grouches. The evil Huxley then arrives to take the various belongings, and takes Elmo's blanket as well. Elmo meets a Grouch girl named Grizzy, who shows Elmo where Huxley's castle is, and Elmo sets off to get back his blanket.

Meanwhile, Oscar tells the gang that Elmo went into Grouchland, and they all go in search of Elmo. Once in Grouchland, however, they get arrested and thrown in jail since it's against the law to ask a policeman for help in Grouchland.

Huxley is aware that Elmo is in search of his blanket, and has his henchmen, Bug and the Pesties, stop Elmo from getting back his blanket. They trick Elmo into going into a shortcut, which leads to the palace of The Queen of Trash. There, when she learns that he's going to Huxley's castle and is believed to be one of Huxley's spies, she has Elmo take the ultimate challenge: blow her 100 raspberries in 30 seconds, which Elmo succeeds with help from the audience.

When Elmo gets closer, Huxley gets a humongous chicken to stop Elmo. The chicken thinks that Elmo is a worm, but Elmo convinces the chicken otherwise. However, once convinced, the chicken tosses Elmo away. Elmo is about to give up, until a caterpillar encourages him to keep trying.

Back at the jail, Grizzy sneaks in to tell Elmo's friends that Elmo is on his way to Huxley's castle. Oscar, admitting that Elmo is his friend, decides to yell out to the Grouches outside that, although Grouches hate working together, they must take a stand. The other Grouches agree, and they get let out of jail to team up and stop Huxley from stealing any more of their stuff. Elmo and the others soon show up and confront Huxley, but Huxley decides to take Elmo's blanket away. Bug soon gets hold of the blanket, and tells Huxley that he's going to give it to Elmo, breaking off his friendship with Huxley. Back at Sesame Street, Elmo decides to share his blanket with Zoe.

Cast

• Muppet Performers

Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Fran Brill, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Dave Goelz, Joey Mazzarino, Jerry Nelson, Carmen Osbahr, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, Steve Whitmire, Frank Oz, Drew Allison, Bill Barretta, John Boone, R. Lee Bryan, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Lisa Consolo, Jodie Eichelberger, Rowell Gormon, Mary Harrison, Rob Killen, Bruce Lanoil, Bob Lynch, Ed May, Tim Parati, Annie Peterle, Andy Stone, Lisa Sturz, Kirk Thatcher, Matt Vogel, Matt Yates

Uncredited: Brian Henson, Eric Jacobson

• Human Cast

Mandy Patinkin as Huxley

Vanessa Williams as Queen of Trash

Sonia Manzano as Maria

Roscoe Orman as Gordon

Alison Bartlett O'Reilly as Gina

Ruth Buzzi as Ruthie

Emilio Delgado as Luis

Loretta Long as Susan

Bob McGrath as Bob

Muppet Cast

• Muppet Characters

Elmo, Zoe, Telly Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Baby Bear, Grover/Super Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Rosita, Count von Count, Prairie Dawn, Bug, Grizzy, Pesties, Mr. Johnson, Stuckweed, Grouch Mayor, Humongous Chicken, Colander Stenchman, Football Stenchman, Grouch Jailer, Grouch Cop, Grouch Cab Driver, Bad Humor Man, Grouch Ice Cream Customer, Caterpillar, Blanket, Sharon Groan, Grouches

• Background Muppets

Alarm Clock Bird, Laundromat Manager, Dog, Mouse, Donkey, Woodchuck, Pigs, Goat, Wolves, Mole, Gnu, Sock Quartet, Anything Muppets, Dinger, Mr. Honker

Promotion

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland was released in American theaters on October 1, 1999. Elmo appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on September 21, 1999, to promote the film's release.

Promotional tie-ins were established with Arby's and Sbarro featuring toys based on the film.

An article on the film was featured in Cinefantastique Volume 31, #8 (October 1999).

Notes

• In many scenes throughout the movie, Big Bird is puppeteered by Matt Vogel to a vocal track by Caroll Spinney while Spinney performs Oscar (who features more prominently).

• An early concept for the movie involved Elmo losing his ball in Oscar's can rather than his blanket.

• An animated logo for the Children's Television Workshop produced by R.O. Blechman and Tissa David was originally supposed to appear at the film's beginning.

• This film was shot over a 30-day period (starting May 26, 1998) at the EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. Additional scenes with Ernie and Bert were later shot in New York City, with Matt Vogel assisting Steve Whitmire and Eric Jacobson assisting Frank Oz.

• The rebuilt Sesame Street set features the Around the Corner locations, which make their last appearance. The film was shot prior to production for Season 30, where the Around the Corner setting was dropped.

• This is one of the few Sesame Street productions co-produced with The Jim Henson Company (along with Out to Lunch and Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting).

• In a December 2019 appearance on The Tonight Show, Elmo mentions avoiding Grouchland "at any and all costs" during a rap version of the "Sesame Street Theme."

Additional Credits

• Produced by Alex Rockwell and Marjorie Kalins
• Executive Producers: Brian Henson, Stephanie Allain, Martin G. Baker
• Director of Photography: Alan Caso
• Production Designer: Alan Cassie
• Co-Producers: Kevin Clash, Timothy M. Bourne
• Costume Designer: Polly Smith
• Puppeteer Captain: Kevin Clash
• Design Consultant: Val Strazovec
• Muppet Floor Crew:
  • Production Supervisor: Jane Gootnick
  • Costume Supervisor: Stephen Rotondaro
  • Muppet Stunt Supervisor: Fred Buchholz
  • Floor Captain: Lara MacLean
  • Production Crew: Brad Elliot, Alex Ferguson, Carlo Yannuzzi
• 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, Goran Sparrman
  • Costumes: Barbara S. Davis and Victoria Ellis
  • Fabric Dyeing and Painting: Jason Weber
  • Electro-Mechanical Effects: Larry Jameson and Tom Newby
  • Additional Character Design: Paul Andrejco
• Puppet Property Master: Brad Elliott
• Puppet & Talent Coordinator: Elizabeth Brescia, Danette DeSena, Christina Delfico

Galleries

Costume designs by Stephen Rotondaro

Behind the Scenes

See also

• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (soundtrack)
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (video)
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland deleted scenes
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland: Sing and Play

External links

• April 8, 1998 draft of the screenplay