Elmo au pays des grincheux

This was a happy film concerning the red furball from Sesame St, Elmo and how he learns about unselfishness from the negative example of a "greedy selfish villain" called Huxley, played by Mandy Patinkin.

Elmo loves his blanket but won't allow Zoe to hold it, and through a series of misfortunes ends up in Grouchland ("Positively NO Smiling!") where everyone is very unfriendly and Huxley (singing "I Make It Mine") is the most selfish of all. Elmo needs to retrieve his blanket from Huxley's castle and encounters a series of difficulties along the way, including a meeting with the "Queen of Trash", played by Vanessa Williams, who teaches him about giving.

I am 22 and I enjoyed it, particularly the musical parts, especially the signs in Grouchland, e.g. a movie theatre "Sharon Groan in Basically It Stinks", and the self-deprecating comments about the show - Huxley, "I bet you have a grand old time together just saying the alphabet and counting *all day long*." Grouchland saying - "you look like a million yuks." In jail, some people are told, "you have the right to scream you head off, and if you don't exercise that right, you can have someone scream their head off for you."

Grouchland is like a ghetto, so the producers had to be careful to avoid any racist suggestions at that point (witness outcry over Phantom Menace). The background music is a Latin/ South American rhythm. Also the Queen of Trash's dump has an African/Andean rhythm with the pipes in the background.

More disturbing was the incipient bourgeois mentality displayed; apparently we are supposed to not like the ghetto dwellers or the people who have everything (i.e. the socialist, Huxley). If this film was made in any country except the US, recycling would have been mentioned...

Postmodernist views are also blatantly promulgated in the Queen of Trash's song concerning her dump (or creation?) "It's all about your point of view".

Bert and Ernie often break in and get the audience to "participate". They are very fond of using each others names in their conversation, e.g. in just about every sentence. Another strange thing is that Elmo refers to himself in the third person all the time. But overall this is funny & a good commentary on commandments 8 & 10

for all ages.

I am 21 years old, and I consider myself as a kid at heart. I grew up watching Sesame Street every morning, and I have always loved Elmo. I took my 9 year old sisters to see it and we all loved it. Absolutely nothing offensive, Elmo is adorable! Looking for his lost blanket, he heads to Grouchland to find it. With some help from his friends, they battle Huxley (comically played by Mandy Patikin) to get the blanket back. Take the kids to see it- you and them will love it!

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is one of the few films to come around this year that is for the whole family. It can be for the kids because the characters are so likable (especially Elmo played by Kevin Klash) and it can be for the parents because they remember the lovable characters they used to watch as a child. Along with a good story, great characters, and better than good songs, this film teaches kids many things (like sharing and friendship) and of course the Sesame Street characters are always a delight to see on the screen.

I bought this movie for my friend's 2 year old son for Christmas, but I couldn't resist the urge to watch it myself. The story, characters, and songs were pretty cute, I must admit. The underlying message, that sharing is good, may seem juvenile in scope simply because it is a Sesame Street production and includes blue and red fuzzy monsters and talking turnips, but applies to everyone. Being a 21 year year old, I particularly liked the scene where Vanessa Williams emerged in a pretty provacative outfit made of trash (yeah!). Nevertheless, EIG contains a valuable theme that I wish more people would follow. Teletubbies and Pokemon have stomped their way into our culture, but are a mere fad, and the more reserved and prestigious Sesame Street has not lost a step. Oscar, Elmo, Big Bird, and Maria (woo-hoo!) will remain long after the Teles and Pokes have run their course. That's what makes SS so unique.

I have seen Sesame Street home videos that are much more enjoyable than this theatrical release. My 2 year old daughter loved it though, and I guess that's the target audience. The lesson this movie tries to teach is "sharing". I feel that the home video "learning to share" does a much better job.