For the uninitiated, Elmo is one of the cutest residents of Sesame Street, a bright red, baby-voiced character who has his own TV show (Elmo’s World) and is adored by babies and toddlers the world over. In his first adventure, after a tug-of-war with his friend Zoe, Elmo loses his beloved blue blanket, so has to muster up all his courage to rescue it, leading him on a journey to Grouchland, the stinky, rubbish-ridden birthplace of Oscar the Grouch, where the evil Huxley (Patinkin) keeps possession of everything he finds in the trash.
Like the TV episodes of Sesame Street, this is loveable stuff with a message (Elmo learns that he should have shared his blanket and not been so selfish) that’s also brimming over with fun, songs, puns for parents to pick up on and general good cheer. (And in the very rare scary moments, Bert and Ernie pop up as narrators to reassure viewers that everything is going to be okay.) This is an absolute must for Sesame Street fans (and who isn’t one?) and features many of our favourite Sesame characters, including the Count, Big Bird, the Cookie Monster and Grover.
Is The Adventures Of Elmo In Grouchland suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
This is aimed at little ones but there are a couple of moments they might find scary. Mandy Patinkin is a bit creepy as Huxley, and kids may be scared by the giant chicken, but as mentioned above, Bert and Ernie step in to pause the movie at the scary bits and explain to little ones that it is all going to be fine!
If you like this, why not try: Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, The Muppet Movie, Barney's Great Adventure, Muppets From Space, The Great Muppet Caper,