Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ken Kwapis
Produced by	Tony Garnett
Written by	Judy Freudberg Tony Geiss
Starring	Caroll Spinney Jim Henson Frank Oz Sandra Bernhard John Candy Chevy Chase Joe Flaherty Waylon Jennings Dave Thomas
Music by	Lennie Niehaus Van Dyke Parks
Cinematography	Curtis Clark
Editing by	Evan Landis
Studio	Henson Associates Children's Television Workshop
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	August 2, 1985 (1985-08-02)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States (filmed in Canada)
Language	English
Box office	$13,961,370

Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird (commonly shortened to Follow That Bird) is a 1985 American road film directed by Ken Kwapis, starring many Sesame Street characters (both puppets and live actors). This was the first of two Sesame Street feature films, followed in 1999 by The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. The film was produced by the Children's Television Workshop and Warner Bros. Pictures, and filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto International Studios, and on location in the Greater Toronto Area. This is also the final Muppet film to be released before the death of Jim Henson.

Plot

Big Bird is sent to the fictional town of Oceanview, Illinois, to live with a family of dodos by Miss Finch (performed by Cheryl Wagner and voiced by Sally Kellerman), a social worker who thinks he needs to be with his own kind upon being sent to him by the Board of Birds. His new family thinks exactly the same, even saying he should have a bird as a best friend instead of Mr. Snuffleupagus. This causes Big Bird much distress.

When he runs away from his new home, his Sesame Street friends band together to find him. In a Volkswagen Beetle is the group of Gordon, Olivia, Linda, and Cookie Monster. The Count departs in his Countmobile. Bert and Ernie go out to search in an airplane. Grover flies as Super Grover (later falling into the Volkswagen). Maria leaves with Oscar, Telly, and Homer Honker in Oscar's Sloppy Jalopy. They all head out across America in search for their beloved Big Bird.

Big Bird has various adventures in his attempt to get home: first, he hitches a ride with a turkey truck driver (Waylon Jennings). He then meets two kids, Ruthie and Floyd (Alyson Court and Benjamin Barrett), at a farm and stays with them for a while. All the time, he is being pursued by Miss Finch, who wants to take him back to the Dodos. He has to leave the farm because of her arrival.

While out in a cornfield, Big Bird is spotted by Ernie and Bert in their plane. But Big Bird doesn't know that Bert and Ernie are in it and thinks it's Miss Finch wanting to take him back to the Dodos. When Ernie steers the plane towards Big Bird, Big Bird flees in fright. Ernie turns the plane upside down to get Big Bird's attention and begins singing "Upside Down World", with Bert beginning to join in singing, but when they turn the plane back up, Big Bird is gone, and Ernie blames it all on Bert.

Big Bird is also sought by two scam artists, Sid and Sam Sleaze (Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas, two actors who have appeared previously on SCTV), who operate a lousy carnival, The Sleaze Brothers Funfair. They want to capture him to put him on display. Eventually, Big Bird arrives in Toadstool, dubbed "The Mushroom City." Shortly after arriving, Miss Finch finds him there and gives chase through the city. On the outskirts of Toadstool, the Sleaze Brothers have set up their funfair, and Big Bird shows up asking if they have a place to hide him from Miss Finch. The two brothers then put him in their "hiding cage." Shortly afterwards, they decide to paint him blue and tout him as "The Bluebird of Happiness." However, his performance is not one of happiness, but of sadness, as he sings a song about wishing to be back home with his friends.

After the show, two children sneak backstage to see him. Upon noticing them, he asks them to call Sesame Street to tell his friends where he is. The children do so, and the next day, his friends sneak into the circus tent to try to free him. However, the Sleaze Brothers quietly wake up and attempt to drive off with Big Bird in tow. Eventually, Gordon and Olivia give chase and succeed in rescuing him from the truck. Shortly afterwards, the Sleaze Brothers are pulled over by a state trooper (John Candy, another SCTV alumunus), and arrested on charges of counterfeiting, extortion, fraud, impersonating a dentist,and even stealing one of a kids' apples at their funfair.

Back on Sesame Street, Big Bird is happy to be back but then looks on as Miss Finch arrives to announce that she has found another bird family for him. Maria convinces Miss Finch that Big Bird can be, and is, happy there on Sesame Street—that it does not make any difference that his family consists of humans, monsters, Grouches, Honkers, and the other varieties of eclectic species on Sesame Street. What matters is that they are family. After considering what she's heard and realizing how far his friends went to try to bring him back, Miss Finch declares that Sesame Street is Big Bird's home. He is also reunited with Snuffy, who watched his nest while he was away. As Sesame Street goes back to normal, Oscar the Grouch is carried around the block in his can by Bruno the Trashman in order to get the happiness of Big Bird being back on Sesame Street out of him.

At the beginning of the end credits, Count von Count begins to count the movie credits (in a nod to the original series, Count calls Joan Ganz Cooney, the co-creator of Sesame Street, "mom" when her name is credited as one of the executive producers). By the end of the credits in a brief "bonus scene" Count announces 278 credits and does his trademark laugh accompanied by a thunderclap (no lightning flash was present as was in his usual running gag).

Cast

• Joe Flaherty as Sid Sleaze
• Dave Thomas as Sam Sleaze
• Alyson Court as Ruthie
• Benjamin Barrett as Floyd
• Sally Kellerman as Miss Finch (voice)
• Laraine Newman as Mommy Dodo (voice)
• Brian Hohlfeld as Daddy Dodo (voice)
• Cathy Silvers as Marie Dodo (voice)
• Eddie Deezen as Donnie Dodo (voice)
• Bob McGrath as Bob
• Roscoe Orman as Gordon
• Linda Bove as Linda
• Sonia Manzano as Maria
• Emilio Delgado as Luis
• Loretta Long as Susan
• Alaina Reed as Olivia
• Kermit Love as Willy

Sandra Bernhard appears in a cameo role as a Grouch Diner Waitress. Chevy Chase appears as a newscaster. Paul Bartel appears as a Grouch Diner Cook. John Candy appears as a state trooper. Waylon Jennings portrays a Turkey truck driver.

Muppet Performers

• Caroll Spinney as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Bruno the Trashman
• Pam Arciero as Grundgetta
• Fred Garver as Barkley
• Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog and Ernie
• Richard Hunt as Gladys the Cow and Feathered Friends Owl
• Trish Leeper as Performer of Mommy Dodo
• Noel MacNeal as Madame Chairbird
• Kathryn Mullen as Feathered Friends Magistrate and Grouch Diner Patron
• Jerry Nelson as Count von Count and Herry Monster
• Frank Oz as Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover
• Gord Robertson as Performer of Daddy Dodo
• Martin P. Robinson as Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster and Grouch Diner Patron
• Cheryl Wagner as Performer of Miss Finch
• Jeff Weiser as Performer of Donnie Dodo
• Shari Weiser as Performer of Marie Dodo
• Bryant Young as Rear End of Mr. Snuffleupagus

Board of Birds Members performed by Terry Angus, Kevin Clash, Tim Gosley, Trish Leeper, Rob Mills, John Pattison, Martin P. Robinson, Bob Stutt, and Nikki Tilroe

Musical numbers

1. "The Grouch Anthem" - Oscar, Grouch chorus
2. "Ain't No Road Too Long" - Turkey truck driver, Gordon, Olivia, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird
3. "One Little Star" - Big Bird, Olivia, Mr. Snuffleupagus
4. "Easy Goin' Day" - Big Bird, Ruthie
5. "Upside-Down World" - Ernie, Bert
6. "I'm So Blue" - Big Bird

Reception

The film was a critical success upon its release. On Rotten Tomatoes.com Follow That Bird currently has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 91%.

Box office

The film grossed only $2,415,626 on its opening weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, its total gross was $13,961,370.

DVD release

Follow That Bird was released on DVD on February 5, 2002 and was available only in a 4:3 full screen edition. It was re-released in a special "25th Anniversary Edition" on March 24, 2009, presented in its original theatrical 1.85:1 widescreen format for the first time in the U.S. in 20 years. The re-released version is enhanced for display on 16×9 monitors.

External links

• Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird on Muppet Wiki, an external wiki
• Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird at the Internet Movie Database