Cast: Elmo and the stars of Sesame Street
U.S. Video Release Date:12/21/1999

What happens when a sweet, adorable, furry red monster falls into a world populated by ornery, cantankerous, garbage-loving grouches? Plenty of fun for the whole family on a delightful escape into, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.

Elmo and his blanket are best friends. But when it gets dirty, he has to go to the Laundromat. On his way home, he sees Zoe, who's sad because her dad didn't take her to the zoo. Elmo cheers her up by "bringing the zoo to her." Afterward, Zoe wants to hold Elmo's blanket, but he refuses and a tug-of-war ensues. Suddenly, Telly whips through the scene on roller blades and knocks the blanket into the air. It lands in Oscar the Grouch's hands; he sneezes into it and throws it into his trashcan. By the time Elmo tracks down his blanket, Oscar is gone and an impatient Elmo dives into the can in search of his friend. He finds the blanket, but as he tries to pull it off the wall he opens a secret door and gets sucked into Grouchland. Elmo quickly feels unwelcome and meets Huxley, the villain, who takes everything he sees and never shares. Huxley seizes Elmo's blanket as his own and takes it back to his castle on Mount Picknose, leaving Elmo to try and rescue Oscar.

Grouchland is like a ghetto, so the producers had to be careful to avoid any racist suggestions. The background music is a Latino rhythm. The Queen of Trash's dump has an African/Andean rhythm with pipes in the background. This could be interpreted as symbolic of North American hegemony over Third World countries. The incipient bourgeois mentality evinced throughout the film was its most disturbing aspect; apparently we are supposed to find both the ghetto dwellers and the prosperity of Grouchland (Huxley) reprehensible. The writers attempt to de-emphasize this dialectical tension in a jail scene.

Also, had this film been made in any country except the United States, there would surely have been some reference to recycling. When Sesame Street first screened in November 1969, trashcans were omnipresent in Inner City Street; however, today's film producers should be more environmentally conscious. For example, postmodernist doctrines are 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 other's names in their conversation in every sentence, even more than once. Another unusual aspect of this film is that Elmo refers to himself in the third person all the time. "Elmo loves his blanket," "Elmo wants to find his blanket," etc. This may promote narcissism in children. The opening scene with Elmo's blanket is endearing and yet his selfishness should be censured. Kids will quickly notice that the main characters are abstractions of children's moods.

The film is very simplistic. An aspect of this is seen in the sets, which are clever but not lavish. For example, the passageway to Grouchland is an uncomplicated but appealing effect with colored lights, and Huxley's tastes run, like a big kid's, toward ordinary objects. The lack of clutter is entirely better for little viewers to grasp Elmo's chagrin when he realizes his treatment of Zoe was not so different from Huxley's supreme selfishness.

The film attempts to entertain and to teach the evils of selfishness, the benefits of teamwork and the need for courage in the face of trials. Elmo always tries to cheer up his friends when they're down. He's also very polite and his kindness wins out in the end. Even Oscar admits that Elmo is his friend. Elmo tells the evil Huxley, "It's not nice to take things that don't belong to you." The Queen of Trash sings that things may look like junk until you get a different point of view. She also helps Elmo see that he acted like Huxley when he didn't share his blanket with Zoe. Huxley has free reign in Grouchland because the grouches refuse to work as a team - but then they band together to defeat him. Friendship, helping and sharing are stressed throughout, which could lead to some good discussions.

Like Sesame Street, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland teaches children some important lessons, mostly about sharing, but also about diversity. For instance, Grouchland is a place where the inhabitants actually like garbage and go to places like the Ugly Shop - not the Beauty Shop. Oscar's homeland provides an inventive way to introduce children to the idea of cultural differences. Huxley, Grouchland's monster, who picks out the best garbage to be had and labels it, "mine," leads Elmo to reflect on the fact that he lost his blanket when he tried to tear it from his friend's hands. Watching Huxley, he realizes what he could become if he doesn't learn to share.

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is flawed by the fact that in order to appreciate the film, you need to know the conventions of the TV show and something about the Muppets themselves. A movie, even one with Jim Henson's Muppets, should stand on its own. Patinkin is a good villain, playing the role of Huxley. However, it is Elmo who appropriately steals the show.