The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland


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1999 film directed by Gary Halvorson

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is a 1999 American musical fantasy-comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson. It is the second theatrical feature-length film based on the popular U.S. children's series Sesame Street. It was produced by Jim Henson Pictures in association with the Children's Television Workshop and released by Columbia Pictures on October 1, 1999. The film was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina at EUE/Screen Gems. This is one of the few Sesame Street productions directly produced by The Jim Henson Company.

Quotes

Ernie: [first lines, humming] Hi there, everybody! Welcome to the movie. We're so glad you came. Now--
Bert: Ernie, Ernie. Listen, I'm going to take a shower. Have you seen my antibacterial soap?
Ernie: No, Bert, I haven't. Now, this movie you're about to see is all about Elmo.
Bert: Who are you talking to?
Ernie: The audience, Bert. They're right there. See?
Bert: [gasps] Wow! Look at all those people! Hey. Nice cardigan. [laughing, sounding like a sheep baaing]
Ernie: Now, in this movie, Elmo is going to ask for your help. He wants you to talk and play along.
Bert: How do we start?
Ernie: It's easy. Just count backwards from 10.
Bert: Okay.
Ernie: You see, that's how you start a movie, Bert. Can you all help us count backwards from ten?
Kids: Yeah!
Ernie: Ready? Yell real loud!
All: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!
Ernie: Heya, Bert. Don't you think you oughta put some clothes on now?
Bert: What? [looks down and notices he is naked, then running away, screaming] Ernie!
Ernie: [snickers] Enjoy the movie, everybody.
[the title card appears]
Cuckoo clock bird: Wake up!
Elmo: Gaah! [falls out of bed] Elmo's up! Elmo's up! Elmo's... [notices the audience] Wow! Hello, everybody.
Count: That's two. Two fingers! [Lightning flashes] Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Elmo: Wow! That was a fun ride. Gee, look at this place. Where's Elmo's Blanket? A-And... and where is Elmo? Elmo doesn't think he's on Sesame Street anymore.
Sharon Groan: You like me! You really like me! Now get around here. Get my good side... Oh, that's right. I don't have a good side.
Huxley: Now get in the cartoonishly evil vehicle and DRIVE!
Huxley: I know... I think it's time for Elmo to take a little "trip to the tunnel" if you know what I mean. [snickers evilly]
Bug: [from monitor; eating chips] What'd you say, boss?
Huxley: Bug, what're you doing?
Bug: [mouthful of chips] Just havin' a little snack. Hard to do an evil bidding on an empty stomach.
Huxley: Oh, sure. Listen, Bug. Listen good.
Bug: Mm-hmm.
Huxley: Are you listening?
Bug: Mm-hmm.
Huxley: [abruptly shouts] GET BACK TO WORK!!!!
Bug: Gaaah! [faints] Whoa!
Big Bird: Oh, look! There's a police officer.
Zoe: Yeah! Let's ask him for help.

(Scene abruptly cuts to a jail cell door slamming in the Sesame Street residents' faces)

Grouch police officer: It's against the law to ask for help in Grouchland!! You have the right to scream your head off. Should you give up the right to scream your head off, someone who screams their head off will be provided for you.
Cookie Monster: Me innocent. Hello? Me need cookie!
Elmo: Thank you, fireflies. Don't worry, Blanket! Elmo'll be there soon! [giggles]

(Scene cuts to Huxley watching through his telescope, labeled "MINE")

Huxley: [incredulously] Impossible. He's still coming? [furiously shoves his telescope away, then storms off] I'M WALKING!
Pestie #1: The boss is walking! The boss is walking! [accidentally touches some rocks] Ow! Hot rocks! Hot rocks! Dirty rocks! Should've worn shoes! [to Pestie #2] The boss is walking!! [Pestie #2 panics]

(Huxley strides into his house, slamming the door behind him)

Pestie #3: Bologna sandwich, again?
Pestie #4: Yeah, yeah...

(Huxley peers through a window)

Huxley: GET BACK TO WORK!!!!!

(Pesties #3 and #4 freak out, causing the scaffolding that they are sitting on to collapse)

Bug: You have a very lovely singing voice.
Huxley: Thank you. I always fancied myself a singer. I was almost in a bus and truck show of West Side Story. They said I wasn't right for Maria. What do they know? I feel pretty.
Gordon: [in jail] HEY!!! Can we get some water in here?! [gets a bucketful of water in the face] Thanks.
Telly Monster: I didn't get any.
Queen of Trash: Since I'm a Queen of my word, you're free to go and pursue the blanket or bed covering of your choice.
Bug: How about that Elmo? What guts! What spunk! What chutzpah!
Huxley: You know what, Bug? You are really beginning to bug me.
Bug: Hmm... That's probably because I'm a bug.
Humongous Chicken: Now stand still. Like a piece of corn.
Humongous Chicken: Excuse me, I'm not stupid.
Elmo: Elmo knows you're not stupid.
Humongous Chicken: Good.
Ernie: Of course they can, Bert, in fact, I'm sure good things will happen, because who'd wanna see a movie with a sad ending, Bert?
Bert: Titanic.
Ernie: What?
Bert: Titanic had a sad ending.
Grizzy: [quietly] Don't let it get around that I'm helping Elmo!
Gordon: So, where is he?
Grizzy: He went to Huxley's!
Oscar: [angrily] What?! Huxley! First this guy ruined my beautiful Grouchland, and now, he's messin' with my frie---

(Everyone is surprised to hear what Oscar just said)

Big Bird: Oscar, were you gonna say "friend"?
Oscar: No. I was gonna say... "French-fried fish-heads"! [everyone else scoffs in disagreement] All right. So the little stink ball IS my friend. Oh, I gotta go do somethin' about this! Hey, listen up ya, grouch potatoes! Come on over here. Listen to me.

(The Grouches gather at his jail cell)

Oscar: You call yourselves Grouches. Look at ya. This Huxley character's taking everything that makes Grouchland so disgusting and you're not doing anything about it.

(The Grouches all agree)

Oscar: We gotta fight for our trash!
Grouches: Yeah!
Oscar: Stand up for our slop!
Grouches: Yeah!
Oscar: 'Cause...'cause...when they take our goo, uh...we gotta do!
Grouch Mayor: Yeah, that's right! We gotta do!
Oscar: "When they take our goo, we gotta do"!
Grouches: When they take our goo, we gotta do!
Grouch Jailer: I love goo! When they take our goo, we gotta do!
Elmo: Elmo wants his Blanket back! NOOOOW!!!
Huxley: The little piece of macramé lives...

(Elmo grabs a chain and jumps off the window sill, swinging towards Huxley as if he is on a rope swing)

Elmo: BLAAANKEEEET!!!! [grabs his Blanket from Huxley and jumps on to a nearby ledge]
Huxley: Pesties? Pesties! Don't let him escape with my wooby!

(The Pesties all rush after Elmo)

Bug: Uhh... boss?
Huxley: What? [notices he is naked] OH! [promptly shields himself]
Huxley: They might save you, you annoying red monster... but they can't save your wooby! [cruelly snatches Elmo's Blanket out of his hand]
Elmo: No! No, no, no! That's not a wooby! That's Elmo's Blanket!

(In a flash, the vacuum hose extends from Huxley's helicopter and sucks up Elmo's Blanket. Immediately, Huxley drops his claw remote to the floor, causing the claw to drop the laundry basket while Elmo is holding the claw's chains, leaving him dangling. The Sesame Street and Grouchland residents all gasp in horror)

Maria: Be careful!
Huxley: AH HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

(Looking down below, Elmo notices the basket landed on an ironing board and sees his opportunity)

Elmo: That's it!

(Elmo deliberately releases the claw's chains and falls onto the ironing board, catapulting the basket onto Huxley, and in the process, crippling his arms. Huxley grunts in frustration as the Sesame Street and Grouchland residents cheer until Elmo cuts the cheers short)

Elmo: Wait. Wait, wait! Where's Elmo's Blanket?

(Suddenly, the hatch opens on Huxley's helicopter and Bug appears holding Elmo's Blanket. Both Elmo and Huxley misinterpret this)

Elmo: [devastated] No, Blanket...
Huxley: [cackles with triumph] That's my Bug. Gimme back my wooby!
Bug: No, boss! You're nothing but a "basket-case."
Huxley: [shocked] What?
Bug: And this blanket belongs to Elmo. Hmmph!

(Elmo instantly brightens up. Bug exits the helicopter)

Elmo: [ecstatic] BLANKET!! [rushes to the helicopter]
Huxley: Wha...? Bug, I thought we were friends.
Bug: No! You're a greedy, selfish villain, and nobody likes to be friends with a greedy, selfish villain. Hmmph!
Huxley: Bug, I'll give you back every single teddy bear! I'll give you back the sun and the Earth and the moon and the stars and the...
Bug: Less talkin', more givin'. Hmmph! [defiantly turns and walks away]
Huxley: [following Bug] You're tired. You're not in your right frame of mind! This isn't when you make an important decision, Bug! Bug! Bug! Listen to me! I was wrong...
Elmo: Zoe?
Zoe: Hmm?
Elmo: Umm... Elmo's sorry for hurting your feelings. Umm... Can we still be friends?
Zoe: Well... yeah. Friends forever!

(Elmo gives Zoe her blanket.)

Zoe: Wow! I can hold it?
Elmo: Sure! What else could happen?

(Elmo and Zoe join the rest of the gang and they sing a reprise of "Together Forever".)

(Last lines)

Elmo: Elmo just wanted to say, thanks for helping. Elmo couldn't have done it without you. Elmo love you. Bye-bye! [goes back to dance with his friends. Ernie and Bert come into the scene]
Ernie: See, Bert? Just like I told you. Elmo got his Blanket back!
Bert: Yeah, it's a happy ending.
Ernie: [to the audience] Yep, and thank you all for helping.
Bert: Oh, yeah, yeah, you deserve a big round of applause.
Ernie: Oh yeah, everybody clap for yourselves, come on! Come on!

(Ernie and Bert clap. The children in the audience cheer)

Bert: You were GREAT!
Ernie: Okay, Bert, time to go home.
Bert: Yeah, I knew everything was gonna be okay.
Ernie: Mmm-hmm. Sure, you did.
Bert: I knew Elmo would get his Blanket back.
Ernie: Yeah, right.
Bert: And I knew there'd be a happy ending.
Ernie: Of course, Bert.
Bert: [to the audience] See ya! [notices the end credits] Oh, look! Look, look, look! Ernie, credits! OH! I wanna see who did the catering! Yeah, that was really good toast. Y'know, they cut off the crusts and everything.
Ernie: Uh, Bert?
Bert: Mmm-hmm.
Ernie: Time to feed your pigeons.
Bert: Oh, oh, thank you. Bernice!
Ernie: [to the audience] Bye-bye. [snickers]

Cast

Main characters

Humans of Sesame Street

Muppet performers

  • Dave Goelz as Humongous Chicken
  • Jerry Nelson as Count von Count, Pestie, Grouch Mayor, Grouch Police Officer
  • Matt Vogel as Big Bird (puppetry in some scenes)
  • David Rudman as Baby Bear, Alarm Clock Bird, Fat Blue Anything Muppet, Caterpillar, Pestie, Collander Stenchman, Grouch Ice Cream Customer, Mr. Johnson, Various Grouches
  • Carmen Osbahr as Rosita