| Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| 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 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States (filmed in Canada) |
| Language | English American Sign Language |
| 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 minus Northern Calloway, who played David on he show)). 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 last Muppet film to be released before Jim Henson's death.
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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).
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.
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
The film was a critical success upon its release.[1] On Rotten Tomatoes.com Follow That Bird currently has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 91%.[2]
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.
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.
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