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| Directed by Gary Halvorson; Starring Kevin Clash, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa L. Williams, Sonia Manzano, Roscoe Orman, Fran Brill, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Dave Goelz Jerry Nelson, Joey Mazzarino, Carmen Osbahr, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, Carroll Spinney, and Steve Whitmore |
There is a fine line in which films like The Adventure’s of Elmo in Grouchland are aimed too young for certain audience members. I think that I have actually met that point in life. Sure I’ll be the first to jump at a great animated film (as seen by my joy over Toy Story and The Iron Giant), but stuff like Muppets from Space are way too young for me. The sophomoric (or, for that matter, kindergarten) humor and remedial wording and phrasing is often less than enjoyable for someone that gets pleasure out of wicked little films like those of Todd Solondz and Neil LaBute. Still I did not hate The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, despite it being targeted at children a fraction of my age.
The film is about the journey that Elmo the monster goes through to get back his beloved blanket. In a fit of selfishness (my morals might not be up to par evidently, but I could understand why he did not want Zoe to use the blanket), Elmo loses his grasp of the blanket. The wind blows it around before Oscar the Grouch uses it as a tissue and throws it into his trashcan home. When Elmo goes down into Oscar’s humble abode to get the blanket, he is accidentally taken on a trip (taken as loosely as you would like) to Grouchland, a world where being cold and uninterested in everyone else is the favorite pastime. Grouchland is being driven to fear by a man that takes everything he can find for himself and keeps it. One of the objects he snatches is that beloved blanket, much to the dismay of Elmo. As Elmo sets out to regain his blanket, his friends Oscar, Big Bird, Zoe, et al. set out to find him.
I must admit that I did not hate the film. After the terrible sit through Muppets From Space, Elmo is a big step up. While I did not hate the film, I did not terribly like it either. The character of Elmo is one of the most cloying in film to date. The story and dialogue is highly aimed at its target audience, rarely taking anytime to give something to the parents (though the riff on Basic Instinct was quite enjoyable and above the head of every five year old in the audience in which I saw it). I did really like Mandy Patinkin in the film. His harsh character like Ray Bolger in the 1961’s Babes in Toyland is the best part of the film. In fact his scenes are the best scenes of the film. I know that trying to get analytical at all over a children’s film is a bit of a stretch, so I shall simply say that The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland would be a treat for any small child without being too much of a threat to any parent taking their child.
