ELMO IN GROUCHLAND
Elmo (voice of co-producer Kevin Clash) loses his beloved blanket during
a tug-of-war with his best friend Zoe (Fran Brill). It accidentally goes
into Oscar's trash can and Elmo goes after it. But when he lands in Grouchland,
a stinky city populated by many of Oscar's kind, he is horrified to find
the blanket has been stolen by the extra-nasty Huxley (Patinkin). Against
impossible odds, and with a little help from his friends, Elmo goes on an
adventure leading to Huxley's castle, where he must face the selfish man
and teach him how to share. In the process, Elmo learns a few tough lessons
himself.
Even if I were a big Elmo fan, it would be easy to see that this production
is not up to the high standards of the Henson films we have seen through
the years. Where Muppets From Space
and its predecessors are filled with savvy humor intended for moms and dads,
Elmo's story is aimed squarely at the pre-school set. The character is bereft
of subtlety, the lessons are simple, loud, and clear, and there is a suprising
dearth of comedy. As Huxley, Patinkin hams it up to the point of nausea,
and Elmo's constant habit of referring to himself in the third person is
maddening. Also on hand is Vanessa Williams, whose character as the Queen
of Trash is included solely to pad the running time out to a respectable
length for a feature release. You see, while she's on the screen, like everyone
else, she has to belt out a few tunes.
Elmo is technically up to the standards of Sesame Street, and it is clearly an example of that type of "family entertainment." It does have a good line every now and then, and Patinkin and Williams show adequate energy. But this film would have been more appropriate as a direct-to-video release for the holiday season. Putting it in theaters first just seems like a quick dash for cash on the part of its producers, and underscores its inability to stand up to the otherwise proud Henson legacy. ***