History Film / SesameStreetPresentsFollowThatBird

* FlagDrop: During Oscar's "Grouch Anthem".

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/followthatbird_1123.jpg]]

* AbsenteeActor: Northern Calloway, who played David, did not appear in the film because it was filmed in Canada, and he was forbidden from entering the country due to having a criminal record stemming from a 1980 arrest in Nashville, Tennessee for assault and battery and vandalism among other charges.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: The Sleaze Brothers.

Big Bird is sent to live with a bird family, at the insistence of Miss Finch, an agent working for The Feathered Friends, an organization that places "stray birds" into foster families. Big Bird is keen on the idea of having his own bird family at first, but when he sees that he's not really fitting in with the Dodo family (them disapproving of his friendship with Mr. Snuffleupagus being the [[{{MoralEventHorizon}} final straw]]), Big Bird runs away to return to his real home on Sesame Street; when the news spread, the Sesame Street gang set out in search to find him.

Along the way, however, Big Bird is also being pursued by Miss Finch, who is determined to send Big Bird back to the Dodos; and Sam and Sid Sleaze, a pair of brothers who run a crooked circus. Sam, the most corrupt of the two, decides to capture Big Bird and make him their main attraction.

''Follow That Bird'' is one of several travel/road comedy movies of the 1980s, but proves to be a favorite among Muppet fans and families alike, with its engaging plot, fun songs, and classic character antics from favorites like Ernie and Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and even Kermit the Frog, among others.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: When the anchorman (Chevy Chase) is reporting about Big Bird running away, he mispronounces Sesame Street as "Se-same Street" before he's promptly corrected.

* CelebrityStar: Considering this is mostly a Muppet movie, it's to be expected. The likes of Sandra Bernhard, Creator/ChevyChase, Music/WaylonJennings, and Creator/JohnCandy all have parts in the movie. Actress Sally Kellerman even dubbed the voice of the movie's Muppet antagonist, Miss Finch.

* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: Neither Miss Finch or the Dodos appear in the original theatrical trailer.

* CoversAlwaysLie: Despite the film being made several years before he [[EnsembleDarkhorse became a major character]], and he only appears in a crowd scene towards the very end (and with a completely different voice and personality no less), Elmo is featured prominently on the DVD cover. Later prints have since fixed this and now have Big Bird only on the front cover.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Arguably, [[spoiler:Sid Sleaze]]. While he is just as eager to [[spoiler:profit off of Big Bird]], he does seem to have more of a conscience and empathy when compared to [[spoiler:Sam]].

* HomesicknessHymn: Near the end of the film, Big Bird meets up with Sam and Sid Sleaze, a pair of wicked carnival owners who paint him blue and make him the star attraction of their carnival, "The Bluebird of Happiness". The song Big Bird sings, "I'm So Blue", is anything but happy, as he just wants to be back home on Sesame Street.

* CoversAlwaysLie: Despite the film being made several years before he [[EnsembleDarkhorse became a major character]], and he only appears in a crowd scene towards the very end (and with a completely different voice and personality no less), Elmo is featured prominently on the current DVD cover. Later prints have since fixed this and now have Big Bird only on the front cover.

* ScenicRoute: Oscar, somewhat ironically given his penchant for being miserable, is the only one who tries to make a road trip out of the search, making several detours through what he considers points of interest.

* NoFourthWall: Surprisingly, despite the show itself, this movie actually ''subverts'' it; with the exception of Oscar's introduction and Count reading the end credits, there are only three scenes where the fourth wall is broken: when Miss Finch, upon meeting Big Bird, declares, [[AsideComment "This is worse than I thought."]]; when Big Bird looks at the camera when he meets the Dodos, and says to the audience "[[{{ThisIsGonnaSuck}} Big Dodo!?]]", and when he thinks the chickens will invite him to dinner upon finding a farm to rest in.

** A really oblique example. Ken Kwapis says he wanted to flex his artistic muscles, he originally approached the movie as sort of a ''Film/ParisTexas'' for kids, right down to imitating some of the shots, though after a while that idea faded.

** A really oblique example. Ken Kwapis says that, since this was his first film and he wanted to flex his artistic muscles, he originally approached the movie as sort of a ''Film/ParisTexas'' for kids, right down to imitating some of the shots, though after a while that idea faded.

''Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird'' is a 1985 family adventure film directed by Ken Kwapis and released by Creator/WarnerBros, bringing the beloved {{Edutainment}} series ''Series/SesameStreet'' to the big screen for the first time.

* NoFourthWall: Surprisingly, despite the show itself, this movie actually ''subverts'' it; with the exception of Oscar's introduction and Count reading the end credits, there are only two scenes where the fourth wall is broken: when Big Bird looks at the camera when he meets the Dodos, and says to the audience "[[{{ThisIsGonnaSuck}} Big Dodo!?]]", and when Miss Finch, upon meeting Big Bird, declares, [[AsideComment "This is worse than I thought."]]

* SeriousBusiness: The Board of Birds take pride in finding lonely birds bird families to be with. Miss Finch is determined to find Big Bird and bring him back to the Dodos (or to another bird family). She doesn't understand why Big Bird would run away in the first place, and refuses to believe that he wasn't happy being with them. They either never personally met the Dodos or it may just be the simple fact birds should flock together.

* RunningGag: During the scene at the Don't Drop Inn, a grouch patron can heard constantly inquiring about the Jell-O he heard. This goes on up till the end of the scene.