Line #71 Film/TheAdventuresOfElmoInGrouchland


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4	->''Welcome to Grouchland! [[ImmediateSelfContradiction NOW SCRAM]]!''
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6	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_39.jpeg]]
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8	''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'' (1999) is the second ''Series/SesameStreet'' movie, following ''Film/SesameStreetPresentsFollowThatBird''. This one centers around the lovable red Muppet Elmo. It is directed by Gary Halvorson, with the screenplay by Mitchell Kriegman and Joey Mazzarino and the story by Kriegman.
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10	Elmo (Kevin Clash) loves his furry blue blanket more than almost anything in the world. When Zoe (Fran Brill) wants to play with it, he refuses, as it's his. They tug, and Elmo's blanket is nearly ripped--and a gust of wind blows it into Oscar's trash can and through a portal to Grouchland.
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12	Elmo enters Grouchland to retrieve his blanket, but finds it just in time to have it stolen by Huxley (Creator/MandyPatinkin), who considers ''everything'' to be his. Elmo embarks on an epic quest across the land to reach Huxley's home and rescue his blanket--and meanwhile, his friends are searching for him.
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15	!!This movie provides examples of:
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17	* AnAesop: It's not nice to hog possessions, even if they are special to you. Elmo did not know of this trope, Huxley however did know what he was doing is very immoral and selfish, but he was proud of it.
18	* AlphabetSong: While everyone is locked up, Big Bird sings this in an attempt to make the best of it and cheer the two grouches in his cell, who obviously did ''not'' like hearing it.
19	* AnotherDimension: Grouchland is an alternate world where all the Grouches live, and everything there runs on BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad.
20	* ArmorPiercingResponse: [[spoiler:The Queen of Trash manages to break Elmo's pride with this.]]
21	-->[[spoiler:''Well, you certainly sound like Huxley.'']]
22	* ArtShift / BigBudgetBeefUp: Like the previous film, as opposed to shooting on the TV budget New York set, they opted to build a bigger, more feature-laden set somewhere else (Wilmington, NC) with new elements not seen in the show, including a laundromat, deli and a variety of outdoor vendors. (As a side note, it was also the last time characters and elements from the TV show's 1993 expansion "around the corner" were seen.) There's also a few quick scenes featuring full-bodied muppets with greenscreen removal for the puppeteers.
23	* AscendedExtra: Elmo did appear in ''[[Film/SesameStreetPresentsFollowThatBird Follow That Bird]]'', but it was only in a background cameo during the ending scene. In this film, he's the star and titular character.
24	* AudienceParticipation: The audience is encouraged to help Elmo at certain points.
25	* AwardBaitSong: "Precious Wings" is an inspirational song played during the end credits.
26	* BadBoss: Huxley mistreats Bug terribly.
27	* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: It's against the law to ask for help in Grouchland, and their likes and dislikes are backwards to ours.
28	* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Elmo's simple act of saying Bug is "very nice" for giving him (false) directions, and giving the latter a hug before continuing on his way, is what initiates Bug's HeelFaceTurn in the end.
29	* BigBad: Huxley. He's responsible for all the danger in the plot and Elmo getting back the blanket that he stole is his main objective. Huxley even [[LampshadeHanging admits to being evil]].
30	* BigDamnHeroes: In the movie, Elmo shouts, "STOP!" for Huxley to release Grizzy; Oscar, normally a grouchy Grouch, rallies up the Grouches of Grouchland to fight against Huxley; and Bug does a complete HeelFaceTurn when he gives Elmo his blanket back.
31	* BigDamnMovie: The second big movie for ''Series/SesameStreet'', involving Elmo traveling to Grouchland to retrieve his stolen blanket.
32	* BigNo: Elmo, when he realizes that he was no different from Huxley.
33	* BigOlEyebrows: Huxley has these. Appropriate enough, given that he lives among [[BigOlUnibrow grouches]].
34	* BiggerOnTheInside: Oscar's trash can serves as a portal to Grouchland.
35	* BlowingARaspberry: The Queen of Trash demands one hundred of these "raspberries" in a set time.
36	* BreakoutCharacter: Bug, who would later go on to be renamed "Bill the Bug" and become one of main characters of ''Panwapa Island''.
37	* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: Seen on Elmo as he is trapped in a cave by Huxley's gang.
38	* CardCarryingVillain: Huxley revels in being evil and greedy, stealing everything just because he can. He's notably the first true ''villain'' ever to appear in a ''Sesame Street'' story.
39	* CompanionCube:
40	** Elmo loves his blanket so much he talks to it, acts like it's alive, sleeps with it, and refuses to share it.
41	** Grizzy also has her Soggy-Pants Sandy doll. She loves it and is first seen in the movie playing with it and singing a song about how her doll wets herself and does the Soggy-Pants dance.
42	* ContinuityPorn: The contents of Oscar's trash can, while briefly seen, are full of items and objects mentioned on the show.
43	* CouldntFindATissue: When Elmo's runaway blanket comes floating down to him, Oscar unknowingly sneezes right into it. Then he just tosses it right into his trashcan—which happens to be a portal to the eponymous Grouchland.
44	* CreatorCameo: According to Matt Vogel (who performed a goat in the scene where several forest animals are fleeing from the humongous chicken), the donkey screaming, "CHICKEN!" was played by Brian Henson, who served as an executive producer for the film.
45	* CrowdChant: After Oscar's RousingSpeech, he leads his friends and all of [[CrapsackWorld Grouchland's]] citizens in chanting, "When they take our goo, we gotta do!" as they march to Mt. Pickanose.
46	* CuckooClockGag: Elmo is awakened by a clock that has a little bird come out of it and scream, "WAKE UP!".
47	* DarkestHour: After narrowly escaping being eaten by a giant chicken, Elmo starts to give up on getting his blanket back.
48	* DownTheRabbitHole: Elmo enters Grouchland through the Oscar's Trash Can that he's kept in.
49	* DownerEnding: Discussed in-universe by Bert and Ernie; Ernie is sure audiences wouldn't want to see a movie with a sad ending only for Bert to name several famous examples.
50	* EmbodimentOfVice: Huxley embodies Greed, though he denies that in his song:
51	-->"Some may call it greed;\
52	it's not, it's ''need.''\
53	A need I love to feed;\
54	The need to ''have a lot!''
55	* EveryoneHasStandards: Oscar may be a hoarder of most stuff, but Huxley being selfish and keeping Elmo's blanket all to himself is where Oscar draws the line.
56	* FriendshipDenial: Played with, then subverted; Oscar ''almost'' calls Elmo his friend whilst he is imprisoned with the search party looking for Elmo, and even ''Big Bird'' caught what he was going to say at the last minute. Oscar denies it and says that instead he was going to say "French Fry Fish Hips". Oscar then admits, at the encouragement of the others, that Elmo ''is'' his friend.
57	* FriendshipSong: "Together Forever", Elmo's song about why his blanket is his CompanionCube and how they hope to be well, together forever.
58	* AGiftForThemselves: Huxley tries to justify his stealing by calling it "giving to himself".
59	* GoodnessExam: When Elmo denies any resemblance to [[StickyFingers Huxley]], the Queen of Trash's servants demand she make him prove it. She does so by having him [[BlowingARaspberry blow a hundred raspberries in thirty seconds]], which she calls the "Ultimate Challenge", because she thinks if he does that, he's technically "giving" her the raspberries and Huxley [[{{Greed}} would never give anyone anything]].
60	* HeelFaceTurn: Bug eventually turns good. The same applies to the Grouches on a marginal level.
61	* TheHerosJourney: Elmo goes through one, almost by the numbers.
62	* HiddenDepths: Oscar brings out the best in the Grocuhes by rallying them to fight back against Huxley.
63	* ICantLookGesture: Big Bird covers his eyes just mere moments before Elmo, Telly, and Super Grover crash into each other and land in a heap.
64	** During Ernie and Bert's second pause of the film, the latter does the same thing after he glances at the Huxo-copter flying off with Elmo's blanket.
65	* IconicItem: Elmo's blanket and Grizzy's Soggy-Pants Sandy doll.
66	* IncrediblyLongNote: Huxley literally does it at the end of his song.
67	-->'''Huxley:''' Oh how I love to make it MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!
68	* IWantMyMommy: One of the Pesties is heard saying this when trying to flee from the final confrontation.
69	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Bug is completely ineffectual in his attempts to stop Elmo.
70	* JabbaTableManners: The Grouches have terrible manners..., to say the least.
71	* JerkassRealization: Elmo has one when the Queen of Trash [[NotSoDifferentRemark compares him to Huxley]]. Just to drive the point home, there's a flashback of Elmo's behavior at the beginning of the movie, screaming at Zoe that his blanket is "Mine!" when Zoe asked him to share... which is the same way ''Huxley'' acts.
72	* KidAppealCharacter: Elmo and Bug are cute characters meant to appeal to kids.
73	* LampshadeHanging:
74	** When Elmo asks the audience to help blow raspberries for the Queen of Trash's "ultimate challenge", one of the Stenchmen takes note of it:
75	-->'''Stenchman''': He's getting help! Is that legal?
76	** While Huxley spitefully gloats to Elmo about stealing the latter's blanket, Bug blurts out specifically synthetic details about Elmo's blanket. This leads Huxley to roll his eyes and say...
77	-->'''Huxley:''' Bug, you really know how to ruin a villainous moment, don't you? Now get in the cartoonishly evil vehicle and drive!"
78	* LargeHam: Overlaps with EvilIsHammy too. Huxley gets a whole song about how evil he is, and spends much of his screen time hamming it up.
79	* LazinessCallout: When Oscar is convincing all the other Grouches to band together to take back the things Huxley stole from them, he berates them for not doing anything about the thief in Grouchland.
80	* LighterAndSofter: Compared to the other Sesame Street film ''Follow That Bird'', this one is less intense.
81	* MacGuffin: Elmo's blanket is the main reason he goes on his quest after Zoe rips it, the wind blows it away, and Huxley steals it.
82	* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Bug is terrible at being evil and acts as Huxley's voice of reason, which he ignores.
83	* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Combined with BecauseYouWereNiceToMe above. After being a ButtMonkey for most of the film, Bug is the one to return Elmo's blanket, after telling off an incapacitated Huxley, and then forces Huxley to promise to give back ''everything'' he stole or claimed as his own.
84	* MsFanservice: The Queen of Trash, played by Creator/VanessaWilliams.
85	* MusicForCourage: "Take the First Step," although it's sung to only one person. By a plant and some woodland critters.
86	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Bert first appears in his shower cap and towel.
87	* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Elmo is nice, Huxley is mean, and Bug is in-between.
88	* NoFourthWall:
89	** Bert manages to ''pause'' the movie '''''four''''' times to ask Ernie about certain details (First, when Elmo is hurdling through the portal to Grouchland, second, after Huxley takes off with Elmo's blanket, third, when Huxley tells Bug his plans to lure Elmo into the Queen of Trash's kingdom, and lastly, when Elmo is sitting at the foot of Mt. Pickanose, at his "all-is-lost-moment"), as a way of reassuring the audience (and Bert) that everything will be fine.
90	** Elmo himself directly addresses the audience a few times, either asking for help and advice, or just needing someone to talk to.
91	** Bert and Ernie also address the audience once more when the movie ends, commenting on the happy ending, and telling the audience to give themselves a round of applause for playing along. Bert even stays behind to look at the credits, only persuaded to leave when Ernie tells him it's time to feed Bernice.
92	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Elmo has this realization thanks to the Queen of Trash. Specifically, Huxley's constant attitude is "Mine!", because he can't share anything. Elmo acted the same way at the beginning of the film, refusing to share his blanket with Zoe "because it's mine!"
93	* OldTimeyCinemaCountdown: The film begins with an old film reel. Seeing as the film was based on an EdutainmentShow, Ernie [[FakeInteractivity has the audience count down along with the numbers]].
94	* OutOfFocus: Cookie Monster. He joins the others on their journey to Grouchland, but he has no function in the story and gets very little to do.
95	* ParentalBonus:
96	** One musical number is a tribute to ''Stomp''.
97	** When Ernie says that nobody would want to see a movie with a DownerEnding, Bert namedrops ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'', ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'', and ''Film/DoctorZhivago''. (In the French dub, Bert mentions ''Film/LoveStory'' [[BilingualBonus instead of ''Gone With the Wind'']].)
98	* ParentService: Vanessa Williams' scene provides a good deal of {{fanservice}} for adults.
99	* PepTalkSong: "Take The First Step", as Stuckweed encourages Elmo to go after Huxley and get his blanket back.
100	* PoliceAreUseless: When the Sesame Street gang go to the Grouchland police for assistance in tracking Elmo, the police lock them up in a jail as it is a crime in Grouchland to ask the police for help!
101	* PsychopathicManChild: Huxley acts like a child but is a grown-up, and when Elmo breaks in to reclaim his blanket he tries to crush him with a stamper.
102	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Bug gives a short, direct one to Huxley following his HeelFaceTurn:
103	-->'''Bug''': You're a greedy selfish villain, and nobody likes to be friends with a greedy selfish villain.
104	* RoadSignReversal: [[BigBad Huxley]]'s henchmen turn the arrow on the sign that leads to Huxley's Castle in the opposite direction to trap Elmo in a cave.
105	* RousingSpeech: Oscar gives one to the Grouches while in prison.
106	* SayMyName: While Elmo is trapped in a tunnel, the offscreen children's audience have to scream his name so he knows they can see him.
107	* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite appearing in a very small role, the Queen of Trash is proven to be a powerful influence as she managed to make Elmo [[JerkassRealization see that he can be like Huxley]]. And all it took was giving him an ArmorPiercingResponse.
108	* SmashCut: While the Sesame Street gang are in Grouchland, Big Bird spots a grouch police and Zoe decides to ask him for help finding Elmo. Which immediately cuts to the gang being thrown in jail.
109	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The Pesties run away abandoning Huxley when the cooperative Grouches show up to rescue Elmo, with one Pestie admonishing Huxley for never paying them anyways.
110	* ShadowArchetype: Huxley acts as this for Elmo, representing what would he be like if he refuses to share his possessions to anyone.
111	* StudioAudience: Similar in vein with ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'', offscreen children's voices would respond to Elmo at some points, such as helping him find where his blanket went, or shouting out his name when trapped in the tunnel. Doubles as FakeInteractivity.
112	* SynchronizedSwarming: When Elmo asks somes fireflies about how to get out of a mine, they form an arrow pointing to a minecart he can use.
113	* TearApartTugOfWar: A downplayed example; Zoe wants to hold Elmo's blanket, but Elmo is reluctant to let her borrow it even for a minute. When Elmo tries to take it back, he and Zoe have a tug-of-war over it, causing the blanket to rip. Fortunately, the blanket doesn't rip in half, but Elmo is still mad at Zoe and tells her she isn't his friend anymore.
114	* TemptingFate: "Why should Elmo be afraid of a little chicken?" ''(cue giant chicken foot landing in front of the little red monster)''
115	* ThrowTheDogABone: Bug gets a HeelFaceTurn and returns Elmo's blanket after enduring enough of Huxley's actions.
116	* TokenGoodTeammate: Out of all the inhabitants of Grouchland USA, Grizzy, Stuckweed, the fireflies, The Queen of Trash, the caterpillar, [[spoiler:and Bug]] are the nicest sheep you'll meet there.
117	* ToiletHumor:
118	** Grizzy's Soggy-Pants Sandy doll's main feature is the ability to wet her pants.
119	** There is also the giant chicken, who complains he has gas..., then proceeds to burp and fart at the same time!
120	** The citizens of Grouchland, the Grouches, also burp and fart at inopportune times.
121	* ToyBasedCharacterization: Grizzie plays with a doll who [[PottyFailure wets her pants]], befitting a young [[ThePigPen Grouch]].
122	* TriumphantReprise: "Together Forever" returns at the end of the movie in a more celebratory manner after Elmo learns his lesson about sharing and reconciles with Zoe.
123	* UnconventionalFoodUsage: It's revealed that Grouches, who are a whole species of [[ThePigPen pig-pens]] [[note]](with the [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch exception]] of [[NeatFreak Felix]] from one episode of the show)[[/note]], wash with cheese because shampoo is illegal.
124	* VillainSong: Huxley's song, appropriately titled "Make it Mine!"
125	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While we can assume Huxley for his many crimes of theft was sent to the same jail that the Sesame Street gang looking for Elmo went to, it's unknown what happened to the Pesties. They were last seen running away. It is ultimately subverted in the follow-up spin-off, ''Elmo in Grouchland Sing and Play Along'' video, as the Pesties are revealed to now live in Grouchland in the trash cans.

Context Film / TheAdventuresOfElmoInGrouchland