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The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

List Price: $19.94
Your Price: $15.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: When the Henson Creature Factory misses, they miss big
Review: Explain to me, please, what the Henson Creature Factory was thinking. Explain to me, even more, what Mandy Patinkin was thinking. (Vanessa Williams barely rates a mention, and here it is, now forget she exists.)

It's become obvious down through the years that, as cartoons list their stylish subtlety and went increasingly towards a specific aim at the juvenile crowd, that Jim Henson and his band of merry monsters would take up the slack that the golden age of Warner Brothers and Looney Toons had left-- material that was aimed at kids, but with enough adult-oriented material to keep the adults watching, as well. (Go back and watch those old cartoons. You'll be amazed at what passed you over when you were a tot that you find hilarious now, such as Porky Pig's many jabs at Hitler.) Henson's bunch created two of television's finest, and most underrated, variety shows, The Muppet Show and Muppets Tonight, both of which played the balance between kid-oriented slapstick and more adult humor that could have come straight from the joke book of Don Rickles. And when they started making movies, they opted for the same approach, and when parents went to see The Muppet Movie with the little ones, they ended up laughing just as much.

When Jim Henson died, Brian took over, and the Creature Factory was born. Muppets in Space proved that the son had capably stepped into the shoes of the father. And now... we get this sickly, stupid, ungainly, ludicrous mess that can only be called a film because somewhere someone is burning miles of celluloid with these images on it. At least, I fervently hope so. Even the kids in the audience (all four of them) were relatively bored with this pathetic attempt at making a kid-friendly version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (with audience participation and all). We're long past the point where we feel we need to overly simplify moral lessons for kids, aren't we? Yet the "learning" imparted in this film sounds-- and smells-- like a dead haddock hitting you in the face.

If your kid is the world's biggest Elmo fanatic, wait until the video comes out, and then tape it off PBS. But my kid is probably #2, and at least twice she asked "is it time to go home yet?" (This is a kid who sat through A Bug's Life and The Wizard of Oz with no problems, mind you.) Does it rate any stars at all? You be the judge....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great movie, but just a little warning...
Review: No need to repeat what all else have said about this movie. Overall very captivating and entertaining. Be forewarned, however. My 19 month old picked up three questionable habits from this video: 1) carrying her blanket everywhere, 2) saying "mine" and 3) making raspberries!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We've rented it twice - now it's time to buy it!
Review: Our almost-2-year-old daughter is captivated by Elmo and this movie, and we are too. She calls it "Elmo Banky" (Elmo's Blanket). Besides the usual great quality puppetry and music that you expect from Sesame Street, this movie suprised me in two ways.

First, the story is great for toddlers. It's about how Elmo accidently loses his special blanket and how he (with help from his friends and the audience) finds it. Our daughter "got" it immediately - and she was caught up in the excitement and villianry, all the while clutching her own special blanket.

Second, Bert and Ernie appear throughout to help the little ones through the intense parts of the movie (such as when Elmo is falling down a magic passageway to Grouchland). They remind us all that it's just a story. This kept our daughter from getting too scared.

Better than Disney!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good DVD
Review: This is a fun film to watch even if you aren't wearing diapers while you do. I bought this for my daughter and if it were VHS it would have been eaten by the VCR by now because it has been played so much.

Kids love Elmo, and rightfully so. Elmo is pretty cool, especially if you are under 5 years old. However, adults can enjoy this film too. The Sesame Street characters are in their best form, and there are enough subtle adult jokes to keep you giggling.

The only reason I don't give Elmo 5 stars is that the film is in Pan And Scan and is not available widescreen. My daughter watches Muppets from Space and Stuart Little widescreen, so I am not sure why Elmo isn't.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Movie, Greater Message
Review: Yes, Mr. Anonymous reviewer below me, your four year old may have been too old for this movie.

On the other hand, my two year old is just nuts about this flick. I never want to make the TV a substitute father, but this is one movie my son can watch over and over again and never get bored.

It's so wonderful to see him actually sit still for a while and cheer for the good guys- and this gentle movie's message of sharing is so beautiful, not only don't I mind it when he wants to watch this video again, I encourage it.

And who couldn't love Elmo.

I enthusiastically reccomend this movie for all children three and under.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Two Stars- At least For A Four Year Old
Review: At less than 90 minutes, this is one of the LONGEST movies I have ever seen.

The movie is cute, and the message is good, but I was asked "Is it almost over yet?" by my four year old son before we were even 15 minutes into the movie.

There's just not a whole lot to keep anyone's interest here.

I really wanted to like this movie. I love Elmo. Maybe it's for children even younger than my four year old.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nothing to Fear in this Adorable Movie!
Review: I am amazed at the top notch quality of this production! The music is fantastic! The best feature of this movie is that, unlike several popular Disney movies, it addresses the fact that toddlers have a hard time understanding that what they see on TV is not always real and that they can get very scared. This movie handles it so cleverly! Whenever something happens that might be upsetting to younger viewers, Bert and Ernie come on the screen to explain that everything will be OK. It's the best children's movie I have ever seen! My 3 year old daughter stays captivated for the entire film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A life saver
Review: This is the only movie my 20 month old son will sit through

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful show!
Review: My kids LOVE this movie! They watch it every day! Great great movie

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lots of fun
Review: Our 2 year-old daughter adores Elmo like just about every other toddler I know. This movie is fun for any Elmo fan and our daughter enjoys it quite a bit. I must say, however, that I don't feel the film is quite up to the high standard of the best Sesame Street work. "Elmo Saves Christmas", for example, is more entertaining and well-written. And the songs in "Grouchland" aren't particularly memorable or touching like the earlier Sesame classics of Joe Raposo, etc. The film is, however, better than 99 percent of the children's videos out there and I'd definitely recommend it.


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