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![[MANDY PATINKIN AS HUXLEY]](smelmo1.jpg) |
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In his feature film debut, Elmo starts off as a selfish, tantrum-throwing monster who learns from his various experiences the meaning of respect, sharing and friendship. As he meets new friends and foes during his quest, so does the audience; after 30 years, "Sesame Street" is still able to modify and broaden its horizons without being redundant. The new land Elmo explores will interests both adults and children--an interest that will remain piqued as Elmo journeys farther into Grouchland to reach Huxley's castle. Although the film could have been a little more subtle in its moralizing, "Elmo in Grouchland" is certainly as entertaining as it is instructive in socialization skills."--Dwayne E. Leslie, Box Office Magazine Rated G 117m
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(out of 4) "While the other Muppets venture into space,
the denizens of "Sesame Street" have an urgent mission of their own tackle.
When Elmo (voiced by Kevin Clash) loses his special blanket in Oscar the
Grouch's trash can home, he blindly dives in to retrieve it, unaware that
he is about to embark on a magical journey that will transport him straight
to the dirty, smelly, refuse-ridden world of Grouchland. Upon his arrival,
he is given an unwelcome greeting and told to go home. But Elmo isn't
leaving without his blanket, which has been stolen by the greedy Huxley
(Mandy Patinkin). Fearing Elmo to be alone, scared and lost in a hostile
land, the Sesame Street gang jumps into the trash can and heads for Grouchland
to save him.
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"For Huxley, the greediest man in the world, we wanted a great comedic actor who could do wild, off-the-wall material, but make it feel real," continues Henson. "Mandy was perfect. He's an incredibly flexible actor, and it just so happens that he is an incredible singer. So as it worked out, we had two great musical actors." "They sent me a script through overnight mail," recalls Patinkin. "I read it and loved it, so I said, 'I'll be there.' I literally took the job on blind faith. I found that, as far as I'm concerned, working with the Muppets is a hundred thousand times better than working with real people. It is the best time I've ever had on a movie, and I'm not exaggerating. My advice is, if you can't work with Muppets, don't work!" --Elmo in Grouchland Press Kit "When discussing lighting for the human actors, Caso says, "You'd have to be a moron to mislight Vanessa. She has this great face. She was so easy to light. And the same with Mandy. His face is so expressive. His talent is so infinite. You'd say, 'Okay, give me something different,' and in one take, he'd give it to you five different ways, one right after the other... from all angles, from pure knock-down, drag-out comedy to gut-wrenching drama.""--Elmo in Grouchland website "...But it not's that easy, as both ÊElmo and the blanket are sucked through a vortex into Grouchland, "the land of a thousand stinks." Once there, Elmo finds his pleas for help falling on the deaf ears of the, well, grouchy residents and worse, the blanket falls into the possession of the greedy Huxley (Mandy Patinkin), a bushy-browed villain who isn't going to give it up very easily. ...Also, the songs are catchy enough, and filmmakers made a wise choice in casting Patinkin, who really chews the scenery in his showy role and gives the film's best performance. (He also shines on what's probably the best of the musical numbers, "Make It Mine.") --Jeff Vice, deseretnews.com "...As Zoe expresses her remorse, Elmo plummets into the depths of the garbage can in search of his blankie and encounters all sorts of obstacles, including the Queen of Trash, played by Vanessa Williams, and bad guy Huxley, played by Mandy Patinkin. What you won't see in Grouchland is how the creators of this movie worked to make it funÑand not too frighteningÑfor little children.
When Elmo in Grouchland was first shown to test audiences, last spring, the preschoolers who watched it were pretty scared by some of the sounds and images. Obviously, this wasn't the intention of the filmmakers and researchers. "The movie is about friendship and the value of cooperative play," says Rosemarie Truglio, Ph.D., Sesame Street's director of research. "But Mandy Patinkin, as the villain in the film, was a little scary to children in the test audience." And then there was Elmo. "He's very, very emotional in the film, and the kids were reacting to his reactions," says Dr. Truglio. "Kids know Elmo so well that seeing him in certain situations can make them anxious," adds Kevin Clash, the Muppeteer who brings Elmo to life and was also one of the movie's co-producers. To make the whole film more palatable for preschoolers, reveals Dr. Truglio, "We toned down some of the emotional material in the editing process." The film uses the technique of talking directly to its audience, in part to assuage kids' fears. For example, says Clash, "When Elmo is scared, he asks the audience for assurance: 'Are you still there?'" And Sesame Street buddies Bert and Ernie appear in several scenes as a calming presence. "Bert speaks for the frightened preschooler when he says he's scared by 'mean old Huxley,' and Ernie is the one who puts things in perspective by saying, 'It's a film; we know Elmo's going to be okay,'" explains Dr. Truglio. These interactive segments are also designed, of course, to engage children in the fun of it all. For example, Elmo asks his audience friends to help him find his lost blanket or play games with him. And in typical Sesame Street fashion, the whole shebang kicks off with an audience-participation countdown from 10 to 1. The values that shaped this movieÑrespect for children and a commitment to delighting and entertaining them at the same timeÑshine through. The result, says Clash, is 'a wonderful, fun, and happy film with great, upbeat music.' As for Elmo, he apparently had a blast shooting The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Says the furry red film star, 'Elmo loved working with Vanessa Williams and Elmo also loved Mandy Patinkin. Mr. Mandy loves trains, and Elmo does, too!'" --Tom Gogola, Sesame Street Beat "While adults won't mind the lyrical wordplay in the clever "Make It Mine" routine by Patinkin, who seems to be doing a Michael-Richards-as-Kramer riff, and the Vanessa Williams Top-40 wanna-be "I See a Kingdom," don't be surprised if the tykes in tow experience some of that get-me-outta-here fidgeting. " --Syracuse New Times Net "The movie is a thinly veiled lesson about sharing and cooperation, and Elmo arrives in Grouchland in search of his missing blanket only to see it spirited away by a greedy ogre named Huxley -- played with fantastically theatrical, palm-rubbing aplomb by Broadway luminary Mandy Patinkin (best known to movie audiences as Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride"), who steals scenes while his character takes everything else. " --Rob Blackwelder, Spliced Online "Grouchland is also the home of the villainous Huxley (Mandy Patinkin), who takes everything he wants and labels it "MINE" (like the world's largest 2-year-old). It takes all of Elmo's courage, plus a little help from his Sesame Street friends and from the Queen of Trash (Vanessa Williams), to get the blanket back. Whenever things get too scary, Bert rushes in to stop the movie until Ernie assures him that everything will be OK. Patinkin is a wonder as Huxley, giving a performance that makes it obvious he's enjoying his role. He is so comfortable in the Muppets' world that it seems as if he's just an oversized Muppet himself. The movie charms with its imaginative set design, especially in the rambling Grouchland, which features a movie theater playing a particularly amusing title. With the exception of Patinkin's "Make It Mine," performed in a variety of musical styles, the movie's songs are a forgettable lot." --Dr. Frank Swietek, NOVA Live: Movie Central "...Where garbage is considered beautiful and where Mandy Patinkin's falsetto is not considered irritating. Actually, Patinkin is hammily hilarious as the evil overlord who purloins Elmo's blanket (or "wooby," as Patinkin insists on calling it), sending Elmo on a brave mission to retrieve it." --Knight Ridder Newspapers " They might also enjoy the song-and-dance done by sultry Vanessa Williams which leads into the cleverest audience participation bit (the kids will love this one), and the performance of Mandy Patinkin as the horrible Huxley. His outsized persona meshes surprisingly well with the Muppets he shares screen time with, and though his big musical number goes on a trifle too long, he's clearly in the spirit of things." --Dr. Frank Swietek, oneguysopinion.com "In his first big-screen outing as a star, the good-hearted, ticklish, furry red denizen of Sesame Street learns to share his prized blanket after seeing his ``mine, mine, mine'' behavior mirrored by a scenery-chewing villain, overplayed to perfection by Mandy Patinkin... The songs are zippy and fun, although not always sung intelligibly by the Muppets. Parents forced into buying the Tickle Me Elmo doll a few Christmases ago should enjoy the cartoonishly fiendish Huxley, who keeps referring to our hero as ``that little red bathmat.'' " --Sarah Rodman, Boston Herald "Megalomaniacal villain Mandy Patinkin steals the blanket (and a musical number) after Oscar the Grouch casually tosses it into his garbage can.'' " --Alspector, Chicago Reader "Standouts are Mandy Patinkin, the talented stage actor whose character, Huxley, represents all the selfish bullies kids are ever likely to meet, and Vanessa Williams, the Queen of Trash who piles up -- literally -- some major obstacles for Elmo to overcome. For some reason, big-name stars always do great work when they cameo for Sesame Street on TV, and the tradition continues here. " --Phoebe Flowers, The Movie Place "Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride) plays villain Huxley, who terrorizes Grouchland with his bug henchman and steals Blanket. Veteran actor Patinkin is clearly enjoying himself, and it's difficult for even the cynic in the audience to resist giggling at the sight of a grown man and a tiny-voiced Muppet arguing whether or not the Blanket an entire film has been built around should be called "Wubby" instead." --Phoebe Flowers, The Miami Herald "Patinkin, the only human being in the film with a sizable role, is clearly having a ball, mugging wildly beneath eyebrows apparently nicked from Rufus T. Firefly..." --The Austin Chronicle Movie Guide "...Even worse, his blankie has fallen into the hands of the sinister Huxley (Mandy Patinkin, playing a greedy role with a relish that rivals that of Veruca Salt)." --Deborah Sroge, Sidewalk "...The only thing that scares them more than civility is an acquisitive villain named Huxley (Mandy Patinkin shamelessly hamming it up), who leaves his mountain sanctuary from time to time to raid Grouchland and take what he wants." --Tom Keough, film.com "...In his lair, Huxley lords over his possessions - which he has stamped with the word "MINE" - while his hench-insects make fun of his big black eyebrows. Patinkin gets to lay on the theatrics in this cartoon villain role, and even do his song-and-dance man shtick. He's funniest when exhibiting Huxley's cranky infantilism. Finally, Elmo arrives for the big showdown, but even in his righteousness, he recognizes his own selfishness in his conduct with Zoe." --Betsy Sherman, The Boston Globe "...Who would've thought that, like the rabbit hole that takes Alice on her trippy sojourn through Wonderland, Oscar the Grouch's trash can was a portal into a swirling vortex leading to the Land of a Thousand Stenches? Well, it is, and in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, young Elmo - Sesame Street's squeaky-voiced, fire engine-red furball - meets up with talking caterpillars, a quirky queen (Vanessa Williams), and a Mad Hatter-ish villain (Mandy Patinkin) with eyebrows that could cover an entire planet. All that's missing is a little vial that says "Drink me." ...A handful of catchy tunes (Patinkin's blustery "Make It Mine" and Williams' calypso-ish "I See a Kingdom" among them) spirit things along..." --Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer "...The villain of the piece is Huxley, played by the always watchable Mandy Patinkin doing a protracted Lou Costello imitation (not so watchable). Huxley won't give Elmo his blanket back." --Keith Simanton, Seattle Times "...Huxley is played with maniacal good cheer by Mandy Patinkin, and his nutty performance is certainly a major reason to see the film. Patinkin's fun with the role is infectious -- his energetic blend of villainy and clownishness is truly wonderful, never too scary for little kids. And he sings one of the film's several songs (some of them a bit too dense). Vanessa Williams has an outlandish turn as the Queen of Trash, and she also sings." --Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle "... And to recover his lost blanket, he has to go up against Huxley (a funny, if unapologetically hammy Mandy Patinkin), the king of acquisitiveness, who has stamped the blanket, as he has everything else of value in Grouchland, with the print "Mine." ... Vanessa Williams sings as the Queen of Trash, as does Mr. Patinkin Ð a definite plus for the parents. In fact, the score is lively and appealing, as are the proud-to-be-G characters Ð nothing for a parent to worry about taking a child to see here. " --Nancy Churnin, Guide Live "...And out of it pops the villainous, extravagantly eyebrowed Huxley, played by Mandy Patinkin in a manner that mixes Dr. Seuss with vaudeville. He exults in his loot, including Elmo's blanket, and flies off. Continuing the Wicked Witch parallel, Huxley has a cadre of bug and worm toadies who carry out his dirty tricks like the flying monkeys of old, and he spies on Elmo with a closed-circuit TV screen. Both Patinkin and Williams have big numbers, his a musical comedy style ode to stuff, "Make It Mine," hers a ballad to the beauty of trash, "I See a Kingdom." Neither song has quite what it takes to keep tiny tushes in seats. Patinkin's especially, despite his supple tenor, goes on too long. " --Jane Horwitz, Washington Post "...It also takes him to the remote castle of the villainous Huxley, who decided to add the blanket to his enormous collection of other people's stuff. Mandy Patinkin hams it up as Huxley." --Susan Stark, Detroit News "...Now that we've learned our A-B-C's and 1-2-3's, it's time to face the dark side--Oscar the Grouch's underground world. When Elmo loses his beloved Blankie, our furry red friend ends up in a slime-filled world with--horrors--the evil Mandy Patinkin calling the shots. Mandy's biggest flaw, besides his enormous eyebrows, is that he won't share his toys.When Elmo's quest looks bleak, his Sesame Street friends offer support, and everyone's happy at the end. It's all very innocent, but there's not much warmth to the story, just a couple of cute lines and visual effects. Less Mandy and more Big Bird and gang would've been more entertaining to the toddler set." --E! Online "...One humanoid is the singing villain (wonderfully nutty Mandy Patinkin), an illiterate who insists that everything he sees and touches -- including Elmo's blanket -- belongs to him. "Mine, mine, mine," he screams." --Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun "...It's a lightweight, familiar comic adventure that ought to thrill the very young while providing limited amusement for their adult chaperones, who are left to make do with occasional sight gags and over-the-top performances and musical numbers by Mandy Patinkin and Vanessa Williams." --Philip Booth, Orlando Weekly "...Elmo, followed by some loyal Muppet (and human) friends, must leave Sesame Street and make a quest to get his best blue friend back from the greedy, selfish cad Huxley (Mandy Patinkin), a bad guy with eyebrows that "need a weed-whacking" who rules over Grouchland by taking everything from its inhabitants and then hoarding it in his castle." --Paula Nechak, Seattle P-I.com "...Patinkin, who looks and sounds as though heÕs channeling the spirit of Anthony Newley, gives a zestfully hammy Ñ but, of course, not very frightening Ñ performance." --Joe Leydon, Variety " In fact, the 75-minute children's film is more tolerable than most of the adult movies currently playing in theaters - except for "The Muse" and "For Love of the Game" - and contains a wonderful comedic performance by Mandy Patinkin... ...Bolstered by some toe-tapping tunes, especially Patinkin's rendition of "Mine," the rest of the movie has Elmo searching for his blanket. But the task becomes more challenging after it's stolen by the comically evil Huxley (Patinkin), a selfish archvillain with furry black eyebrows who went bad because, get this, he never learned to share... While children are being enthralled by Elmo's adventure, here's a side issue adults can ponder: What's higher-pitched, Elmo's speaking voice or Patinkin's singing voice?" --Ticket Live "One humanoid is the singing villain (wonderfully nutty Mandy Patinkin), an illiterate who insists that everything he sees and touches -- including Elmo's blanket -- belongs to him. "Mine, mine, mine," he screams. " --Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun "With his bushy brows, sensational sneer, and unfettered self-admiration, Mandy Patinkin makes a swell, sticky-fingered meanie and sings, too." --USA Today "His blanket has been stolen by the greedy tycoon Huxley (Mandy Patinkin) who grabs it up in his Cartoonishly Evil Vehicle (yep, that's how they describe it in the script) and ferries it off to his castle... We hear Huxley -- basically, a spoiled 2-year old in a man's body -- complaining about his audition for a production of West Side Story. 'They said I wasn't right for Maria -- what do they know? I feel pretty.' Mr. Patinkin, late of Chicago Hope, is routinely charged with chewing the scenery. Here, it's almost required, and he hams it up with gusto, armed with the most astonishing eyebrows since the late John L. Lewis." --Ben Steelman, Wilmington Morning Star "...Much like Disney's animated offerings and some of the Muppet films, this one is also a musical. The songs -- written by a small team of composers and lyricists -- may not match what Disney normally produces, but a few of them, including "I See a Kingdom" (performed by Vanessa Williams) and "Make It Mine" (a raucous tune belted out by Mandy Patinkin) are quite good. With some of the songs evoking memories of "The Lion King" soundtrack, the score and accompanying songs should please listeners of all ages. As the comically greedy, but not very threatening or frightening villain, Patinkin (the singing and acting talent who's graced Broadway, Hollywood and TV) properly hams it up. Considering the film's target audience, he actually delivers an enjoyable performance. " --Screen It! "..Elmo's quest is the faraway hilltop castle of Huxley (Mandy Patinkin), who has come into possession of the blanket and won't give it back. Huxley's problem, of course, is that he hasn't yet learned to share. Patinkin, wearing extra eyebrows, is just right as the villain, enjoying playtime as much as any child. "Which one of you dares to question my evil ways?" he says to his terrified underlings at one point. Vanessa Williams, as the Queen of Trash, looks beautiful but doesn't fare as well comically. " --Anita Gates, New York Times "...Of course, the denizens of the trash-strewn Grouchland are utterly uninterested in helping little red Elmo (performed by Muppeteer Kevin Clash) get back his blanket, which has fallen into the clutches of an overly aquisitive bully named Huxley (a broad but amusing Mandy Patinkin), who stamps all his belongings "Mine." Boasting huge eyebrows, Patinkin gets to sing the best of the movie's unmemorable songs - with rhymes of "Atari," "Ferrari" and "Safari"- and to quip that "I fancy myself a singer ... I almost performed in a bus-and-truck tour of 'West Side Story,' but they didn't see me as Maria." He fares better than Vanessa Williams, who plays the Queen of Trash and looks like a character out of a bus-and-truck tour of "The Wiz," turning up just long enough to sing one number." --Lou Lumenick, New York Post "Patinkin is outstanding as the selfish Huxley and personifies greed. When Elmo defeats him, the kids will cheer. ...The music numbers used to entertain and carry the story forward are beautifully done and provide real variety. Patinkin's Huxley shows that being selfish is not a good thing with his manic song, "Make It Mine!"" *** "There are a few clever asides for the adults (a jibe at Starbucks, Bert and Ernie's discussion on 'happy endings') and Patinkin makes villainous hay while performing some Broadway-like numbers." --reelingreviews.com "...Mandy Patinkin, suitably silly in a scenery-chewing turn..." --Rita Kempley, Washington Post "ElmoÕs struggle to retrieve his blanket from the grip of the vile Huxley (Chicago HopeÕs Mandy Patinkin in possibly the most evil looking eyebrows ever to hit the screen) makes for about 90 minutes of pure enjoyment... ...I was particularly taken by the songs, a big improvement on some of the recent DisneyÕsÕ and with a couple of great numbers from Patinkin and chanteuse Vanessa Williams (as a rather sexy Rubbish Queen)." --BBC Online "And where Mandy Patinkin runs riot (and even sings, dementedly Sondheimishly) as Huxley, Grouchland's greedy villain, while nearby, Vanessa Williams warbles as the Queen of Trash." --Entertainment Weekly " Elmo, the popular red monster on Sesame Street featured here in his first movie vehicle, is accurately referred to by the villainous Huxley (Mandy Patinkin, givin' it all he's got) as a "fuzzwad." --eye.net "It's a lightweight, familiar comic adventure that ought to thrill the very young while providing limited amusement for their adult chaperones, who are left to make do with occasional sight gags and over-the-top performances and musical numbers by Mandy Patinkin and Vanessa Williams. ...Minutes later, the befuddled Elmo encounters the mean and greedy Huxley, a ne'er-do-well with bushy eyebrows and an unpleasant disposition who's played with glee by Broadway, TV and movie veteran Patinkin. " --Orlando Weekly "This place is terrorized by a greedy, bushy-eyebrowed thief called Huxley (Mandy Patinkin, hamming it up as if he were still on Broadway), whose acquisitive spirit makes Donald Trump look like Pa Kettle. " --E Files "The grouchs (the race of muppets from which the familiar Oscar hails from) are kept in subversion by the bullious villian, Huxley (overacted by Mandy Patinkin). ..Unfortunately, the overacting by the humans and the trashy (pun intended) appearace of most of the scenery (yes, I know it is Grouchland, but it wasn't appealing to look at for an entire movie) made this one a forgettable one for me. The music was not that great to start with, but both Patinkin and Williams improved it with their good voices to the point of tolerability. I don't think that there is much there in this movie for adults, except for possibly some good discussion pieces to have with their children." --The-Reel-McCoy "My two year old loved it, my eight year old liked it, the rest of my family tolerated it. Patinkin's performance provided, for me, the only real entertainment in the show. " --Interrogation Report "I did really like Mandy Patinkin in the film.Ê His harsh character like Ray Bolger in the 1961's Babes in Toyland is the best part of the film.Ê In fact his scenes are the best scenes of the film.Ê 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." --Xiibaro Reviews ![[THUMBS UP]](../IMAGES/th_up.gif){kind=small} ![[IMAGE]](../IMAGES/links4.gif) ![[THUMBS DOWN]](../IMAGES/th_dn.gif){kind=small}
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