The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
| The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gary Halvorson |
| Screenplay by | Mitchell Kriegman Joey Mazzarino |
| Story by | Mitchell Kriegman |
| Based on | Elmo by Jim Henson |
| Produced by | Alex Rockwell Marjorie Kalins |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Alan Caso |
| Edited by | Alan Baumgarten |
| Music by | John Debney |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26 million |
| Box office | $11.7 million |
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (or simply Elmo in Grouchland) is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Mitchell Kriegman and Joey Mazzarino, based on a story conceived by Kriegman. This was the second of the two theatrical feature films based on the children's television series Sesame Street, after Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird in 1985. It stars Mandy Patinkin and Vanessa Williams alongside Muppet performers Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Steve Whitmire, and Frank Oz. It features songs written by a wide range of songwriters, including Siedah Garrett, Jeff Elmassian, Andy Rehfeldt, Martin Erskine, Seth Friedman, and Michael & Patty Silversher, with a score composed and conducted by John Debney.
Produced by Jim Henson Pictures and Children's Television Workshop, the film was released by Sony Pictures Releasing through its Columbia Pictures label on October 1, 1999. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box-office disappointment, grossing $11.7 million against a budget of more than $26 million.
The film was one of the few Sesame Street productions produced directly by The Jim Henson Company. This was the final Muppet feature film to involve Fran Brill and Oz, who retired from being full-time puppeteers the following years, and the last Muppet film to feature Spinney before his retirement in 2018 and his death in 2019.