Movie Review: Follow That Bird

Movie Review: Follow That Bird                                                                                                      11-8-19

It’s nearly impossible to believe that it has been 50 years since we first met Big Bird, Oscar, Bert, and Ernie. Sesame Street first aired on this day on November 10, 1969. To mark the special occasion, I decided to review the first Sesame Street Movie Follow That Bird!

Miss Finch of The Feathered Friends Society has moved Big Bird to a foster home in Ocean View, Illinois. Unfortunately, the family he’s been assigned to are literally a bunch of dodos, and Big Bird feels unhappy, so he runs away. Now it’s up to the Sesame Street gang, humans and Muppets alike, to find him and return him back to his home on Sesame Street, New York and teach Miss Finch that there’s more to family than being the same species.

Follow That Bird is a delightful film that feels like a real movie with gorgeous sets, catchy songs, and lots of memorable moments with your childhood friends. Who could forget the scene with Bert and Ernie flying in their own airplane?

Bert and Ernie singing about an 'upside-down world'.

Another thing to point out is that this movie was written by Sesame Street veterans Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss, who would later contribute to An American Tail and The Land before Time.

Unfortunately, both Tony (right) died in 2011, while Judy (left) died in 2012.

For those younger fans reading this review with their parents, this was back when the ever-popular Elmo was only a background character: He only makes a cameo at the end.

Also, newer Muppet characters like Baby Bear (no relation to Fozzie Bear), Zoe, Abby Cadabby, and Julia didn’t exist yet.

In conclusion, Follow That Bird is a wonderful film that people of any age will enjoy. You could be 5 or 75 and still have a great time.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Four, four stars! Ha ha ha ha!