I’ve tried Google to find anything to support that claim and can’t?
I would kind of doubt that was ever the case (at least not once production actually started), as with all of the massive brand new sets constructed for it (including the street itself), I imagine it would have been too expensive for straight-to-video? Especially since it flopped so badly that Sony never made any more Muppet flicks.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."
It was 25 years ago, Dace! Does it really matter!? I just remember reading at the time that the Elmo movie was seen as something of an "anomaly" in the canon. Many questioned why the admittedly popular but still pretty niche character was being given a film release, which kind of got borne out by the poor box-office reception. Maybe they said it was more appropriate as a direct-to-video, or that it would find an audience more as a direct-to-video, or as a TV title it felt more like that. I just remember those words and the general "what is this thing?" feel around the release in 1999, and that "cheapness", despite whatever "big sets" were built (it *does* look very HD video) was one of the reasons I never bothered to go see it (though saw it since, natch).
Actually, Elmo wasn't a wide-wide release, which made it hard for it to ever recoup its money back. It was essentially a token-ish limited release to basically promote the VHS and DVD that came out only two months later, although bizarrely too close to Christmas to make it a gift-seller. I will maintain that this was just another of the Elmo specials that they were knocking out one a year of at that point, and it just got bumped up for whatever reason, probably a knee-jerk reaction to Elmo being very popular at the time. Just not sure what Sony's thinking was on that one.
No, Elmo was a fairly professional-grade movie, albeit no Follow That Bird.
This was more in the category of Preschool Training Movies, that encourage kids in the audience to interact to help the onscreen hero, thus introducing fidgety 3-yo.'s to the concept of why they have to sit still in a dark room and pay attention for 90 minutes.
Elmo and muppets from space both got big screen releases around the same time--and both were duds. No shock it was out on dvd two months later. So was ninja turtles 3 after it bombed. Follow that bird to me was the better movie as it tried to entertain both kids and the adults while elmo and abby were aimed at the kids mostly. Bird felt like a muppet big screen movie with big bird in it.
Was surprised to find out grouch land had been in the show decade earlier. Was this the first time we saw the inside of oscars trash can?
Elmo in did get some merch like kids books and Plushes to promote the movie release. Not sure how they sold.
Elmo getting made was planned for movies as et even did a story on it while filming saying it is coming to the big screen.
No, Elmo was a fairly professional-grade movie, albeit no Follow That Bird.
This was more in the category of Preschool Training Movies…introducing…the concept of why they have to sit still in a dark room and pay attention for 90 minutes.
Yes, not on the Follow That Bird level. Just like the concurrent specials it was patterned after, though, it actually only runs less than 70 minutes, minus credits.
Follow that bird to me was the better movie as it tried to entertain both kids and the adults. Bird felt like a muppet big screen movie with big bird in it.
This.
(Would have been fun to see Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo go past in the Studebaker on their way to Hollywood while Bird was on his travels, though I suppose Kermit was doing double duty as a roving reporter for Chevy Chase, who gets the line that cracks me up everytime, "Se-same Street")
For longtime and deep cut fans, Idea Man won't offer anything new, and frustratingly skims over everything once The Muppet Show is done — Crystal, Labyrinth and even Jim's death only get cursory nods or limited time — but otherwise it’s a nice overview of Henson's life and addition to Disney+'s brand of docs that are mostly there to remind you of other content available on the service.
The last half hour could easily have used being an hour to fit more in, but most annoying is the music track, which just never shuts up and is mixed too loud. Thankfully there are stretches where Ron Howard calms the film down and lets the interviews talk, but the constant want or need to keep cutting away and *always keep things moving* and (too) busy is to the detriment to the absorption of the into and images themselves.
We enjoyed it, but it’s merely an overview, and what has come before (Of Muppets And Men, Henson's Place, World Of Jim Henson, etc) has been much better in terms of depth, behind the scenes rarity and information. Which reminds me that I still need to watch the Sesame Street doc (which was also a legit theatrical release!).
