Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird

1985

Directed by Ken Kwapis

Welcome back to Movie Monday, folks! We’re continuing our descent through my personal hall of shame, working our way down my list of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. This week, we’ve landed at number 60 with the 1985 family musical road comedy Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird.

As always, let me drop my standard disclaimer: this list is based solely on my opinion, so something I hate may be something you absolutely adore. And boy, do I expect some strongly worded emails about this one…

“But the Tomatoes Like It!”

Yes, I’m fully aware that Follow That Bird has a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But who cares what a tomato thinks about movies? Am I right? Critics loved it, calling it “flip and funny” with “biting wit.” The New York Times even praised it for not straining “for yuks.”

Well, excuse me for not being impressed by a film that doesn’t “strain for yuks.” I generally prefer my comedies to actually, you know, make me laugh. Revolutionary concept, I realize.

Childhood Trauma at the Terrace

It was the summer of 1985. My grandmother, bless her heart, decided to treat my sister and me to a day at the movies at the old Terrace Theater. I was psyched. A trip to the movies meant popcorn, soda, and air conditioning—three things that any kid in August would appreciate.

Then I found out we were seeing Follow That Bird.

Even at that age, I was already developing what my family called my “discerning taste” (read: I was a judgmental little brat). Still, I tried to keep an open mind. I loved the Muppets! I’d seen The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper multiple times. Surely Big Bird and friends would deliver the same magic, right?

Wrong.

So What’s This Movie About, Anyway?

For those lucky enough to have never experienced it, Follow That Bird follows Big Bird after a meddling social worker named Miss Finch decides he should be living with “his own kind.” She ships him off to live with a family of dodos in Illinois (subtle metaphor there, writers). Feeling out of place with his new family (who are, frankly, dodos in more ways than one), Big Bird runs away to return to Sesame Street.

This kicks off a road movie where Big Bird hitchhikes with truckers (totally safe behavior to model for kids), sleeps in strangers’ barns, and eventually gets kidnapped by the Sleaze Brothers, carnival con artists who paint him blue and cage him as “The Bluebird of Happiness.” Meanwhile, his Sesame Street friends drive across the country to rescue him.

The Bird Blues

Let’s talk about that “Bluebird of Happiness” scene for a minute. Big Bird, painted blue and locked in a cage, sings “I’m So Blue,” possibly the most depressing song ever to appear in a children’s film. It’s genuinely jarring and uncomfortable to watch, which I suppose was the point, but… yikes.

That’s the problem with this movie in a nutshell: it can’t decide if it wants to be goofy children’s entertainment or some profound statement about belonging and family. It’s like watching your kindergarten teacher try to explain existential philosophy using sock puppets—well-intentioned but ultimately confusing.

The Muppet Movie, It Ain’t

Here’s where I might get called a hypocrite: I can’t think of a single Muppet movie that I don’t like. The Muppet Movie? Classic. The Great Muppet Caper? Brilliant. Even the later ones like Muppet Treasure Island have their charms.

So what makes Follow That Bird different?

For one thing, the Muppet movies understood their audience included adults. They incorporated sophisticated humor, broke the fourth wall, and featured cameos that parents would appreciate. Follow That Bird, despite having John Candy, Chevy Chase, and Waylon Jennings in the cast, never rises above being a stretched-out episode of Sesame Street.

And look, I get it—I’m not exactly the target demographic for this movie… but I was in 1985. And it just didn’t do much for me 40 years ago. If five-year-old me was checking his watch during a children’s movie, something wasn’t working.

The Box Office Agrees With Me

Apparently, I wasn’t alone in my underwhelming response. Follow That Bird was a box office disappointment, grossing only $14 million despite featuring beloved characters from one of the most successful children’s television programs of all time.

It opened against Fright Night and Weird Science and had to compete with Back to the Future, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. In other words, it was the cinematic equivalent of bringing a rubber duck to a knife fight.

The film underperformed so badly that it actually hurt the Children’s Television Workshop financially during the 1980s. Ouch.

A Character Study

One thing that’s always bothered me about Follow That Bird is how it handles its lead character. In the TV show, Big Bird is childlike but also capable and sometimes wise. In the movie, he’s reduced to a helpless innocent who makes one bad decision after another. It’s like they took all his agency away to force the plot forward.

And the Sleaze Brothers? About as threatening as a pair of wet socks. Sam and Sid, played by Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty, are supposed to be our villains, but they’re so ineffective that you wonder how they’ve managed to run a carnival scam for more than a week without getting caught.

The Celebrity Cameo Problem

You might be thinking, “But the movie has Chevy Chase, John Candy, and Waylon Jennings! How bad could it be?” Well, pretty bad when you realize that these celebrities are barely in the film. Chase appears for maybe two minutes as a newscaster. Candy has one scene as a state trooper. And Jennings, while he does get to sing a song, is basically just a friendly truck driver.

It’s like the filmmakers knew they needed to attract parents to the theater but couldn’t figure out how to properly use the adult talent they had.

The Songs… Oh, the Songs

For a musical, Follow That Bird has surprisingly forgettable music. Can you hum any tune from this movie? No, you cannot. Even if you claim you can, you’re probably just remembering the regular Sesame Street theme song.

Compare that to the Muppet movies with their memorable classics like “Rainbow Connection,” “Movin’ Right Along,” or “Happiness Hotel.” Those songs stick with you. The songs in Follow That Bird slide off your brain like eggs on a non-stick pan.

Except for “I’m So Blue.” That one sticks with you, but only because of the childhood trauma it inflicts.

In Defense of Big Bird (Sort Of)

To be fair, there are a few things the movie does right. Caroll Spinney’s performance as Big Bird is as warm and endearing as ever. The message about found family and accepting differences is positive, if heavy-handed. And some of the practical effects—like Big Bird riding a unicycle or the upside-down airplane scene with Bert and Ernie—are pretty impressive for the time.

Plus, it’s wholesome without being saccharine, which is more than you can say for a lot of children’s entertainment from the ’80s. (I’m looking at you, Care Bears Movie.)

Final Verdict

Maybe I’m being too hard on Follow That Bird. Maybe my five-year-old self was just a budding film snob who couldn’t appreciate the simple joys of watching a giant yellow bird hitchhike across America. Or maybe—just maybe—it’s just not that good a movie.

It’s not the worst film on my list (we’ve got 59 more egregious offenders to get through), but it earned its spot at #60 for promising Muppet-adjacent magic and delivering a drawn-out Sesame Street episode instead.

So there you have it, folks. Feel free to send those angry emails defending Big Bird’s honor. I can take it. And don’t worry, next week we’re taking a break from my “worst of” list for our monthly animated Disney palate cleanser. I’m certain you won’t hate me as much when it comes to classic Disney.

Until then, keep your movie standards high and your expectations low!

What do you think? Is “Follow That Bird” an underrated classic or did it deserve to flop? Let me know in the comments below!