The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

Grouches, teenagers and adults may not like "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland." But that's OK because the film wasn't made for them anyway.

Actually, this live-action musical/adventure knows exactly what its target audience is — young children, or even more specifically the young fans of TV's long-running "Sesame Street" series — and what's more, it isn't afraid to play to them almost exclusively.

That may make it a more dicey proposition for parents and older children — and teens will likely find it insufferable. After all, it is too precious for words and a might overloaded with saccharine sentiment. But it's cute, diverting fun for the young 'uns, and one that features a good message to boot.

(Though it should be noted that the film does feature that bugaboo of kids movies, the flatulence joke — even though it is a brief throwaway gag that may go unnoticed.)

The story revolves around adorable, red-furred monster Elmo (voiced and performed by Kevin Clash) and his quest to be reunited with his beloved blue blanket, which he loses during a squabble with his best friend, Zoe (Fran Brill).

A brief tug of war between the two pals sends the blanket floating and whirling down Sesame Street, where it lands next to Oscar the Grouch (Caroll Spinney), who blows his nose on it, throws it in his trash can and tromps off.

Needless to say, the already despondent Elmo is beside himself. And rather than waiting for Oscar to return, he decides to take matters into his own hands — as he hurls himself down the larger-than-it-seems trash can in search of his blanket.

But it not's that easy, as both Elmo 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.

As mentioned, it is a message movie. But director Gary Halvorsen and a pair of screenwriters avoid making it too heavy-handed, instead concentrating on the comedic and musical elements of the story. And even though the majority of the jokes are directed at youngsters, there are at least a couple of gags than can be appreciated by older audiences.

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.")

"The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" is rated G but does contain some mildly vulgar gags and some flatulence humor, as well as some slapstick-style violence.