Finding Elmo (Gavin Nyenhuis)

Finding Elmo is a 2003 American computer-animated adventure film produced by Ragdoll Productions, Cinar, BBC and Hit Entertainment and released by PPI Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures, Big Idea, Blue Sky Studios, The Baby Einstein Company, The Pokémon Company, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and PBS Kids. Directed and co-written by Andrew Davenport with co-direction by Anne Wood, the screenplay was written by Manuelvil1132, Caleb Jacobs, Freddy Hays, Freddy MacGhee, Sebastian Cline, FloridaStateFan2017 and Alec Behan from a story by Bryleigh Dana. The film stars the voices of Caroll Spinney, Kevin Clash, and Cameron Diaz. It tells the story of an overprotective father named Big Bird who, along with an ogre princess named Fiona searches for his missing son Elmo and his siblings. Along the way, Big Bird learns to take risks and comes to terms with Elmo taking care of himself.

Released on May 30, 2003, Finding Elmo won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the first Ragdoll film to do so. It received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised the magnificent visual elements, touching story and punchy, memorable characters that were funny to both young moviegoers and their parents. The film was also nominated in three more categories, including Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, it became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of its release, and was the second-highest-grossing film of 2003, earning a total of $871 million worldwide by the end of its initial theatrical run.

Finding Elmo is the best-selling DVD title of all time, with over 40 million copies sold as of 2006, and was the highest-grossing G-rated film of all time before Ragdoll's own Cartoon Hero Story 3 overtook it. The film was re-released in 3D in 2012. In 2008, the American Film Institute named it as the 10th greatest animated film ever made as part of their 10 Top 10 lists. In a 2016 poll of international critics conducted by BBC, Finding Elmo was voted one of the 100 greatest motion pictures since 2000. A spin-off sequel, Finding Fiona, was released in June 2016.

Plot

Elmo is a red muppet who lives with his father Louie in an house in Sesame Street. Elmo, despite being hampered by a lame right hand, is eager to explore life around the town. Big Bird, Bucky, Quillo and Spike, however, is overprotective of him, having lost his wife Andie and all their other baby Muppets in a bear attack, leaving Elmo as his only sons along with James and Jessie. On Elmo's first day of school, Louie unintentionally embarrasses him, and while Louie is distracted with the teacher, Big Bird, Elmo defiantly sneaks away from Grey Cloud Elementary toward a speed truck, where he is captured by Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini. Big Bird tries to chase the truck and meets Fiona, an ogee princess who offer from the cybersquad long-term memory loss, who offer his help. During an encounter with three cyberchase villains and the Stone Generals who have born to be free from eating other heroes, Big Bird notices Vinny's mask that fell from the truck that took Elmo. Big Bird and Fiona fight over the mask, giving Fiona a nose bleed, which sends one of the cyberchase villains, CGI Crayons and stone generals into a fighting strike, and Big Bird standardly escape, but are knocked unconscious when the cyberchase villains, CGI Crayons, and stone generals accidentally set off a set of firework mines.

Meanwhile, Elmo is placed in an Log Chute in a Nickelodeon Universe in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he meets the M.O.A. Gang, including brown lion named Alex, green turtle named Verne, yellow raccoon named Wince, brown pufferfish named Sykes, green truck named Chug, green frog named Dewitt, purple emotion named Fear, brown bird-like pterandon named Petrie, and girls named Kristen and Stacy, with her friends Fred and Stella, led by Thomas and Classified, a blue train and a silver wolf. That night, Elmo learns he is to be given to James and Jessie's young niece, Patty, whose rough treatment has killed most of her previous fish. Thomas devises a risky escape plan: Elmo, who can fit inside the log chute's filter ride, will jam the filter with a coin, forcing James and his assitant, Jessie, to put the heroes into plastic bags while he cleans the cage, giving them the opportunity to roll out the window and into the Bloomington. Elmo attempts the log chute, but fails and is almost killed, leaving Classified steamed-away.

Big Bird and Fiona wake up softly, but the mask falls into a dark tunnel. Running after it, Big Bird is chased by a dinosaur named Rudy, and the creature named Chaos 4, while Tiny reads the address and recites it repeatedly to commit it to memory. Fiona and Big Bird receive directions from a circus bugs, but Big Bird follows their instructions to take what he believes is a safer route, leading them into a exhibit of fossas where they end up hiding from all the fossa claws. Big Bird and Fiona wake up to find themselves on the West Minnesota Current with a group of friendly construction machines including Scoop and his son, Scrambler and Shorty, and Scrambler and Shorty's best friend, Axew. Big Bird tells them about his quest, impressing them, and the story is relayed across the town, all the way to the Mall of America, where a boy with blue shirt named Miguel tells the M.O.A. Gang. Inspired by his father's bravery, Elmo makes another attempt to jam the filter and succeeds, and soon the log chute's contents are covered in green algae.

Big Bird and Fiona exit the West Minnesota Current and are engulfed by a blue whale. Fiona communicates with the whale, who carries them to Bloomington and expels them through its blowhole. There, they meet Guido, who helps the railing wheel escape from a group of Troublesome Trucks and takes them to the Mall of America. Meanwhile, James and Jessie have installed a new high-tech filter, foiling the M.O.A. Gang's escape. Patty arrives, and James and Jessie prepare to give Elmo to her. Elmo plays dead to save himself as Miguel causes a disturbance, terrifying Patty and throwing Mall of America into chaos. After James and Randall Boggs throws Miguel and Guido out, Thomas and Classified help Elmo escape through a rocket ride that leads to the main street.

Thinking that Elmo is dead, Big Bird thanks and bids farewell to Fiona, Tiny and Gloria and begins his journey home. Big Bird's departure causes Matt and Gloria to lose their memory. He meets Elmo as he reaches the street, but doesn't remember him. However, Fiona's memory returns when he reads the word "Bloomington" on a drainpipe. He reunites Elmo with Big Bird but is caught by with Sinbad trawler with a school of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas Characters. With Big Bird's savings, Elmo enters the net and he and Big Bird order the character to climb down in order to break the truck's net to escape. After returning home to the street, Big Bird and Fiona watch Big Bird take Elmo, James, Jessie, Spookley, Oh and Disgust and his friends on a field trip. At Mall of America, the filter has broken, and the gang, having been put in bags, roll out of the window and into the Minnesota. Still stuck in the bags, they ponder what happens next.

Cast

• Marlin - Big Bird (Sesame Street)
• Nemo - Elmo (Sesame Street)
• Dory - Fiona (Shrek)
• Gill - Thomas (Thomas and Friends) (with Classifed (Penguins of Madagascar) as an extra)
• Peach - Shelley (Will and Dewitt)
• Bloat - Sykes (Shark Tale) (with Chug (Planes), and Louis (The Princess and the Frog) as extras)
• Gurgle - Dewitt (Will and Dewitt) (with Fender Pinwheeler (Robots) as an extra)
• Deb and Flo - Kristen and Stacy (Barney and Friends) (with Fred (Will and Dewitt) as an extra)
• Jacques - Wince (Will and Dewitt)
• Bubbles - Alex (Madagascar) (with Verne (Over the Hedge) as an extra)
• Fish School - P.T. Flea and the Circus Bugs (A Bug's Life) (Voice Actor Reference)
• Jellyfish - Fossas (Madagascar), Dagda and Boggans (Epic)
• Crush - Scoop (Bob the Builder)
• Squirt - Scrambler (Bob the Builder) (with Shorty (The Land Before Time) as an extra)
• Bruce - Hacker (Cyberchase) (with Red Claw (The Land Before Time) as an extra)
• Anchor and Chum - Buzz and Delete (Cyberchase)
• Blenny the Worried Fish - Sid (Ice Age) (with Willa the Cat (Clifford the Big Red Dog) as an extra)
• Anglerfish - Rudy (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs)
• The Whale - Monstro the Whale (Pinocchio) (with Bumphead Babies (The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water) as extras)
• Nigel - Miguel (Maya and Miguel)
• Gerald the Pelican - Paco (Maya and Miguel)
• Seagulls - Troublesome Trucks (Thomas and Friends), Minions (Minions), Dodos (Ice Age), Blue Demons (Galaxy Quest), and Cy-Bugs (Wreck-it Ralph)
• Mr. Ray - Gordon (Thomas and Friends)
• Tad - BJ (Barney and Friends)
• Pearl - Zoe (Sesame Street) (with Cera (The Land Before Time) as an extra)
• Sheldon - Will (Will and Dewitt)
• Dr. Phillip Sherman - James (Pokemon) (with Jessie (Pokemon) as an extra)
• Barbara - Terri (Miss BG)
• Darla - Patty Farrel (Dairy of a Wimpy Kid)
• Coral - Prairie Dawn (Sesame Street)
• Barracuda - Mordu (Brave) (with Mandrake (Epic) as extra)
• Bill - Blu (Rio)
• Ted - Cera's Dad (The Land Before Time)
• Bob - Aladar (Dinosaur)
• Various Sea Creature Kids - Various Bluey and Barney and Friends Characters
• Various Fishes from the Neighborhood at the Beginning - Various Characters (Will and Dewitt)
• Various Neighbor Fishes - Bugs (A Bug's Life)
• Nemo (Egg) - Baby Elmo (Sesame Beginnings)
• Various Parrotfish and Purple Tang Babies - PBS Kids Mascots (PBS Kids)
• Dead Fish Skeleton - Human Skeleton
• Clownfish Eggs - Baby Muppets (Jim Henson)
• Mother Fish - Mother Diatryma (Ice Age Series)
• Guppies - Baby Diatrymas (Ice Age Series)
• Two Fish Taking Crab's Shell - Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)
• Shell Less Crab - Stu (Ice Age Series)
• Mr. Johanson - Vitaly (Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted)
• Sponge Bed Babies - Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler's Children (Treasure Planet) and Miss Rosa's Students (PBS Kids)
• Other Sponge Bed Parents - Cappy (Robots), Min (Barney and Friends), Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet), Ess (Puyo Puyo) and Vanessa (Bee Movie)
• Sponge Bed Purple Tangs - Spring Sprite (Fantasia 2000) and Miss Rosa and Hooper (PBS Kids)
• Purple Tang That Falls Off Sponge Bed - Kevin (Mao Mao) (with Dr. Doppler's Son (Treasure Planet) as an extra)
• Other Fish Students - Various Children (Will and Dewitt)
• Fishes that Nemo sees passing by - Various Open Season Characters
• Fish Student that sees Nemo 'swimming out the sea' - Bunty (Chicken Run)
• One Divers (Hunters) that took nemo - Hunters (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa)
• One Divers (Hunters) that took a picture - Frog (WordWorld)
• Two Pelicans After the Shark Scene - Freddy and Cesar Castillo (Maya and Miguel)
• Crossing Guard Fish - Bertie (Thomas and Friends)
• Patient #1 - Fear (Inside Out)
• Mr. Tucker - Fern Grouchwood (Elemental)
• Chuckles (Darla's previous fish) - Oscar (Shark Tale)
• Squishy - Noo-Noo (Teletubbies)
• Sea Turtles - Various Machines (Bob the Builder)
• Sea Turtle Babies - Young Machines (Bob the Builder)
• Sea Turtle That Passes on Marlin's Story - Benny (Bob the Builder)
• Three Fishes Listening to Turtle - Bob, Wendy and Spud (Bob the Builder)
• Minnow - Elliot (Open Season)
• Big Trout - Boog (Open Season)
• Lobsters - Arthur, Buster, Francine and Brain (Arthur)
• Swordfishes - Ernie and Bernie (Shark Tale)
• Dolphins - Luca and Alberto (Luca)
• Bird Group #1 - Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, T-Bone, Cleo and Mac (Clifford the Big Red Dog)
• Birds on Lighthouse - Mr. and Mrs. Start (Ice Age Series)
• Bird Group #2 - Ruff Ruffman, Blossom and Chet (FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman)
• Pelican #1 - Andy (Maya and Miguel)
• Patient #2 - The Mayor of Whoville (Horton Hears a Who!)
• Krill Swimming Away - Fishes (Pinocchio)
• Davey Reynolds - Clod (Elemental)
• Aquascum - Motherboard (Cyberchase)
• Pelican #2 - Theo (Maya and Miguel)
• Other Pelicans - Various Other Maya and Miguel and ZOOM Characters
• Mom in Waiting Room - Jamie Grable (Cedarmont Kids) (with Mirlo (Fushgiboshi no Futagohime) as an extra)
• Boy in Waiting Room - Anthony Mullins (Cedarmont Kids)
• Crabs - Various Digimon Characters (Digimon)
• Bernie and Baz - Donald and Douglas (Thomas and Friends)
• Various Sea Creatures - White Ducks (Migration)
• Fish Group Gets Caught in a Net - Various Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas Characters
• Fishermen - Mime and Russel (Happy Tree Friends)
• Mike Wazowski (Cameo) - Rodney Copperbottom (Robots)
• Scrat (cameo, in Blue Sky Studios' new logo) - Pascal (Tangled)
• Frogger, Spookley (Spookley the Square Pumpkin), Oh (Home), Disgust (Inside Out), Elio Solis (Elio) and Dax Mallard (Migration) as themselves (a.k.a. Nemo's friends)
• Lydia Copperbottom and Lug (Robots) and Bucky, Quillo and Spike (Over the Hedge), Ember Lumen and Wade Ripple (Elemental) and Mack Mallard (Migration) as themselves (a.k.a. Marlin's friends)
• Gloria (Madagascar), Stella (Over the Hedge), Mei Lee (Human/Red Panda) (Turning Red), Jewel (Rio), and Lily, Berry and Beauty Frog (Frogger) as themselves (a.k.a. Dory's friends)
• James, Percy and Toby (Thomas and Friends) as themselves (a.k.a. Gill's friends)
• Petrie (The Land Before Time) as himself (a.k.a. Gurgle's friend)
• CGI Crayons (Baby Einstein), Stone Generals (TMNT) and Ambassador Grigon (Elio) as themselves (a.k.a. Bruce's assistants)
• Spike and Whitey (Flushed Away) as themselves (a.k.a. Anchor and Chum's assistants)
• Jessie (Pokemon), King Magnifico (Wish) and Chef (Migration) as herself (a.k.a. Dr. Phillip Sherman's assistants)
• Wooster Q. Weasel (Animalia), Olivia Flaversham (The Great Mouse Detective) and Vanellope (Wreck-It-Ralph) as himself (a.k.a. Darla's assistant)

Locations

• The Great Barrier Reef - Kalahari Resorts
• Marlin's Sea Anemone - Sesame Street
• The Egg Cave - Indoor Cabana at Kalahari Resorts
• The School Reef - Great Wolf Lodge
• Mr. Johanson's Yard - Vitaly's Yard
• Sponge Beds - Cub Paw Pool
• The Boat - Vinny's Submarine
• The Sharks' Hideout - The Grim Wreaker
• The Sunken Ship - Crayola Experience
• The Anglerfish's Cave - Union Depot at Saint Paul, Minnesota
• The Dentist Tank - Log Chute Entrance
• The Dentist Room - Nickelodeon Universe
• The Waiting Room - Pepsi Orange Streak and Log Chute
• The Dentist Tank Tubes - Log Chute Ride
• Dentist Office - Mall of America
• Sydney Opera House - Disney Coronado Springs (with Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa as an extra)
• Sydney Harbor - Bloomington, Minnesota

Items

• Scrat's Acorn (cameo, in Blue Sky Studios' new logo) - water bottle

Logos

• Walt Disney Pictures - PPI Entertainment (2000-2006) and Big Idea Logo (Jonah! Version)
• Pixar Animation Studios - PBS Kids Movies and Ragdoll Logo, Blue Sky Studios (Pascal Drinking the Bottle Variant)

Scenes

• Finding Elmo Part 1 - New Parents/Mordu
• Finding Elmo Part 2 - A Terrible Fate/Baby Elmo/Opening Titles
• Finding Elmo Part 3 - First Day of School
• Finding Elmo Part 4 - Field Trip
• Finding Elmo Part 5 - The Drop Off/Argument
• Finding Elmo Part 6 - Elmo Gets Captured!
• Finding Elmo Part 7 - Big Bird Meets Fiona
• Finding Elmo Part 8 - Big Bird and Fiona Meets Hacker, Buzz, Delete and the Stone Generals
• Finding Elmo Part 9 - Heroes Are Friends, Not Food/Hacker Goes Mental
• Finding Elmo Part 10 - The M.O.A. Gang/Classified
• Finding Elmo Part 11 - The Union Depot (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
• Finding Elmo Part 12 - Rudy and Chaos 4 Attack
• Finding Elmo Part 13 - Elmo's Initiation
• Finding Elmo Part 14 - Circus Bug Impressions
• Finding Elmo Part 15 - Foosas
• Finding Elmo Part 16 - The Filter
• Finding Elmo Part 17 - Construction Machines
• Finding Elmo Part 18 - The Good News
• Finding Elmo Part 19 - Off Ramp
• Finding Elmo Part 20 - Fiona Speak Monstro and the Bumphead Babies
• Finding Elmo Part 21 - Algae
• Finding Elmo Part 22 - Inside Monstro and the Bumphead Babies/Reaching Bloomington, Minnesota
• Finding Elmo Part 23 - The M.O.A. is Clean/The Motherboard
• Finding Elmo Part 24 - Troublesome Trucks
• Finding Elmo Part 25 - Patty Farrell!
• Finding Elmo Part 26 - Goodbye Fiona
• Finding Elmo Part 27 - Elmo, James, Jessie, Spookley, Oh, Disgust, and Fiona
• Finding Elmo Part 28 - Hunting Net
• Finding Elmo Part 29 - Reunion
• Finding Elmo Part 30 - Back in the Woodbury, Minnesota
• Finding Elmo Part 31 - M.O.A. Escape/End Credits

Transcript

• Finding Elmo/Transcript

Gallery

Big Bird as Marlin

Elmo as Nemo

Fiona as Dory

Thomas as Gill

with Classified as an extra

Marina as Peach

with Shelley as an extra

Sykes as Bloat

with Chug

and Louis as extras

Dewitt as Gurgle

Kristen as Deb

Stacy as Flo

with Fred

and Stella as extras

Wince as Jacques

Alex as Bubbles

with Verne as an extra

Scoop as Crush

Scrambler as Squirt

with Shorty as an extra

Hacker as Bruce

with Red Claw as an extra

Buzz and Delete as Anchor and Chum

Sid as Blenny the Worried Fish

Rudy as Anglerfish

Monstro as The Whale

with Bumphead Babies as an extra

Miguel as Nigel

Gordon as Mr. Ray

Tiago as Tad

Zoe as Pearl

with Cera as an extra

Littlefoot as Sheldon

James as Dr. Phillip Sherman

with Jessie as an extra

Terri as Barbara

Patty Farrell as Darla Sherman

Prairie Dawn as Coral

Bob,

Wendy,

and Spud as Three Fish listening to the Baby Sea Turtle

Elliot as Minnow

Boog as Big Trout

Max,

and Duke as Dolphins

Anthony Mullins as Boy in the Waiting Room

Jamie Grable as Mom in the Waiting Room

Rodney Copperbottom as Mike Wazowski (Cameo)

Lug as Marlin's friend

Bucky, Quillo and Spike as Marlin's friend

Gloria as Dory's friend

Jewel as Dory's friend

Petrie as Gurgle's friend

CGI Crayons as Bruce's assistant

Pascal as Scrat (cameo, in Blue Sky Studios' new logo)