Warner Bros. recently announced a few release dates for some of their upcoming movies. One of the most interesting ones they have mentioned in their release line-up is a motion picture musical based on the beloved characters from Sesame Street. The lovable puppets from the long-running PBS series will have another film set to release on January 15, 2021. This story was reported by Deadline. The film will be directed by Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel and at present, Anne Hathaway is the only major celebrity talent attached to the film.
The film will be financed by MGM and Warner Bros., however, this is not the first time the Jim Henson-created characters were in a film from the studio. In 1985, Warner Bros. released the first film featuring the Sesame Street gang with the cult hit, Follow That Bird, and in 1999, Columbia Pictures released another movie based on the show, Elmo in Grouchland. However, it has been quite some time since Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and many other lovable characters from the series appeared on a major film like this. The series is still going on after nearly 50 years of being on air and is even being aired on the Warner Bros. affiliate, HBO.
The January release date for the film could be interesting, considering the only major competition it has at the moment is an untitled Blumhouse production. And generally, puppet movies have not been as successful as they once were with HappyTime Murders being one of the bigger box office disappointments last year. But given the universal appeal of characters like Oscar the Grouch, the Count, Grover, and many others, fans will enjoy seeing these characters appear in a film again.