The Adventures Of Elmo In Grouchland (1999) ***

Directed by Gary Halvorson. With Vanessa Williams and Mandy Patinkin. This is an absolutely superb motion picture - a delightful and totally unexpected surprise. Clearly inspired by Bertold Brecht, it features characters adressing the audience, commenting on the plot and poking fun at other films (including Titanic). And while self-reflexive and incredibly clever, it still works beautifully as a simple kidpic, with excellent songs, entertaining adventures and appropriate moral lessons.