Follow That Bird

Big Bird gets shipped off to live with a family of strangers, and that's where the family musical Follow That Bird (1985) kicks off — you can watch it online on iFILM. A meddling social worker decides he belongs among his own kind, but the new nest quickly turns lonely, so Big Bird slips away and heads home on foot.

When the news reports him missing, the whole Sesame Street crew — Muppets and humans alike — piles into cars for a cross-country chase. The catch: a pair of con-artist carnival brothers have already scooped him up, caged him, painted him blue and put him to work for cash. Finding their friend turns out to be the easy half; springing him is the hard part.

Behind the puppets stand Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Caroll Spinney, while comics John Candy, Chevy Chase and Sandra Bernhard pop up along the route. Director Ken Kwapis made a gentle road trip about home being wherever you're loved, not wherever you're supposed to be. The songs are simple and the feelings are honest — a solid pick for a family night with little kids. Stream Follow That Bird online on iFILM.