Follow That Bird(1985)

G
1h 28m

Release Date: Aug 2, 1985 | Wide

Big Bird is sent to live far from Sesame Street by a pesky social worker named Miss Finch. Unhappy, he runs away from there, prompting the rest of the Sesame Street gang to go on a cross-country journey to find him.

Releases

Original Release | Aug 2, 1985

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Box Office Results

Updated as of Apr 26, 2026 05:27 PM ET

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$2,415,626
Total US & Canada:
$13,961,370
Total Worldwide:
$13,962,404

Current Showtimes

Your Location or

(U.S. Only)

Director & Top Cast

Ken Kwapis
Director

Caroll Spinney
Big Bird, Oscar, Bruno the Trashman

Jim Henson
Kermit the Frog, Ernie

Frank Oz
Cookie Monster, Bert, Grover

Richard Hunt
The Count (puppeteer), Elmo, Ernie (assistant)

Kathryn Mullen
Granny Fanny Nesselrode, Grouch, Grouch Diner Patron

Jerry Nelson

Biff, The Count, Herry Monster

Paul Bartel

Grouch Cook

Sandra Bernhard

Grouch Waitress

John Candy

State Trooper

Chevy Chase

Newscaster

Joe Flaherty

Sid Sleaze

Waylon Jennings

Truck Driver

Dave Thomas

Sam Sleaze

Laraine Newman

Mommy Dodo, Woman on Plane

Brian Hohlfeld

Daddy Dodo

Cathy Silvers

Marie Dodo

Eddie Deezen

Donnie Dodo

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English,American Sign Language

Summaries

Plot Summary

The film begins with a group of birds that are part of an organization called 'The Feathered Friends.' Their topic of the day: Big Bird. The organization feels that Big Bird should be placed with a family of birds, seeing as he appears to be an orphan. The organization approves for it's representative Miss Finch to help Big Bird.Miss Finch arrives on Sesame Street, and soon convinces Big Bird that he should be with a bird family. The announcement comes as a sad goodbye to Big Bird's friends, who consider themselves his family. Soon afterwards, Big Bird arrives in Ocean View, Illinois, where he is introduced to his new family: The Do-Do's. Big Bird tries to get along with his new family, but he still feels homesick. One day, a large postcard arrives from Mr Snuffleupagus, wanting to visit. The Do-Do's laugh at the notion that Big Bird has friends that are not birds. Their words upset Big Bird, who then decides to run away back to Sesame Street.Big Bird's friends hear of his 'flight' on TV, as well as a statement by Miss Finch who vows to find Big Bird and return him to the Do-Do's. The next day, Big Bird's friends take action, setting out by car and plane to find him.Along the way, Big Bird soon tires of walking, and hitches a ride with a turkey farmer. After some time, Big Bird ends up on a farm, where he befriends two children, Ruthie and Floyd. After spending the night in their barn, he helps them with their chores the next day. However, Big Bird flees when Miss Finch is seen nearby.Eventually, Big Bird makes his way to an Indiana city called Toadstool. But Miss Finch is not too far behind, and Big Bird has to flee once again. On the outskirts of Toadstool, Big Bird meets a pair of traveling no-goods called The Sleaze Brothers, who run a fraudulent carnival. Offering to hide Big Bird from Miss Finch, Big Bird soon realizes he is trapped when the brothers refuse to let him go.Smelling a lucrative deal on their hands, the brothers paint Big Bird blue, and tout him as 'The Bluebird of Happiness.' However, Big Bird's stage song is one of sadness, in which he sings of being home with his friends. Nevertheless, the sideshow is a success. After the show, two children meet him backstage, where he explains for them to call Sesame Street, and tell them where he is.The next day, Big Bird's friends sneak into the circus tent to free him. However, the Sleaze Brothers take off before they can rescue him. Gordon and Olivia give chase, and help release Big Bird, before the two Sleaze Brothers are pulled over and charged with a long string of illegal practices and felonies.Soon afterwards, Big Bird returns back to New York City on Sesame Street amid cheers from his friends, but soon grows worried when Miss Finch shows up, promising to try and place him with another 'bird family.'Maria strongly rebuffs Miss Finch's decision, claiming that on Sesame Street, there are all kinds of people and things, and they are all happy together, even if they aren't all the same. After hearing Maria's testimony, and realizing how far his friends went to get him back, Miss Finch declares that Big Bird can stay.Now home where he belongs, Big Bird returns to his nest, where he greets Mr. Snuffleupagus, who had been waiting for his return.

Storyline

Eccentric and lovable Big Bird lives a very carefree life with his friends on Sesame Street. But his happiness is cut short when a strict social worker named Miss Finch sends him away to live with a wacky family of Dodos. After a long week and feeling homesick, he decides that he has had enough and sets out to get back to Sesame Street. Word gets around and he is totally unaware that his friends are in search of him. But he better watch out because both Miss Finch and the Sleaze Brothers are also after him for their own purposes. — Blazer346 When a strict social worker named Miss Finch (Sally Kellerman) sends Big Bird (Caroll Spinney) far away from Sesame Street, his home, to live with a family of Dodo birds, everybody in Sesame Street is on a hunt to find and take him back to where he belongs from the Sleaze Brothers and Miss Finch. — LiamusTaglus Oscar, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the Sesame Street residents join Big Bird on a cross country adventure. Miss Finch, a meddling social worker, sends him off to Ocean View, Illinois, for the comforts of family life with his "own kind", the Dodos. But he is a disaster there and, lonely and homesick, he soon sets off for Sesame Street on foot. Can his friends find him before he runs "afowl" of trouble en route? — Robert Lynch <docrlynch@yahoo.com> Big Bird is the central character in this film. Miss Finch, a social worker, upon seeing that he doesn't live with other birds, sets him up to be adopted by a Dodo family. Unfortunately, he is not happy in his new surroundings and, wanting to get back to Sesame Street, runs away from there. On the way, he encounters adventures with all kinds of people, and discovers where he really wants to be, his true home: Sesame Street. — Anonymous