We live in an age where nostalgia rules over all. Franchises that we grew up with are receiving reboots left and right, and all is fair game. With movies like Power Rangers and Smurfs: The Lost Village debuting over the course of the next few weeks, it's clear that Hollywood knows how to take classic kids properties and make them into full blown film franchises. On that note, I recently spoke to Smurfs star Rainn Wilson about this trend, and he pitched an idea for a truly unusual Sesame Street movie involving an alien invasion. Wilson said:
Why haven't we seen a Sesame Street movie? I think they made some really cheap kids Sesame Street movie back in the day. I know we have The Muppets franchise but I think you could turn Sesame Street into its own franchise. You know, I don't know, like Sesame Street gets invaded by aliens or something like that. And it's up to the Snuffleupagus to save them.
You have to admit, Rainn Wilson makes a clear point with his comment. While we have seen plenty of movies inspired by The Muppets over the course of the last few years, we haven't seen any major Sesame Street films. In a Hollywood landscape where seemingly all of the beloved properties have been dusted off and given a brand new paint job, this seems like a golden opportunity to do something genuinely new and exciting with the classic and educational series. It's not a ridiculous pitch for a Sesame Street movie if you already know about the underlying mythology of the series. Aliens already exist in the Sesame Street universe (Martians called "Yip Yips") so a movie could simply expand on that concept. Maybe it's the Yip Yips that eventually invade, and Mr. Snuffleupagus is the only one who knows how to save the day? I'd pay good money to see that movie.
It's curious that no significant or notable Sesame Street movies have ever been made throughout the show's five decades on the air. Two movies were made "back in the day" (one in 1985, and one in 1999) but neither of them has established any real staying power with audiences. Rumors about a more polished Sesame Street film finally materializing started to swirl a few months ago, so let's hope that the folks behind the project are reading this article right now. Rainn Wilson has a fantastic (albeit ridiculous) idea; it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
At this point, we don't know if Rainn Wilson's idea for a Sesame Street movie will ever materialize. That said, you can still catch him in another beloved children's franchise when Smurfs: The Lost Village hits theaters on April 7. If you're looking for more information regarding the rest of 2017's major theatrical debuts, make sure to check out our comprehensive movie premiere guide and fill out your moviegoing calendars!
