Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic

Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic

Company type	Attraction
Industry	Amusement park attraction
Founded	2003 (2003)
Headquarters	Japan, United States
Area served	Universal Studios Japan, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment (Busch Gardens and SeaWorld locations)
Products	4D film attraction featuring Sesame Street characters

Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic—also known under alternate titles such as Sesame Street Presents Lights Camera Imagination! 4-D at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Sesame Street Film Festival 4-D at Busch Gardens Tampa—is a 4D film attraction originally developed for Universal Studios Japan. Subsequently, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment obtained licensing rights to feature the attraction at their Busch Gardens and SeaWorld locations. At Busch Gardens parks, guests can also enjoy several Sesame Street-themed experiences within the Sesame Street Forest of Fun or Sesame Street Safari of Fun zones. This attraction utilizes 4-D elements like water sprays, air bursts, leg ticklers, and fans to heighten the immersive viewing experience.

On August 5, 2010, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay revealed plans to bring back Pirates 4-D at the Timbuktu Theater, scheduling three screenings of the Sesame Street 4-D Film Festival followed by three presentations of Pirates 4-D.

Differences

The version shown at SeaWorld varies from the original Universal Studios Japan presentation due to differences in theater architecture and language preferences of the audience. The film was re-dubbed from Japanese into English to cater to American viewers, and modifications were made to fit the structural requirements of Busch Gardens and SeaWorld theaters.

Unlike Universal Studios Japan, SeaWorld's rendition lacks a distinct pre-show; instead, the initial seven minutes function as a prelude before guests put on their 3-D glasses. Furthermore, rather than featuring Elmo’s interview in a post-show segment, this version concludes with an advertisement highlighting SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment's Sesame Place park, along with brochures distributed near the exit.

Summary

Upon entering, visitors see the Sesame Street sign as Big Bird—sporting 4-D glasses—greets them and introduces sponsors with assistance from the Twiddlebugs. The scene transitions to Around the Corner where Big Bird observes Bert, Ernie, Grover, Telly, Zoe, and Cookie Monster looking upset because their home movie projector is broken. Elmo accidentally crashes his tricycle into Oscar’s trash can, eliciting Oscar’s trademark grumpy response.

Elmo proposes using imagination to share their films, bringing joy to everyone except Oscar. Each character then showcases a creative 4-D rendition of their home movies. Eventually, Oscar participates with a trash-themed number featuring a chorus line performing "I Love Trash." A sudden thunderstorm soaks the props, disappointing Elmo; however, Big Bird encourages him to reimagine the scenario.

With audience participation imagining a sunny day, the street transforms into a birthday celebration where Elmo sings and floats away on balloons. The characters collectively contribute to making the movie successful. Elmo expresses gratitude toward the audience and says "Elmo Loves You," followed by farewells. Oscar receives flowers but remains displeased as he shuts his trash can beneath a "The End" sign. The Twiddlebugs conclude by bidding goodbye and flying off.

English Voice

• Kevin Clash as Elmo
• Caroll Spinney providing voices for Oscar and Big Bird
• John Tartaglia handling puppetry for Ernie, Anything Muppets, and Oscar
• Fran Brill voicing Prairie Dawn and Zoe
• Martin P. Robinson as Telly and Anything Muppets
• Eric Jacobson performing Grover and Bert
• David Rudman voicing Cookie Monster and right head of Two-Headed Monster
• Jerry Nelson as Count von Count and Anything Muppets
• Joey Mazzarino puppeteering Telly's Stunt Chicken and left head of Two-Headed Monster
• Stephanie D'Abruzzo contributing to Anything Muppets and Singing Dirty Sock
• Jennifer Barnhart performing Anything Muppets roles
• Matt Vogel providing singing voice for Big Bird as well as puppetry for Singer and Anything Muppets
• John Rust voicing Singing Dirty Sock and Slobbering Dog

Japanese Voice Cast

• Elmo, Bert, Grover: Kōji Ochiai
• Big Bird, Ernie: Mitsuaki Madono
• Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Count von Count: Tōru Ōkawa
• Telly Monster: Tesshō Genda
• Prairie Dawn, Zoe: Sakiko Tamagawa
• Rosita: Roko Takizawa

Related Articles

• Universal Studios Japan
• SeaWorld San Diego
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
• Grover's Alpine Express
• Air Grover

External Resources

• Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic at Universal Studios Japan