Customer Reviews

Sesame Street - Big Bird in China [VHS]

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am so delighted to see this movie finally in DVD. Feel very proud as I played the role Xiao Foo 24 years ago. Few interesting things I would like to share with people who love this movie:
- Xiao Foo didn't understand a single word of English when acting. I am local Chinese and do not start a second language until age of 9. All script was recited by memories.
- We filmed the movie in 3 cities: Beijing(the Great Wall, animal sculpture), Guilin(the Glass Chessboard, headless buffalo),Suzhou(the story teller). These are still the most beautiful tourist highlights of China.
- We had harsh time when filming the Great Wall, cause it was always packed with tourists. We eventually filmed it at 4:00am in the morning.
- China has changed a lot since then. We no longer dressed like the crowd in the movie. Major cities are well developed.
- Xiao Foo never acted in any movies after that. She grew up in Beijing, attended universities in Canada, now working for a top US investment bank in Hong Kong.
- Xiao Foo lost contact with Big Bird, Barkley and the Crew right after the movie. But to her, this movie is always the most precious memory.

My 18 month old daughter loves this DVD, she baby signs " more" after seeing it! We adopted our daughter from China and want her to know all about her birth country. The scenery is beautiful and is mostly around the Great Wall and some areas in Beijing.

I love the little girl who helps Big Bird on this wonderful journey to find the Phoneix bird! The little duckling dance, and the song Little Shou Fu sings to teach Big Bird some Chinese! Although my daughter doesn't quiet grasp that she is adopted as of yet, I think it is so very important that she doesn't loose her Chinese heritage. I am so pleased that it was released on DVD so she can enjoy this story for years to come!!!

My daughter is now 2 and still loves this movie! Now when we ask her " Who was born in China?" She will point to herself and say Emma! She's learned how to say hello and Big Bird in Chinese!

I credit this movie, along with Big Bird in Japan, for my current love for oriental culture and lifestyle. The sheer beauty of these movies is a great way for kids to become aquainted to China. The footage of the mountains, temples, and other wildlife in this movie is breath-taking, plus cultural examples, such as the clip of the citizens doing Ta'i Chi. The music is also very good. I begged my parents to tape it when i was little, only a few years old. I am 14 now, and am not embarassed to say that I will still watch them occasionally when I am bored just to see the the beauty of the Orient. They are on an old tape with other movies, so I am happy to find that these are available for purchase, and will do so ASAP. To anyone who has an interest in foreign culture or wishes to immerse their child in a new culture- Big Bird in China and Japan is an excellent way to do it and instill lasting loves for culture and memories in your child.

I was adopted from China when I was only 3 days old, and as a child I loved the movie Big Bird in China. It is great at showing the different areas of Beijing and what China is like. I am now 17 and it may sound pathetic, but I still love the movie. I recently returned from my frist trip back to China and the first movie I watched was Big Bird in China. It was a movie I constantly talked about around my friend Lindsey, who came with me to China. The story line is amazing. I HIGHLY recommend the movie to ANYBODY! It is definately a movie that people of all ages can enjoy.

Just now remembering again this film from my childhood while writing a college take-home final for an honors Asian studies class, I am extremely grateful that my mom played this for me when I was a child. I'm now beginning to realize from where my deep respect of Asian cultures comes, and appreciating the folks at Sesame Street for my young enlightenment. I recommend this for all parents, and anyone who loves Sesame Street. Almost 21 years old, I am going to buy this film and watch it again. (along with "Don't Eat the Pictures"(1969) Buy this DVD for every child you know!

*WHY* oh why did they go and cut out one of the best jokes in the movie???

In the original, when we first meet Big Bird's new friend Xiao Fu, Big Bird is lamenting the fact that, since everyone in China speaks Chinese, no one can understand him. Xiao Fu comes along and asks what's the matter, and Big Bird explains that since no one speaks his language, there is no one to help direct him to the phoenix.
"That's too bad", a sympathetic Xiao Fu commisserates, and offers to help. So Big Bird asks her if she "speaks American". "I speak English", Xiao Fu tells him; "That's close enough!" a relieved Big Bird exclaims.

This amusing exchange is missing from the DVD. Instead of highlighting the language barrier (a joke which carries forward into the later encounters with the Monkey King), the movie here is edited to have Big Bird now apparently sighing over the general difficulty of finding the phoenix.

Also wondering when the classic "Don't Eat the Pictures" and "Christmas on Seseme Street" will be released on DVD.

This is a wonderful look at China with an awesome tour guide...Big Bird. There is wonderful view of China along with a simple but enjoyable childrens fairytale/detective style story. My children who are now 18 & 17 are buying another copy for their new Chinese cousin as a gift. They remember this as one of their fondest childhood memories. This is a must have for any young child.

As a small child I loved this video so much, and watched it so frequently, that for several years I firmly believed I had vacationed to China! Of course I have never been there, but every now and then I will see something that reminds me of "my trip to China" with Big Bird! I love this video for that reason!

I bought this based on all the great reviews. I have two boys, 7 and 3 1/2. My 7 year old is always interested in all things Chinese so I thought I could show him what China looked like and see a bit of the culture. He liked it but he kept asking me questions about it. I think they could have been a little more forthcoming about what we were looking at. It was mostly Big Bird just showing us the sights but not saying anything other than what it was called and sometimes not even that. My 3 year old wasn't too engaged at all. He watched but kept asking me "Is it done yet?" towards the second half. The premise is cute but I thought it could have been a little more entertaining and educational. The majority of the film was us watching Big Bird walking around not saying anything. They could have used that time to tell us a little about what we were looking at. I'm not saying they have to give us a whole history lesson but a little something interesting for each sight would have been nice.

When a woman who runs a Chinese shop in New York lends Big Bird her scroll telling how to find a magical phoenix bird, he is determined to go on a goodwill mission to speak to the majestic creature. With Barkley the dog at his side, Big Bird travels by boat to China, and there the pair happen upon an adorable little girl who luckily speaks English. She helps the two clueless Americans find their way around, following the pictures of famous locales on the scroll and gaining a clue from the mysterious Monkey King at each one. When they manage to workout the clues, they'll know where to find the phoenix. Meanwhile, Oscar and Telly are on their own mission to dig to China and see what's so great about it.

First aired on NBC in 1983, this Sesame Street classic is superior to 1988's "Big Bird in Japan" in some ways, like better songs, a better plot, and the inclusion of a scene at home on Sesame Street with other classic characters. However, "Big Bird in China" is also 15 minutes longer than its better-paced, hour-long follow-up of 5 years later. This earlier Big Bird is a bit whinier too, ha. Another difference worth pointing out is that "Big Bird in China" features a China some say is out of date today, and much of what we see looks very ancient (and probably not as appealing to some of the youngest viewers) as the film focuses on historic and cultural sites. While "Big Bird in Japan" shows us a more modern looking society and spends more time looking at cultural differences like chopsticks, sleeping on the floor, and customs like that. Both are excellent family programs for those interested in exposing their little ones, or even themselves, to another culture in a fascinating land though. In fact, I also recommend both to anyone planning a trip to Disney World who wishes to get the most out of an EPCOT visit.

Now, a word about the editing. What I've read (quite often) is that about a minute has been edited out of "Big Bird in China" for the DVD release because Big Bird seeks out someone who can speak "American". I'm very surprised that something like that was edited out, because in "Big Bird in Japan", Big Bird mentions something about finding someone who can speak American too, and that part isn't edited out. I also can't understand at all why a silly joke like someone referring to English as "American" is considered politically incorrect. Oh well. Personally, I'm against any kind of editing of classic material for DVD release, but especially for P.C. reasons.

Lastly, the picture quality is underwhelming, but that may be because it is a product of its time, I don't really know. The quality on "Big Bird in Japan" isn't much better. Also, the only extras on the DVD are small samplings from several other Sesame Street DVDs. Still, in my opinion, a childhood classic like this is a must-own, and these DVDs are good enough releases for me to highly recommend picking them up, especially if you can find them at a really nice price, like I did. I just found them (Big Bird in China and Big Bird in Japan) at 2 for 10 at a "Dollar General" store, even though they are currently out of print. If you like this one (and/or Big Bird in Japan), other titles I'd recommend are: "Follow That Bird" (a big screen feature!), "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" (the other Sesame Street big screen feature), "Sesame Street Old School", "Fraggle Rock", and anything with The Muppets! "Sesame Street: A Magical Halloween Adventure" and "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" also sound promising. In fact, I think I've seen that Christmas one before, and it's good, retro stuff! I also highly recommend "Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art", but that 1983 classic is still not available on DVD.