Big Bird and his companion, Barkley, travel across China in search of the legendary Feng Huang, the Phoenix Bird.Big Bird and his companion, Barkley, travel across China in search of the legendary Feng Huang, the Phoenix Bird.Big Bird and his companion, Barkley, travel across China in search of the legendary Feng Huang, the Phoenix Bird.
- Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Caroll Spinney
- Big Bird
- (voice)
- …
Brian Meehl
- Barkley
- (voice)
- (as Brian Muehl)
- …
Lianzi Ouyang
- Xiao Foo
- (as Lien-Tze Quyang)
Cheryl Blaylock
- Additional Muppet Performer
- (voice)
- (as Cheryl Blalock)
Edward G. Christie
- Additional Muppet Performer
- (voice)
- (as Ed Christie)
Jim Henson
- Ernie
- (voice)
Ziu Ping Hua
- The Storyteller
- (as Hua Zhi-Ping)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to 'Carroll Spinney' in his autobiography, he created the concept after working on Bob Hope on the Road to China (1979). But Spinney does not get a writing credit.
- GoofsWhen Barkley sniffs the hand-cart, he has the sand-glass around his neck a full 19 minutes before Xiao Foo places it around his neck.
- Alternate versionsBrian Meehl originally provided the voice of Telly when this special originally aired. But on the DVD release, Muehl's voice was replaced with Martin P. Robinson's.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
Featured review
When I was a kid, I used to watch my family's VHS tape of this movie constantly! It was a eye-opener for me, as my knowledge of Chinese folklore and mythology, especially of Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King, was pretty much non-existent at the time, and I also learned how to speak and understand the same Chinese words that Big Bird does! I love the bond that grows between Big Bird and Xiao Fu over the course of the movie, and I was very pleased to learn that Caroll Spinney and the young girl who played her had stayed in touch after Mr. Spinney left to go back to America when the filming was done! The fact that the viewer gets to see and appreciate the beauty of the Chinese countryside is just icing on the cake of a very good movie!
- ejamc-96813
- Aug 8, 2024
- Permalink
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