For the first time in decades, Sesame Street is heading toward another feature-length movie adventure — and this one could potentially introduce the famous neighborhood to one of its biggest audiences ever.
Netflix and Sesame Workshop have officially announced that a new Sesame Street movie is now in development, with Netflix securing the feature-film rights to the legendary children’s franchise.
And this doesn’t appear to be a small side project.
Netflix acquired the rights following what Sesame Workshop described as a competitive bidding situation, with Sesame Workshop and Rideback set to produce the new film.
For a show that first welcomed viewers to Sesame Street in 1969, that is a pretty significant new chapter.
What Do We Know About the New Sesame Street Movie?
Right now, the biggest confirmed news is simply that the movie is happening.
Netflix says the new Sesame Street feature is currently in development alongside Sesame Workshop and Rideback. Elmo, Cookie Monster and the rest of the neighborhood are expected to be at the center of the project.
However, as of October 2026, several major details remain under wraps.
There is currently no announced title, release date, director, storyline or complete cast. Netflix also hasn’t announced whether the movie will receive any kind of theatrical release before arriving on the streaming service.
So if you see supposed plot summaries or casting announcements floating around already, take them with a grain of Oscar’s trash.
For now, this is a movie in development — but the fact that Netflix actively competed for the feature-film rights suggests Sesame Street is being treated as much more than just another addition to its children’s television library.
Sesame Street Hasn’t Had a Movie Like This in a Long Time
That’s part of what makes the announcement so interesting.
Despite Sesame Street being one of the most recognizable children’s franchises on Earth, feature-length theatrical Sesame movies have been surprisingly rare.
The first was Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird in 1985.
That movie sent Big Bird away from Sesame Street after he was placed with the Dodo family, leading him on a journey back home while his friends searched for him.
It featured Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar, along with performances from Jim Henson and Frank Oz and appearances by stars including John Candy, Chevy Chase and Waylon Jennings. The American Film Institute identifies it as Sesame Street’s theatrical film debut.
Then came The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland in 1999.
That adventure followed Elmo into Grouchland after his beloved blanket ended up in Oscar’s trash can, eventually putting him up against Huxley, played by Mandy Patinkin. Vanessa Williams also appeared as the Queen of Trash.
A Museum of the Moving Image retrospective described Follow That Bird and Elmo in Grouchland as the first two Sesame Street feature films.
That means an entire generation has grown up without a new major Sesame Street feature.
Which raises the obvious question:
What could Sesame Street do with a movie today?
This Is Part of a Much Bigger Netflix-Sesame Street Partnership
The movie isn’t happening in isolation.
Netflix’s relationship with Sesame Street has expanded dramatically.
The streaming service originally announced a deal bringing the reimagined 56th season of Sesame Street to Netflix alongside approximately 90 hours of older episodes. New episodes remained available in the United States through PBS and PBS KIDS as well.
Now that partnership is getting even larger.
Netflix and Sesame Workshop have extended their agreement for new seasons through Season 62. Season 57 Volume 4 is scheduled for November 23, 2026, with Volumes 5 and 6 planned for 2027.
Netflix’s official Sesame Street collection also includes more than 100 library episodes and specials.
And there’s more Sesame content coming.
The CGI animated series Mecha Builders, starring robot versions of Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby, arrives on Netflix October 26.
Put all of that together and Netflix clearly isn’t treating Sesame Street as a single television show.
It’s becoming an entire Sesame ecosystem.
Why This Movie Could Be a Big Deal
A Sesame Street movie has something most modern family franchises would love to have: multiple generations already know the characters.
Today’s preschoolers know Elmo, Abby and Cookie Monster.
Their parents grew up with many of those same characters.
Their grandparents may remember watching Big Bird, Oscar, Bert, Ernie, Grover and Kermit during Sesame Street’s earliest years.
That gives a new movie the opportunity to do something interesting.
It can absolutely be made for children while still giving longtime fans plenty of reasons to watch.
Imagine a movie that doesn’t simply focus on one character, but actually treats Sesame Street itself as the star.
Big Bird.
Oscar.
Grover.
Bert and Ernie.
Cookie Monster.
The Count.
Elmo.
Abby.
Rosita.
And maybe even a few characters longtime fans haven’t seen nearly enough of lately.
Netflix has global reach on a scale that simply didn’t exist when Follow That Bird arrived in 1985 or Elmo in Grouchland appeared in 1999.
Netflix has also said children’s and family programming represents about 15% of its total viewing, giving the company plenty of incentive to turn established family properties into major events.
Sesame Street certainly qualifies.
Could We See Classic Sesame Street Characters Return?
This is where longtime fans are going to start having fun.
Nothing has been announced about which characters will appear beyond Netflix and Sesame Workshop emphasizing familiar faces such as Elmo and Cookie Monster.
But a feature film provides much more room than a regular episode.
Could Grover finally get a major movie storyline?
Will Bert and Ernie be part of the adventure?
Could Oscar somehow be responsible for the whole mess?
Will Big Bird get another big-screen moment more than 40 years after Follow That Bird?
And what about the deeper cuts?
Characters such as Guy Smiley, Sherlock Hemlock, Herry Monster, Prairie Dawn or even some forgotten Sesame residents showing up for cameos would give longtime fans plenty to talk about.
That’s purely wishful thinking for now — but half the fun of a new Muppet production is wondering who might walk through the door.
The Biggest Question: What Kind of Sesame Street Movie Will This Be?
This may ultimately determine whether the new movie becomes something special.
Follow That Bird worked because it wasn’t simply an extra-long Sesame Street episode. It took familiar characters out into a larger world while keeping the warmth and personality that made Sesame Street work.
Elmo in Grouchland went even further into fantasy.
The new film now has the chance to find its own approach.
Does everyone leave Sesame Street on an adventure?
Does the adventure come to the neighborhood?
Is Elmo the central character?
Or could Netflix and Sesame Workshop build something around the entire ensemble?
We don’t know yet.
But hopefully they remember one thing:
The magic of Sesame Street has never belonged to just one character.
It comes from the neighborhood.
More Sunny Days Ahead
Whatever direction the movie takes, it’s difficult to ignore what is happening around Sesame Street right now.
More episodes are coming.
The Netflix partnership has been extended through Season 62.
Classic episodes and specials continue to reach new audiences.
New Sesame projects are expanding beyond the traditional television series.
And now, for the first time in a very long time, another Sesame Street feature film is officially in development.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions, and we’ll be following every casting announcement, character reveal and production update as they arrive.
But more than 55 years after viewers were first asked how to get to Sesame Street, it looks like the neighborhood may be preparing for one of its biggest adventures yet.
And we’re absolutely ready to follow that bird — or monster, Grouch, frog, whatever — wherever this movie takes us.