Sesame Street may have turned 45 in 2014, but it is as relevant as ever. Case in point: this amazing Birdman parody.
"Big Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Orange Pants)" puts Caroll Spinney, who has voiced Big Bird since Sesame Street's first episode in 1969, in the role of Michael Keaton's Riggan from Alejandro G. Innaritu's Oscar-nominated film. However, this rendition of the movie, which is about a has-been superhero movie star looking to regain some respect and dignity, is obviously a lot lighter fare.
The parody recreates Birdman's scenes of Riggan in his dressing room with objects floating around him and strolling on the street, complete with the one-take look. However, the titular gritty superhero is replaced with Big Bird on posters in the dressing room and popping up behind him as possibly a figment of Spinney's imagination. Except we all know Big Bird is real, which is, of course, a major point of difference between this parody and the movie on which it is based.
Still, this parody doesn't shy away from being contemplative. Spinney recalls all of "the ticklish monsters" he's encountered in his life and even drops a reference to "that Raymond Carver play" featured in Birdman. Most importantly, he asks, "How did we get here? How did we get to Sesame Street?" Of course, we're all still trying to figure out the answer to that last question. Oh, Sesame Street. Always so relatable.
Now this parody is going to be made into a full-length feature film, right? I don't know if Birdman will take home the top prize at the Oscars Sunday night, but I do know that this parody definitely deserves an award.
Check out the full video below.
