Stick with a runtime, Joe Brumm.
A CG-animation “Bluey” movie is coming to theaters in 2027, Disney and BBC Studios announced on Tuesday. The series itself, created by Brumm, is 2D animation — and it is extremely short form.
“Bluey” is the ultra-rare kids show that parents may actually love more than even their children do. Scratch that: “Bluey” is the ultra-rare kids show that parents may actually love more than even their children do. The family comedy has big laughs and bigger heartfelt moments, so a supersized version on a supersized screen just makes sense.
“Bluey” is a viewership phenomenon — per Nielsen, it is the most-streamed show (of any kind) in the U.S. this year. And Bluey the brand is a cash cow, which feels appropriate considering the Heelers are Australian Cattle Dogs.
So the only reason a “Bluey” movie feels weird to myself — a true fan and father of two — is because the Aussie cartoon was imported to America in its original format: “Bluey” episodes are just eight minutes apiece, short and (extraordinarily) sweet.
The cool thing about “Bluey” episodes is you can get in, get out, have some laughs, shed a few tears, and maybe learn something along the way — all within eight minutes. Yes, “Bluey” is written better than every other kids show — and, I’d wager, 95 percent of adult shows — but it also just nails the attention-span length of its target audience, the YouTube Kids generation. Almost certainly, the Maglio home is not the only one in which you can overhear a parent say before bedtime, “OK, one more TV episode — but it’s gonna be a ‘Bluey.’”
Like the waistline on Bluey’s dad Bandit, “Bluey” has been expanding and contracting all year. In April, “Bluey” premiered its longest-ever episode, the 28-minute “The Sign.” It became the most watched “Bluey” episode ever, and the most watched Disney Jr. episode ever.
Fans worried that “Bluey” had come to a natural conclusion both before and after “The Sign,” but those fears were short-lived. In the summer, “Bluey” seriously slimmed down with 20 new “Bluey Minisodes” of just 1-3 minutes apiece on Disney+. And now there will be a feature film, which will likely be a bit longer than “The Sign” and every single one of the minisodes combined.
Brumm will write and direct the “Bluey” movie, a Ludo Studio production in collaboration with BBC Studios. Certainly, he is capable of making a quality 90-minute movie. But we’ve been so trained on the idea that “Bluey” is so short that the IP may not make as seamless a transition from TV to film as a more typical property might, like “Paw Patrol” (but the “Bluey” movie will be better than either “Paw Patrol” film, easily).
“The Sign,” in which the Heeler home is put on the market when Bandit gets a new job, was excellent, but it was also a one-off. Kids especially are creatures of habit, so we’ll see how this goes. But if I’m being honest, get them Twizzlers and M&Ms and they’d settle in for “Lawrence of Arabia.”
The “Bluey” movie will “continue the adventures of Bluey, a lovable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog, who lives with her Mum, Dad, and her little sister, Bingo,” per the announcement. (Australian Cattle Dogs are nicknamed heeler dogs — blue or red depending on color — due to their tendency to nip at the heels of stubborn cattle to get them on the movie. Bluey and Dad are blue heelers, Mum and Bingo are red heelers.)
“Bluey” has a unique financing structure. While BBC Studios will finance and license the film for distribution, post-production funding will come from the Australian government and the Queensland government. (Queensland is a state within Australia; Australian is both a country and a continent. It’s confusing.)
Disney has the global theatrical rights for the film, which will stream on Disney+ (and air on ABC iView and ABC Kids in Australia) after it surely explodes at the box office. I’m not so sure about the CG choice, but it’s understandable: “Bluey” the movie will be longer, and it has to feel fuller.
The feature film will star the same vocal talent from the show, including Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack as Bluey’s mum and dad, Chilli and Bandit, as well as music created by “Bluey” composer Joff Bush. It will be produced by Amber Naismith (“Happy Feet,” “The Lego Movie”) with Richard Jeffery returning to co-direct (“Bluey” Seasons 1-3) alongside Brumm. Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson from Ludo Studio will executive produce with Brumm; Justine Flynn executive produces for BBC Studios. For Disney, the film will be overseen by David Greenbaum, president of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios.
Brumm says he saw the sign while making “The Sign” for “Bluey” Season 3. (Overseas they refer to “seasons” as “series.”)
“I really enjoyed the experience of working with a longer format on ‘The Sign’ in Series 3, so going even further with a feature film feels like a natural extension of that,” Brumm said, in part, with today’s feature film announcement. “I’ve always thought ‘Bluey’ deserved a theatrical movie. I want this to be an experiential event for the whole family to enjoy together.”
The only ones more stoked than Brumm are Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden.
“Since its debut on Disney Jr. and Disney+, ‘Bluey’ has become a global phenomenon, uniting families everywhere with its heartfelt stories of play, imagination and connection,” they said, as visions of Bob Iger’s corner office danced in their heads. “We are so proud to expand upon our relationship with BBC Studios to bring the magic of ‘Bluey’ to the big screen — for real life! — and we are deeply grateful to Joe Brumm for creating a world that continues to inspire and delight families everywhere.”
Solid use of Bluey catchphrase “for real life!” in there by Bergman and Walden(‘s publicists).
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