Disney To Release CG ‘Bluey’ Theatrical Feature In 2027
The boisterous, female Blue Heeler puppy star of Australia’s preschool animated series will now be appearing in her first theatrical animated feature for BBC Studios and The Walt Disney Company.
Disney has acquired global theatrical rights and will release it in 2027 under the Disney banner. Following the theatrical release, it will stream on Disney+, which is a big win for Disney considering that Bluey is the most-watched series on its platform.
The feature will be produced by Ludo Studios in Queensland state, Australia, the same studio that produces the series. However, the press release also stated that it will be a cg film, implying that it will not be produced in the show’s iconic 2d-puppeted style.
Bluey creator Joe Brumm is writing and directing the feature, and Richard Jefferey, who directed the first three seasons of the series, will co-direct. Amber Naismith will produce.
Brumm will also executive produce the film, alongside Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson from Ludo Studio, and Justine Flynn for BBC Studios. For Disney, the film will be overseen by David Greenbaum, president of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios.
Brumm said in a press release today:
I really enjoyed the experience of working with a longer format on “The Sign” in [Bluey] Series 3, so going even further with a feature film feels like a natural extension of that. I’ve always thought Bluey deserved a theatrical movie. I want this to be an experiential event for the whole family to enjoy together. I’m excited to continue to partner with Cecilia Persson, Tom Fussell and the team at BBC Studios, and Dana Walden, Alan Bergman and Disney to bring this new Bluey story to the big screen.
BBC Studios is financing and licensing the picture for distribution. Post-production funding is from the Australian government through the Producer Offset and Screen Australia, and support from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Post, Digital and Visual Effects Incentive.
Alongside today’s feature announcement, Brumm published a personal letter on the show’s website announcing that he was stepping away from the series.
The letter also effectively states that he would no longer be responsible for the quality of the series. A key excerpt from Brumm’s letter:
Now, for the trifficult. I always said I wouldn’t keep making the show if I thought I couldn’t make any new season as good as the last. This would have been the case for me with a potential season four, so I’ve decided to take a break from my involvement in the TV series. In the event I can’t wrap my head around doing more seasons myself, “The Sign” will mark my TV finale for Bluey and I wrote it as such.
Bluey has completely changed my life. It’s been an immensely satisfying thing to be a part of, more than I can really put into words. To walk away from it while it’s at such a height will seem crazy to some but, for now, I am finding it difficult to reach back genuinely into that four to six year old world and write authentically. […] To be clear, this is not an announcement about the end of the show, but it is an acknowledgment that my focus will be on the film.
