‘Bluey’ Is Headed to Theaters, Backed by Disney

Business|‘Bluey’ Is Headed to Theaters, Backed by Disney

Mickey Mouse and Bluey are expanding their business partnership.

BBC Studios and the Walt Disney Company said on Tuesday that they would collaborate on an animated movie starring Bluey, the Blue Heeler pup who has become a global sensation on children’s television.

The film will be made by Ludo, the Australian studio that makes the “Bluey” television show, and financed by BBC Studios, which holds global distribution and merchandising rights to the character. Disney, which licenses the series for Disney+ and cable networks, will release the movie in theaters in 2027.

Joe Brumm, who created the character, will write and direct the film. “I want this to be an experiential event,” he said in a statement. The voice actors from the series will reprise their roles. The film will be produced by Amber Naismith, whose credits include “The Lego Movie” and “Happy Feet.”

In a separate social media post, Mr. Brumm added that he would “take a break” from the series, which is heading into its fourth season. “To walk away from it while it’s at such a height will seem crazy to some,” he said. “But for now, I am finding it difficult to reach back genuinely into that four- to six-year-old world and write authentically.”

He added, “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.”

Disney rarely releases animated movies it does not own. The most-recent example was “The Wind Rises,” a 2013 art film by Studio Ghibli in Japan.

But Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, wanted to keep the character in the Disney fold. Bluey is a phenomenon, with more than 50 billion minutes streamed in the United States in 2024, enough to make it the No. 1 streaming show, according to Nielsen.