Bluey movie won’t end Disney’s 16-year 2D animation drought

The Walt Disney Company announced on Thursday that its feature-length Bluey movie will arrive in August 2027 — appropriately, the dog days of summer. Those screams you hear are parents around the world who are absolutely hyped for more of the cross-generational animated series despite their kids preferring slop like Cocomelon Lane or whatever.

But even Bluey buffs need to brace themselves for what’s to come because there’s a bit of a twist: In Disney’s announcement, the company confirmed that the film will be CG-animated, with Australian animation studio Cosmic Dino in charge of the heavy-lifting. Bluey, the TV series, has traditionally been animated in 2D by Ludo Studio. The movie version overseen by Cosmic Dino is expected to align with the output of studios like Pixar and Walt Disney Animation proper. Hmm.

Image: Ludo Studio/Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Studios via YouTube

Cosmic Dino has more than proven itself as a state-of-the-art animation house for stylish cartooning and eye-popping visuals. If the studio’s 3D CGI Bluey looks anything like the 2023 feature Scarygirl, there’s no doubt that it will deliver a polished film worthy of a beloved series. Buuuuuuut it woulda been fun to see Ludo’s majestic backgrounds and intimate character work on the big screen. Especially considering we haven’t seen a 2D animated film from a major American studio in eons. International studios like Studio Ghibli (The Boy and the Heron) and Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers) have kept the medium alive, but what once was bread and butter for Walt Disney Animation hasn’t been part of the strategy since 2011’s Winnie the Pooh.

Bluey creator Joe Brumm is set to write and direct the Bluey movie, which instills even more integrity into the project. And Spongebob’s ability to continue in 2D on the small screen and 3D CGI in feature films probably gives Disney confidence that both versions of the property can live on well into the future. Buuuuuuut a 2D Bluey movie woulda been nice too, you know?

The Bluey movie will once again feature the voices of Melanie Zanetti as Chilli, David McCormack as Bandit, and some unnamed child actors as Bluey and Bingo. Surprisingly, Australian A-lister Margot Robbie has not been cast as Chilli’s long-lost sister in order to throw a major name on the marquee — yet. But knowing that Bluey is jumping from 2D to 3D CGI with its transition to the big screen, it’s safe to say all bets are off.

Bluey will open in theaters on Aug. 6, 2027.