Walt Disney Co. is working with the studio arm of the British Broadcasting Corp. to release the first feature film based on the hit animated children's television show Bluey.
Disney will release the movie in cinemas in 2027, the companies said in a statement Tuesday. After its run in theaters, the picture will become available on the entertainment giant's flagship Disney+ streaming service, which also hosts the Bluey TV series.
"We are so proud to expand upon our relationship with BBC Studios to bring the magic of Bluey to the big screen," Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, co-chairs of Disney's entertainment unit, said in the statement.
The series, which debuted in Australia in 2018, is the most-watched series globally this year on Disney+ and the year's No. 1 most-watched series on streaming through November in the US, according to Nielsen. The show has garnered numerous awards.
The film, which continues the adventures of a lovable, indefatigable blue heeler dog, will be written and directed by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, and produced by Ludo Studio in collaboration with BBC Studios.
In a separate blog post, Brumm said that he would "take a break" from his involvement in the TV series, which ended its third season in April. "Bluey has completely changed my life," he said. "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."
Brumm emphasised that his announcement doesn't signal the end of the show, but is an acknowledgment that the focus will be on the film.
Meanwhile, Disney is increasingly tapping titles that have proven successful on Disney+ for big screen adaptations or sequels. In November, the company released Moana 2, a sequel to the 2016 film that's become the company's most streamed picture since the launch of Disney+ in 2019.
