<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>335543</docID> <postdate>2024-12-18 14:52:29</postdate> <headline>Do the Heelers eat popcorn? TV hit Bluey becomes a film</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-335545" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/bluey-and-bingo.jpg" alt="" width="675" height="450" /></p> <caption>Cartoon cattle dogs Bluey and Bingo, who have taken the world by storm, will feature in a film. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><strong>It was season 2, episode 28 when world famous heeler Bluey visited the cinema for the very first time.</strong></p> <p>"Are you sure you're ready for movies Bluey? You're a bit of a sensitive kid," asked her dad, Bandit.</p> <p>Turns out Bluey is most definitely ready, with the beloved children's show to be made into a feature film for worldwide release through Disney in 2027.</p> <p>If there's anyone who isn't familiar with the Australian-made animated series, it features blue heeler puppy Bluey, her sister Bingo and their parents, who live in a classic Queenslander house.</p> <p>The TV show has been released in 140 countries, with an incredible 842 million hours of the program streamed in the US alone.</p> <p>"I've always thought Bluey deserved a theatrical movie," Bluey creator Joe Brumm said in a statement.</p> <p>"I want this to be an experiential event for the whole family to enjoy together".</p> <p>Whether cinemagoers will spill their popcorn, get squashed in the seats, need toilet breaks, and bump into the movie screen (just like in the Movies episode) remains to be seen.</p> <p>Brumm will write and direct the film, which is a Ludo Studio production in collaboration with BBC Studios.</p> <p>After its run in movie theatres, it will be streamed on Disney+, ABC iview and ABC Kids in Australia.</p> <p>The film will include the voices of Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack as Bluey's mum and dad.</p> <p>As a children's TV show commissioned by the ABC and BBC, Bluey is funded by Australian taxpayers, and was developed in Queensland.</p> <p>"What this shows is when Queenslanders have a crack, they can take on the world," state premier David Crisafulli said.</p> <p>The federal and Queensland governments are also supporting the Bluey film via production tax breaks and Screen Queensland incentives.</p> <p>Bluey was so successful because families watch it together, said Swinburne University media studies academic Joanna McIntrye.</p> <p>"Bluey was the number one show with both younger and older children, and was the content that parents were most eager to co-view," Dr McIntrye said.</p> <p>In April, Australia House in London - home to the Australian High Commission - hosted a celebratory event organised by BBC Studios in which the embassy was adorned with Bluey flags.</p> </body>