Episode #32
The Bluey Movie Will Be the Biggest Licensing Moment of 2027
Bluey is going to be the biggest licensing moment of 2027 — bigger than Shrek 5, bigger than Frozen 3, bigger than anything else on next year's slate. That's a bold claim, but the number one preschool property in the US, one of the most watched shows in the world, is about to get a theatrical release. Add a tentpole moment to the biggest license on the planet, and you're looking at a different order of magnitude entirely. One year out from the Bluey movie's August 6, 2027 premiere, D23 — Disney's fan event in Anaheim — delivered the first real look. Friday's Disney Entertainment Showcase revealed the first teaser trailer and poster: Bluey and Bingo playing keepy-uppy with a red balloon, rendered in full 3D for the first time. It's a real departure from the flat, hand-drawn style the show has used for six seasons, and the switch could easily have gone wrong. It didn't. Saturday's panel, "Bluey: From the Backyard to the Big Screen," moderated by Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson and a self-professed Bluey fan), went deeper. Creator Joe Brumm and director Richard Jeffery walked through the show's origin story — Brumm animating the first pilot at night after his day job, inspired by watching parents glued to their phones at the park — and screened rare original pilot footage. Producer Amber Naysmith (Happy Feet, The Lego Movie) talked about coming home to Australia to make the film, and Brumm confirmed the 3D decision was a deliberate creative call made long before the film was greenlit. Fan reaction to the 3D switch has been split, with echoes of the Sonic redesign backlash a few years back. But the bigger story is why Bluey's licensing potential goes beyond a typical preschool tentpole. Michelle O'Hearn, who ran licensing for The Wiggles in Australia at their peak, breaks down the structural problem every preschool brand eventually hits — the audience ages out in a matter of years, forcing constant rebuilding of relevance from zero. Bluey is the exception: a Peabody winner with serious critical coverage from outlets like The Atlantic and a real adult fanbase that keeps watching long after their own kids have grown out of it. This episode also unpacks how the Disney–Bluey partnership actually works. BBC Studios owns and finances the film and handles licensing globally in partnership with Brisbane-based Ludo Studio; Disney's role is theatrical distribution, after which the film moves to Disney+, where Bluey has already been the platform's biggest kids title and the most-streamed show in the US for two years running. And it draws out the difference between a licensing partnership (product, royalties, category-specific — think Moose Toys playsets or Lego Duplo sets) and a theatrical partnership (advertisers and marketing tie-ins built around the film's release), both of which will be running at full speed by next August. Topics covered: Why Bluey's theatrical release makes 2027 the biggest licensing moment on the calendar The first Bluey movie teaser and 3D reveal from Disney's D23 Entertainment Showcase Inside the "Backyard to the Big Screen" panel with creator Joe Brumm, director Richard Jeffery and producer Amber Naysmith The split fan reaction to Bluey's move from 2D to 3D animation Michelle O'Hearn (former Wiggles licensing lead) on the structural challenge every preschool brand faces How the BBC Studios–Disney partnership actually works, and who owns what Licensing partnerships vs. theatrical partnerships — what's the difference Born to License's first-ever Bluey product collection, launching soon Born to License – Hosted by David Born Sign up for Learn to License Learn More about Born to License Learn More about Born Licensing Follow David on LinkedIn Follow David on Instagram Check out thedavidborn.com Join the Licensing Conversation : #BornToLicense #LicensingIndustry #BrandPartnerships #LearntoLicense Have a question about licensing? Send it in for our upcoming Q&A episode ! Contact : hello@borntolicense.com Subscribe & Follow for new episodes on licensing and the business of IP!
