Children’s TV show Bluey will be turned into a film to be shown in movie theatres around the world.

The Australian-made animated series features a family of dogs including blue heeler puppy Bluey, her sister Bingo and their parents.

The animated feature film will be released in cinemas in 2027, BBC Studios and The Walt Disney Company said overnight.

“I’ve always thought Bluey deserved a theatrical movie,” Bluey creator Joe Brumm said.

“I want this to be an experiential event for the whole family to enjoy together.”

A letter from Bluey creator, Joe Brumm ➡️ https://t.co/0jUKdUnlL3 pic.twitter.com/d8HHy9JEQd

— Official Bluey TV (@OfficialBlueyTV) December 17, 2024

Brumm will write and direct the film, which is a Ludo Studio production in collaboration with BBC Studios. Disney will release it in cinemas to a global audience.

After its run in movie theatres, it will be streamed on Disney+ and ABC iview and ABC Kids in Australia.

But the actual details of the film remain vague, with Disney confirming only that it “will continue the adventures of Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible blue heeler dog who lives with her mum, dad and her little sister, Bingo”.

The film will include the voices of Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack as Bluey’s mum and dad.

But the development also means a change for Brumm. In a letter to Bluey‘s legion of fans, he said he would step away from the show temporarily to concentrate on the full-length movie.

“This would have been the case for me with a potential season four, so I’ve decided to take a break from my involvement in the TV series,” he said.

As a children’s TV show developed in Queensland and commissioned by the ABC and BBC, Bluey is funded by Australian taxpayers.

The federal and Queensland governments are also supporting the Bluey film via the producer offset and Screen Queensland’s post, digital and visual effects incentive.

“What this shows is when Queenslanders have a crack, they can take on the world,” Queensland premier David Crisafulli said.

Bluey has taken the world by storm, ranking among the most streamed programs in the US.

Swinburne University media studies academic Joanna McIntyre said the show’s success was due to families watching it together.

“Bluey was the No.1 show with both younger and older children, and was the content that parents were most eager to co-view,” McIntyre said.

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.

-with AAP