Look, if you imbibe basically any popular media in this day and age you are likely going to find a Disney logo somewhere. In fact, the next few years of big name media drops have all been showcased as part of the D23 event for 2026 – covered in full by our very own Adam Ryan in this article here – but there is one thing that is worth a little discussion.
What on Earth has happened to Bluey?
The adorable heeler kiddos that have dominated the lives of parents and children since 2018 have a little dimensional depth to them all of a sudden. The well known and well loved 2D art style is entirely absent.
There has been an explosive reaction to the loss of Bluey’s familiar charm, with the entire gamut of fans making it known that is surprise has been a savage one:
Would you believe me if I said that this handful of comments are some of the more child-friendly criticisms? Others are far more verbose and …creatively worded.
But the real query has to be: Why?
I am no true expert, but I have long studied the wider world of film and cinema in regards to animated properties – I am a Transformers fan after all – and there are a few theories that come to mind. Please, join me as I ruminate on a handful of possibilities.
1. Ease of Production
When animating in 2D, the idea of ‘quickly changing a camera angle’ is not really an idea at all. A sequence can be blocked out, tested, and if it doesn’t work, it is pretty much destined for the bin. With a 3D workflow, a lot more flexibility can be afforded to playing with a shot during production – even drilling down to more fringe elements like lighting and even depth of field to bring focus on the action on hand. Perhaps the idea to jump from Ludo’s classic 2D style was to make the production of the film more efficient?
2. Perception of ‘Cinematic Value’
There has long been a feeling that people go to the movies for spectacle – and maybe the 7-minute funny dog show doesn’t quite look like it belongs on the cinema screen. Now, before you take up the pitchforks – I know that the extended Bluey episode ‘The Sign‘ was basically a TV mini-movie, and that it was spectacularly good, but I am speaking towards stuffy boardrooms that feel that the cinema experience needs to be life-changingly loud and visually breathtaking. The same people that laud Michael Bay for what he did to the Transformers franchise. Yeah, I am bitter.
All I am saying is that the people making these decisions probably want big bang for their buck, and the quaint 2D just isn’t lighting up their life. (Their loss.)
3. The 3D Studio Really Impressed Them
Doing a teeny bit of digging, I found that the studio working on the Bluey film is Cosmic Dino Studio – a Brisbane based crew. Their credits are quite impressive, working on visually gorgeous projects such as Scary Girl and The Pout-Pout Fish to name a couple, so perhaps the local Aussie-based talent made a good enough impression to sway some chin-scratchers.
Of course, these are just my theories. The comments at D23 from the show’s creators spoke to “immersion” and the like, but bah! The show was immersive enough.
Enough rambling from the forty year old man. We want to hear from you. Are you a dedicated parent dealing with a child asking why Bingo looks different? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
