At 28 minutes, The Sign is Bluey’s longest-ever episode. Is a movie next?

While international hit Bluey might be aimed at preschoolers, any adult who has been drawn into an episode of the critically acclaimed animation will know in only seven minutes the canine Heeler clan can easily bring tears to the eyes with its gentle depiction of the joys and challenges of family life.

Actor Melanie Zanetti, who voices seven-year-old pup Bluey’s mother Chilli, is not immune to Bluey’s ability to hit one right in the feels. Most recently, when she watched the heavily anticipated 28-minute episode The Sign, she found herself blubbering.

Bingo, Socks and Muffin in Bluey’s special 28-minute episode The Sign.

“Usually, I don’t get to watch the episodes before they air,” says Zanetti. “This one I did. I was wiping tears off my chin. I had the full gamut of emotions. So I’m really excited for everyone who loves Bluey to go on that journey.”

The Sign, Bluey’s final episode of season three, is the Logie and Emmy-winning cartoon’s most ambitious endeavour so far, with the super-sized plot not only dealing with the major news that the Heelers’ iconic Queenslander house is for sale, but also featuring that biggest of televisual events – a wedding.

“It’s actually quite Shakespearean in a comedy for it to end with a wedding, so it just feels momentous and joyous,” says Zanetti. “There’s a lot that gets explored that we can’t really do in seven minutes and I think that’s one of the exciting things about the 28-minute episode.”

For Bluey executive producer and Ludo Studio co-founder and director Daley Pearson, the creation of the episode was “an Everest to climb”. “It felt like a new challenge to see if we could do it.”

Since debuting in 2018, despite being unabashedly Australian in its vernacular and aesthetic, Bluey has become a genuine global hit, airing overseas on the BBC and Disney.

For Zanetti, Bluey has resulted in her appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and presenting at the International Emmy Awards. Pearson points to Bluey having her balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a pinch-me moment.

“What Joe [Brumm] has created is so truthful and such a real experience of families and parenting at that age,” says Zanetti. “It’s got such beautiful messaging without being didactic. It’s funny and bizarre and heartfelt. And I think it’s the paradox of by being so specific in his work, it becomes universal. That’s really the magic of the show.”

Bluey is the rare children’s program that is equally beloved by adults. Zanetti most recently noticed the difference between the fan groups at an appearance at the Lexington Comic and Toy Con in America. “We had a panel and kids will ask things like, ‘do you love dogs in real life?’ And adults will ask existential questions about life and being a parent.”

The series has also become a drawcard for celebrity vocal cameos with big-name fans such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman and Eva Mendes lending their voices to the show. The Sign is no exception, featuring the Bluey voice debuts of Joel Edgerton, Deborah Mailman and Rove McManus.

“It’s all very organic,” says Pearson. “Lin-Manuel was just a fan of Bluey. I think we met Natalie Portman hanging out on the set of Thor while she was in Australia and we realised she liked it. It didn’t start out as: ‘Do you want to do this?’ It started out that they connected to the show. There’s definitely some Australian people we love in this episode a lot.”

Pearson also says the extra-long episode could be a stepping stone to a possible Bluey movie down the track.

“As it grew, it was always there that it would be a dream to do that,” says Pearson. “We’re still figuring it out, but we’d love to do a movie. It’s probably no secret that this was used as a bit of like, ‘Is this possible? How does Bluey feel as a longer thing?’ It wasn’t the only reason, but it definitely was in the back of everyone’s head. To do a movie, we’d love to, but time will tell.”

Bluey’s special 28-minute episode airs on Sunday, April 14, at 8am on ABC Kids.

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