Bluey 3D splits opinion, does Coco need a sequel and do you know Oswald?

This week: Emily is on her way to Australia, so Andy and Jo are in charge of the podcast studio, complete with a new button for playing in clips. The result is a multimedia episode looking at the latest in the kids and family animation business.

We talk about Paw Patrol growth animation-wise, Bluey moving from 2D to 3D and testing attachment in the process, Coco returning with a sequel that Andy about which Andy has an important question, and Disney reviving a hundred-year-old character in hybrid animation to reclaim both its heritage and its copyright.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie opened to $20 million domestically and around $69 million worldwide, the franchise’s strongest opening to date. Andy and Jo watched the trailer and agreed that it is a show grown into its own skin. The animation is sharper, the pacing tighter and the writers clearly love the world they are working in.

Jo noted that although the brand is engineered for toy sales in a way few other properties can match the fact that the trailer was jam-packed with dinosaurs, vehicles, gadgets and rescue play patterns didn’t detract from the fun. The pun aside about Paw Patrol being ‘long in the tooth’, the numbers make the case for a franchise still capable of a career-best opening for Spin Master more than a decade in.

A few years ago the assumption was streaming would erode the cinema case for family animation but it remains clear that a theatrical release still holds an important spot in the flywheel. Cinema is cementing its role as the tentpole moment around which toys, licensing and platform sales can rotate.

Ms. Rachel releases a full produced music album in September, and Moonbug also have Ms. Appleberry, the teacher from the CoComelon classroom. Two preschool educators using music as one of the strongest flywheel components you can build. A family playing tracks over and over in the car turns the audience into the marketing channel. The Wiggles took the same route and ended up at Madison Square Garden. Whether we’ll see Ms. Rachel and Ms. Appleberry with live-tours is worth keeping an eye on.

The Bluey movie teaser dropped this week too, with all the excitement and also a frisson of controversy. Bluey and Bingo have been rendered in 3D, a departure from the 2D aesthetic of the series. Comments on social media showed some resistance from some parents.

The 3D shift was always going to be a jump, and Andy wondered whether audience feelings about AI are colouring reactions to the 3D animation. Many perceive 2D as more authentic or ‘organic’ by contrast. That said, children are more likely to accept the change once the voices, tone and writing carry through. If the association with AI persists though, might we expect that to influence animation style more heavily in the years ahead?

Andy also pointed out that a teaser trailer usually picks the biggest moment available yet the Bluey team picked the Heelers chasing a falling balloon shouting “don’t let it touch the ground!” - a great show of how for little ones the smallest moments enlarge into the biggest ones. The film feels like it is in safe hands.

Andy and Jo loved the original Coco because the story felt complete. The film wrestled with existential questions and finished on a poetic note that made Jo cry buckets. So, one might ask whether a sequel risks casting a shadow over a film people remember with real tenderness.

There is another issue of returning to a character indelibly associated with childhood and re-drawing him as a gangly teenager with a new haircut.

Andy sees Coco 2, together with the Incredibles spinoff as a sign Pixar is in a defensive mode. Recent staff reductions add to the picture of a studio bolstering its release schedule with continuations rather than betting on new IP. Whilst originals can work brilliantly, (we’ve seem more than usual of late, showing a craving for new) but even a single miss can tend to trigger a retreat to known properties, driven by risk aversion and pressure from Wall Street.

Andy shared the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit trailer in the KMC WhatsApp chat noting that Disney is reviving a character close to a hundred years old. It begs the question whether, that by activating Oswald now, Disney establishes a new copyright over the character and plants its flag before anyone else can. Andy noted that reviving Oswald protects an old asset, and the return to hand-drawn animation reconnects Disney with a heritage the studio has moved away from in recent years. With lapsing copyright in iconic characters coming more and more frequently, this could become a regular strategy outside Disney too.

Jo also mentioned the Coyote vs. Acme movie, which is receiving strong reviews as the best mixed-media project since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Is mixed media/hybrid animation having a moment?

And that’s all folks - for this week anyway. Listen to the full episode for more chat on all things Kids Media, our full trailer reactions and thoughts on where animation is heading.

Connect with us at www.kidsmediaclubpodcast.com or find Jo Redfern, Andy Williams and Emily Horgan on LinkedIn.