Blue's Big Musical Movie

Blue's Big Musical Movie
Directed by Todd Kessler
Produced by Wendy Harris
Written by Angela C. Santomero
Michael T. Smith
Based on Blue's Clues 
by Traci Paige Johnson
Todd Kessler
Angela C. Santomero
Starring Steven Burns
Traci Paige Johnson
Ray Charles
Music by Nick Balaban
Michael Rubin
Cinematography Skip Roessel
Edited by David Bouffard
L. Mark Sorre
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • October 3, 2000 (premiere)
Running time
78 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Blue's Big Musical Movie (also known as Blue's Big Musical and Blue's Clues: The Movie) is a 2000 American direct-to-video film based on the Blue's Clues television series, and acted as the first full length musical film for the character of Blue the Dog.[1] The film had a theatre premiere on October 3, 2000 and later, its home video release was on October 10, 2000.[2][3][4] This movie was reissued on DVD along with Dora the Explorer: Musical School Days on July 23, 2013. A video game based off the movie was released for the original PlayStation around the same time making it the only Blue's Clues video game on a non-PC home console.

Plot

Blue welcomes you to the house and Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper tell you they are preparing to have a big music show until they hear snoring. Steve is still asleep, so Blue takes you into the bedroom and helps Tickety Tock wake him up immediately. When Steve wakes up, he needs you to help him get everything ready for the "You Can Be Anything You Wanna Be" show. Steve and the rest of his friends go into the kitchen to have breakfast; cereal, pancakes, blueberries, orange juice, even toast. Periwinkle hears about the show, he misinterprets it to be a magic show and he heads off to practice his magic tricks. Blue gives Steve a list of things to do: make their costumes, build a stage and make snacks for the neighbors. Steve makes up a plan about what Slippery Soap, Shovel and Pail, Mailbox, Tickety and Blue are going to sing about in the big music show. Tickety said Blue would be her duet and sing about being a classroom teacher.

Tickety loses her voice until Steve and the others remember that the show is today. Everyone is delighted that Tickety could ring her bells besides sing, but Blue is worried that she needs a new singing partner to sing when she is a duet. So we play Blue's Clues to figure out who should be Blue's singing partner. Steve adds three clues to his list of things to do. But then Steve hears Sidetable Drawer singing. Sidetable tries to say something when Steve runs into the kitchen to help Mr. Salt find flour to make some chocolate chip cookies for the neighbors' snack. After helping him, Sidetable gives Steve the handy-dandy notebook and Steve is going to tell he is really going to need your help today trying to figure out who should be Blue's singing partner and getting everything done in time for the big show.

Steve runs into the backyard, where Mailbox was putting up the posters to tell everyone about the show. Meanwhile, Steve finds the first clue on the handy-dandy notebook. After trying to figure out who should be Blue's singing partner, Steve realizes his clipboard is missing. Periwinkle shows you his magic trick as he says the magic words; 'Peri-pocus-ocus-crocus'. Then he heads off looking for Steve telling him about the big magic show. Steve finds his list as Slippery tries to let him help find the hats. Sidetable is trying to ask Steve if she would like to sing in the show.

Slippery and Steve have a part that is perfect for Sidetable. She knows how sometimes she would hold all the hats on top of her table. Tickety, Pail, Mailbox, Slippery and Shovel are asking Steve what to do with all the stuff. Blue has an idea while helping Shovel and Pail make a doctor's costume. After putting things together, Steve and Blue help their friends make a house and put a curtain together to build the stage. When they are all finished, Steve checks off making their costumes and building the stage. Then he walks back to the house, where Periwinkle is trying to show him his magic trick. Mr. Salt is in the kitchen and trying to find the chocolate chips then still making chocolate chip cookies. As Steve runs into the kitchen, Periwinkle shows you his magic trick and hides a knob under his purple cape. Then Periwinkle wants you to say the magic words; 'Perry-pokess-okess-crokess'. After that, Periwinkle runs off to show Steve his magic trick and Steve is in the kitchen helping Mr. Salt find the chocolate chips on the bottom shelf. When he returns, Steve finds the second clue on the knob and draws it in his notebook, then leaves. Periwinkle comes back disappointed Steve didn't want to see his trick. Steve comes and draws the clue in the notebook. Then Steve realizes that he has to make his song for the show.

Blue and Steve skidoo in a piece of music. Steve tries to figure the tempo or rhythm of his song with the kids with the help of G-Clef and the notes. G-Clef helps Steve figure the tempo of song like a train leaving a station. G-Clef also said that the last thing that the song needs is soul. Steve realizes it and tells the kids to give the song heart and soul and after that Steve finishes the song

After that, Steve returns to his backyard. Periwinkle returns with his tricks and notices again that Steve is gone again. Then Steve returns and said, he needs help with Slippery. The problem is that Slippery keeps on falling off his boat and Steve, Blue, and Tickety tell him "When something goes wrong don't give up." Steve realizes he has to find the third clue and Mailbox told him that the neighbors are coming. Steve found Side Table Drawer and told her that she isn't carry those hats anymore and tells her that she is collecting the tickets inside her drawer. Side Table Drawer is disappointed again that she couldn't tell him that she wants to sing in the show. Anyway Steve still looking that third clue and gets disappointed that he isn't smart as the kids when they found the clues(in previous episodes.) Mailbox, Blue, Tickety, Slippery, Shovel and Pail tell him to don't give up and just go on. Steve gets up and goes on until he ran into a lot of boxes and found the third clue by himself. Then he goes to the Thinking Chair and the show is about to start. Steve thinks about the clues and the kids know it is Side Table Drawer.

Then Steve tells everyone that he found the third clue by himself and it's Side Table Drawer who could be Blue's singing partner in the show, but when Side Table went missing after they were going to tell she is Blue's singing partner. Then the gang splits up to find Side Table. Then Periwinkle comes up and tells Steve to see his tricks and they split up and Periwinkle and the kids are the only ones who found her. Periwinkle and Side Table feel sad that they never told Steve about singing or show the tricks. Side Table is a part of Periwinkle's tricks and she is going to ask Steve to sing in the show. Periwinkle show his trick to the gang saying 'Perry-pokess-okess-crokess' and the gang repeats it. Then Side Table appears then she tells Steve she wants to sing in the show. Then Steve tells Periwinkle that was an amazing trick and then they can go on with the big music show. But Periwinkle still thinks it is a magic show.

The gang told it's a music show and then Periwinkle doesn't want to sing at the show. Everyone wants the show right now but nobody is ready yet. Steve ask Periwinkle to do his tricks for everyone while the gang gets ready. Periwinkle does his tricks in front to entertain the audience. Then Slippery goes on and he slips again the gang goes on the stage and convinces him to don't give up and just go on again. Then Pail and Shovel do their veterinarian act. Then Mailbox gets stuck by a toy and can't go on and says he is next. Steve gets him unstuck. Mailbox tells his jokes and then Blue, Side Table, and Tickety do their teaching song. Then Steve realizes that he and the kids haven't sang their song. Steve forgets the song and the kids help to remember it. Steve sings it alone. Then the gang sings the So Long song. The credits roll in after the song was over.

Cast

Voices

Reception

Hartford Courant wrote that while the film teaches children "sharing and working together", it also teaches "self- expression and friendship" through "the smooth tones of Ray Charles" as the voice of G-Clef, and remarked that it was "an excellent segment".[5]

Digitally Obsessed wrote the film was a "mixture of Pee-wee's Playhouse and Peanuts with a touch of Where's Waldo thrown in that is probably a lot of fun for kids, and teaches while requiring the kids to think."[6]

Chicago Sun-Times noted that as being centered in the world of the "most watched pre-school television show", the video will prove popular with parents of young children.[7]

Time stated that direct to video no longer means "not good enough for theaters" where children's films are concerned, and noted that Blue's Big Musical Movie spun the popular children's television series into a "full-length extravaganza".[8]

In Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, author Pratt observes that even though designed for toddlers, Steven Burns, as the only human in the cast, delivered a "remarkable and consistent performance", while speaking directly to the camera in addressing his young viewers, speaking slowly and clearly without being condescending or patronizing.[3]

Review Corner wrote that the film was "complete with all the charm and learning that makes the television series outstanding, and then some." They offered that while the "feature-film debut follows basically the same tried-and-true format of the television series, it contains longer (mostly musical) interludes and plenty of mini-stories and adventures along the way," as well as introducing a new character, Periwinkle the cat.[9]

Awards and nominations

Song List

References

  1. "Blue's Clues: Blue's Big Musical Movie (2000)". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  2. McCormick, Moira (July 22, 2000). "Paramount Releases 1st Direct-To-Video 'Blue's Clues' Feature". Billboard (magazine) (Nielsen Business Media) 112 (30): 79, 81. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Pratt, Douglas (2004). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, Volume 1. Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!. UNET 2 Corporation. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-932916-00-3.
  4. Hettrick, Scott (October 27, 2000). "Blue Sniffs Out New Adventure". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. 28.
  5. Goode, Gretchen-Marie (October 12, 2000). "Blue's Big Musical Movie". Hartford Courant. p. 22.
  6. Alexandra Orozco; Bob Mandel (October 2, 2000). "DVD review: Blue's Big Musical Movie". Digitally Obsessed. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  7. O'Hara, Delia (July 28, 2000). "Videos can provide parents relief". Chicago Sun-Times.
  8. Levy, Evan (March 12, 2001). "Families: Kid Vid Comes Of Age". Time (magazine). Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  9. Heese, Stephanie. "review: Blue's Big Musical Movie". Review Corner. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  10. "Twenty-Second Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved December 29, 2010.

External links