Blue's Big City Adventure

Official release poster

***Blue's Big City Adventure*** is a 2022 live-action/computer-animated musical comedy film based on the Nick Jr. Channel television series *Blue's Clues & You!*. Directed by Matt Stawski and written by Angela C. Santomero and Liz Maccie, it is the second *Blue's Clues* film in the franchise. The film stars Traci Paige Johnson as the voice of Blue, alongside Josh Dela Cruz, Donovan Patton and Steve Burns. As the events of the film take place after the original series and during the fourth season of *Blue's Clues & You!*, the film follows Josh and Blue as they travel to New York City to audition for a Broadway musical.

An international co-production between the United States and Canada, the film was produced by Nickelodeon Movies, 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films and Line by Line Media, with the animation produced at Boxel Animation in British Columbia and by Brown Bag Films in Dublin. It was released on the Paramount+ streaming service on November 18, 2022, to positive reviews from critics and audiences.

## Premise

Josh and Blue travel to New York City to audition for a Broadway musical. However, they end up getting lost as a result of Josh forgetting to bring his Handy-Dandy Notebook, and now Mr. Salt, Tickety Tock, and Slippery Soap must travel to New York City to find them with the help of Josh's cousins Steve and Joe, Blue's previous companions.

## Cast

### Voice cast

* Traci Paige Johnson as Blue
* Brianna Bryan as Rainbow Puppy
* Nick Balaban as Mr. Salt
* Ava Augustin as Tickety Tock
* Gisèle Rousseau as Mrs. Pepper
* Breeze Dango as Cuppa Coffee
* Tianna SwamiNathan as Young Bird
* Joseph Motiki as Adult Bird
* Hope Cassandra as 20 Something
* Jacob Soley as Slippery Soap
* Shazdeh Kapadia as Sidetable Drawer
* Doug Murray as Mailbox
* Lisa Norton as NYC Mailbox
* Cory Doran as Trash Can
* Diane Salema as Magenta

### Live-action cast

* Josh Dela Cruz as Josh
* Steve Burns as Steve
* Donovan Patton as Joe
* BD Wong as Director
* Max Darwin as Audition Person #1
* Adam John Richardson as Audition Person #2
* Kara Irene Mikula as Audition Person #3
* Phillipa Soo as Audition Person #4
* Evelyn Lee as Kid #1
* Austin Elle Fisher as Kid #2
* Sid Kamat as Kid #3
* Sebastian Ortiz as Kid #4
* Summer Rae Daney as Kid #5
* Cameron Keitt as Kid #6
* Allegra Tumbleson as Kid #7
* Daniel Shin as Kid #8
* Ali Stroker as herself
* Taboo as himself
* Alex Winter as Cab Driver
* Steven Pasquale as Janitor

## Production

On July 12, 2021, it was reported that a movie based on *Blue's Clues & You!* will be made to mark the 25th anniversary of the *Blue's Clues* franchise. Directed by Matt Stawski and written by Angela Santomero and Liz Maccie, the film began production, with Cinematography by Derek McKane, Production Design by Alex M. Calle, and Costume Design by Caitlin Doukas, in summer 2021. On February 15, 2022, the title was revealed as *Blue's Big City Adventure*.

## Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack album was released on digital platforms by Republic Records Kids & Family label, on the same day. To promote it, a single version of “On Our Way” was released on October 7, 2022.

## Release

The film's trailer was previewed by Josh Dela Cruz at PaleyWKND on October 1, 2022, and later released online on October 3, 2022. *Blue's Big City Adventure* was released on Paramount+ on November 18, 2022. In a promotion for the film sponsored by Nickelodeon, minor league ice hockey team Atlanta Gladiators wore *Blue's Clues* jerseys for their match against the Orlando Solar Bears on November 4, 2022. The film was released on DVD on March 28, 2023. The movie made its linear premiere on Nickelodeon in the United States on May 29, 2023.

## Reception

On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of six critics' reviews have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.3/10.

Marco Vito Oddo of *Collider* gave the film a "B" rating, writing "As a result, *Blue's Big City Adventure* is a movie aimed at preschoolers that's also enjoyable for adults, with exciting musical numbers that help break the simple story and explore the street art history of New York City." In a positive review, Calum Marsh of *The New York Times* praised Dela Cruz's performance, saying he brought "unbridled charisma to a role that is basically a glorified kindergarten teacher". Nate Adams of *The Only Critic* wrote, "A harmless, colorful and cheery addition to the *Blue's Clues* canon, *Blue's Big City Adventure* has something for everyone."