‘Blue’s Big City Adventure’ Review: It’s Gotta Be the Clues

“Blue’s Clues & You!” is an educational program for preschool-aged children about a friendly cartoon dog. It’s a modern revival of a show from the 1990s, “Blue’s Clues,” which was about the same dog, but which had a different live-action host. The dog, Blue, helps the host solve mysteries, and the audience is encouraged to participate in the fun by shouting answers at the screen. It’s designed to subtly and enjoyably help kids practice and deepen their reasoning abilities — the series co-creator Angela Santomero has said that she intended to make “a show that would help preschoolers feel good about themselves.”

While this is a worthy cause, it’s hard to imagine how the format might translate to the big screen. “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” from the director Matt Stawski, is a feature-length adaptation of “Blue’s Clues & You!,” in which Blue and her human companion, Josh (Josh Dela Cruz), travel from the colorful 2D confines of so-called Storybook World to the madcap streets of real-life New York City. What’s striking is the degree to which the material remains essentially unchanged. Blue and Josh, now roaming around Manhattan, are still confounded by visual puzzles relating to colors and shapes, and once sufficiently stumped, they still ask the audience to get involved in direct address.

What’s different is the scale of the surroundings. The New York of the movie is bright and bustling, rife with dancing construction workers and pretzel vendors itching to break into song. That winsome charm and gusto is infectious, as in a Central Park-set dance number with some of the Technicolor verve of an old Hollywood musical, and it manages to sustain this unflagging exuberance across its fleet 72-minute running time.

But the real highlight is Dela Cruz. Faced with the unenviable task of starring opposite an animated puppy — as well as a talking saltshaker and anthropomorphic bar of soap — he is spectacular, bringing unbridled charisma to a role that is basically a glorified kindergarten teacher. Hats off to him. And indeed to Stawski. I’m 36 and childless, and I found this movie for preschoolers pretty delightful.

Blue’s Big City Adventure
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes. Watch on Paramount+.