Unless you’re on an extended vacation under a rock, it’d be very hard to miss a certain cartoon family seemingly taking the world by storm. However, unlike the days of Simpson mania, the Heeler family caught the attention of kids and parents alike for their lack of dysfunction. The genuine warmth from their family dynamic and collaborative imagination has hit home and inspired many families, along with the series’ charming sense of humor and community. As such, the first Bluey special came with much anticipation, with watch parties and events for child and adult fans alike. “The Sign” happily delivers on the hype in possibly the series’ best episode yet, with a story that has something for viewers of all ages.

Much to the dismay of young Bluey – and likely the viewer at home – the Heeler family is selling their beloved home and moving to a new city. Bluey struggles to accept this drastic change in her life, though she’s far from the only one. Meanwhile, the grown-ups are getting ready for Radley and Frisky’s wedding, but a simple slip of the tongue leads to a runaway bride for Chili and the kids to attempt to catch. The two stories ultimately come together as the kids and adults draw the same conclusion – change is a beast of unknowns, but it’s much easier to conquer with the ones you love.

While the majority of the episode isn’t in school, gentle teacher Calypso plays a major role in setting up the lesson to be learned that works for both kids and adults. The story she tells the class about the farmer, who responds to each of life’s ups and downs with ‘we’ll see’, is vague enough to start turning the wheels in Bluey’s head and bring the same point home for viewers. Calypso assures Bluey that ‘everything will work out the way it’s supposed to’, which she initially interprets as everything having to work out how she wants it to.  It could be called childhood naivety, but plenty of adults struggle with that lesson for their entire lives. No matter how comfortable the stability may seem, the rocky waters can be made just as soothing if you don’t have to go about them alone. While Calypso’s appearance is brief, the song at the very end of the episode, ‘Lazarus Drug’, is by her voice actress Meg Washington, and without spoilers, the context it occurs in makes it very hard to forget. Even without context, it’s a beautiful piece of music.

At the same time that Bluey and Frisky learn these lessons, Bandit begins to understand a message that is perhaps one of the mains of the whole series. As Bandit attempts to defend their decision to move, he says that his new job makes more money so he’ll be able to give the kids a better life, to which Bluey exclaims “I don’t want a better life!” The Heelers are a relatively modest, one-car family, so from Bandit’s perspective, they’d have a nicer home, nicer vacations, nicer toys – but ultimately. Bluey and Bingo don’t want any of those things. The presence of their family and community around them is a greater gift than any material good. Unfortunately, many families are stuck in situations in which they can’t be as present for one another as the Heelers, due to work, school, etc.

The wedding plot gives the show a perfect chance to show off its extended cast with its extended length, with plenty of returning favorites. Furthermore, the wedding plot does feel a little more catered to the adults, both in terms of theme and a few jokes winking at the parents at the crowd, such as Chili putting her hand over Bluey’s mouth to keep her from spilling the beans about the wedding and Bandit asking “Are we allowed to do that?”, and Chili taking the girls looking for Frisky at their favorite spot as kids to “um…think.”

There’s also a point about how realistic the series is, even with a small detail like the development stages of Bluey and Bingo. The pair are around each other so often it’s easy to forget they’re two years apart, but their differing reactions to the house being for sale are telling. While Bluey is moping about begging her parents not to sell their home, Bingo is rather nonchalant about the entire ordeal – until she learns what exactly selling their house means. “I thought we sold it, but still lived in it,” a bewildered Bingo putting the pieces together explains to her mom. It’s a moment that’ll ring strikingly true for parents or anyone who cares for kids.

Overall, “The Sign” is an exceptional half-hour of children’s television. Rather than feeling bogged down by its long form, the series thrives in a way that’ll make fans wish every episode was this long. It incorporates all the series’ most acclaimed elements in giving kids and adults plenty of fun, heartwarming moments, and lessons to take home at the end of the day. While it very well could have worked as a finale, this hopefully isn’t the case – kids (and their parents) need Bluey for years to come.

“The Sign” is available streaming on Disney+.

Discuss this article on the Toonzone Forums!

The post Review: “Bluey: The Sign”: Sign The Whole Family Up appeared first on Anime Superhero News.