By John Corrado

★★½ (out of 4)

Blue’s Big City Adventure is a new feature-length Blue’s Clues movie from Nickelodeon that branches off from the 2019 reboot series Blues Clues & You, and mainly exists to have new host Josh (Josh Dela Cruz) meet up with the show’s old hosts Steve (Steve Burns) and Joe (Donovan Patton).

The second feature after Blue’s Big Musical Movie from 2000, Blue’s Big City Adventure opens with Josh in the familiar lo-fi digital environment with his animated friends, including dog Blue (Traci Paige Johnson) and a variety of anthropomorphized household items.

When Josh gets invited by Rainbow Puppy (Brianna Bryan) to audition for a Broadway musical in New York, he leaves his home in Storybook Land and heads to the city with Blue. But Josh has forgotten his Handy Dandy Notebook at home, forcing him to look for paw prints and play a game of Blue’s Clues in the big city in order to find the theatre. This simple, goal-oriented story features a handful of musical numbers, and lets Josh visit a variety of guests including the old hosts, with Steve now running his own amateur detective agency (a nice touch).

While Blue’s Big City Adventure initially seemed somewhat targeted to millennial viewers who grew up with the original show (which ran 1996 to 2006) and might now have children of their own, it mainly plays to a younger demographic set. Yes, the film is theoretically made to bank on nostalgia by bringing back the original hosts (I do remember watching the show with Steve as a little kid, though had already outgrown it by the time Joe took over in 2002), but this is still very much a movie for little kids.

Despite a few moments of self-awareness, it doesn’t try to be a Blue’s Clues movie for adults who grew up with the series, which is probably a good thing. The story is very simplistic, and even at just over seventy minutes, it struggles to really maintain the interest of older viewers. But Josh is a charming and likeable enough host, the musical numbers are simple yet fun, and the story has some good messages about not giving up on your dreams. It’s a decent movie for younger kids, and adults who happen to see it will feel a few pangs of nostalgia at the sight of an older Steve Burns with a stripy green tie.

Bonus Features (DVD):

The DVD release of the Paramount+ film includes a few bonus features, including three sing-along songs and three vlog-style videos. There is no digital copy included in the package.

• Sing-Along Songs: A trio of scenes from the film presented with on-screen lyrics.

• Brand New Day (3 minutes, 42 seconds)

• We’re On Our Way (4 minutes, 10 seconds)

• How to Play Blues Clues! (5 minutes, 30 seconds)

• Blue & Josh Skidoo to New York City! (4 minutes, 22 seconds)

• Blue Finds a Clue in New York City! (6 minutes, 40 seconds)

• Blue Plays Hide & Seek in New York City! (3 minutes, 7 seconds)

Blue’s Big City Adventure is a Paramount Home Entertainment release. It’s 74 minutes and rated G.

Street Date: March 28th, 2023