Credit: Bluey.tvWith over 154 episodes and an additional 20 on the way with the new miniseries, Bluey has undoubtedly taken over the world. However, as the beloved blue heeler dominates Disney+ and Disney Junior on an international level, her native Australia was recently scorned by her latest release.
Last week, Disney+ subscribers received seven new Bluey minisodes on the magical streaming service. Australian audiences got the same routine on Disney, ABC, and iView, but only one piece at a time.
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However, American audiences got early access to two episodes that remained unreleased in the Land Down Under for some unknown scheduling reason. As Disney+ subscribers in the States enjoyed the newest batch of Bluey, her original fans were more than a little miffed about it.
Australia Declares a Bluey Battle
After American audiences received the new episodes before the Australians did, Aussie fans took to social media to voice their outrage at Disney and Ludo. During our coverage of the fan backlash, Inside the Magic had this to say in the report.
“Australian audiences were apparently quite upset about missing two of the new Bluey minisodes, “Muffin Unboxing” and “Three Pigs.” While American audiences and those in the land down under received the last few episodes of season three simultaneously, this marks the first time Disney+ and its subscribers beat the Aussies to the punch.”
While missing out on two episodes isn’t really the scandal of the century, a recent response from Australian viewers on Bluey’s unofficial subreddit made an observation that undoubtedly threw some dirt in Disney’s eyes. American audiences might have beaten them to the minisodes, but Bluey remains unaltered and uncensored by Disney in her home country.
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On the subreddit, u/Pyrore made the following statement:
“Us Aussies might not get the latest mini episodes all at once… But at least we get the uncensored episodes, such as “Dad Baby” and the (Buttermilk) Pony Pooping. I’m not a fan of the international release dates, but I still think us Australians get a better deal with it comes to Bluey. We’ll get those last two mini-episodes eventually…”
In response, other fans added that international audiences could only access the uncensored episodes via DVD or other releases not orchestrated by Disney, further throwing shade at the mouse. This isn’t a new problem for American fans, and it might soon cause Disney to react.
The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown
Bluey might be Disney’s top-performing show on streaming and might even be what keeps Disney+ subscribers involved, but the company is notorious for its heavy-handed censorship. However, Disney has eased up on the throttle in recent releases.
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Even so, the version of the show Australians get and the version the Americans get are still different enough for fans to notice. Disney’s ham-fisted censorship of a completely innocent children’s show aside, the fact that any meddling gets this big of a reaction speaks volumes about the show’s quality.
Bluey creator Joe Brumm and the rest of the team at Ludo Studios have truly created something incredible. Although the series has evolved far beyond games of Keepy Uppy, the emotionally driven and surprisingly mature stories they tell continue to enchant and delight millions of viewers, even for just a few minutes at a time.
Are you getting your paws dirty in the Bluey fan war? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!