Dragon is the forty-third episode of the third season of Bluey.
Synopsis[]
Bluey asks Dad to help her draw a dragon for her story.[1]
Episode Recap[]
Warning Spoilers!
In the Heeler house, Bluey is in the dining room, drawing herself as a fairy with markers. Soon, Bandit joins in with a barbarian version of himself - and a horse he names Doug (though Bluey says that he does look more like a donkey); Chilli and a horse enters with a very detailed drawing of herself (Chilli downplays it); and a crayon rendition of Bingo enters with a motorbike - while not a very old-timey, elf-y addition, still a very good addition to the group nonetheless. Either way, their "mission" is to find the dragon that roams the "land".
Clan Heeler traverse their way through the land. Bandit is immediately inconvenienced by his furry jocks, which start to itch; in comes Humpty Dumpty! Humpty was initially going to be the dragon, though she, after Chilli voices her concern that the story is already over before it began, decided to change it to Humpty Dumpty, who, despite Bandit's claims of the character being friendly, eats him and Doug in one fell sweep. The Heelers attack, and with a little help from Bluey drawing her a jump, Bingo rams Humpty, granting him his great fall. Bandit and Doug are now freed from the yolky prison, and celebrate by making scrambled eggs.
The Heelers soon reach the forest - initially blank, Chilli helps fill the scenery in. Within the forest lies a wise, old talking tree initially drawn by Bandit, but finished by Bingo. Bingo has added a cherry on top; the tree is now hungry for some Heelers! The tree grabs the others, and Bandit, taking on an impression of Tony Montoya, draws in an axe, but before he could attack, the tree tosses the Heelers away! They land in a rocky clearing deeper within the forest, where they decide to lay down for the night.
Bluey is downcast while the parents cook the dinner and Bingo sleeps in. Chilli requests Bluey cast a memory spell on Bandit, and soon we see Bandit as a six-year-old drawing cars - his passion! But Bucky Dunstan - part-time tough critic as a kid and full-time real-estate as an adult - slams the drawing, causing Bandit to lose faith in his drawing abilities. Meanwhile, Chilli, as a seven-year-old, draws a horse - her passion! However, she just couldn't make them look accurate. However, her mum tells her that while it may not be as good as pictured, it's pretty good for a seven-year-old. She leaves the scene with wise words:
"Keep practising. You'll get better. Just don't ever give up, Chilli."
And Chilli never gave up. Bluey says that Chilli's mum sounded nice - and she says that she was.
The following day, the Heelers continue on through a plethora of different weather conditions to finally find the dragon's cave! Inside, they find the fruits of their labour - treasure! The Heelers go through it, and Bingo tosses away a golden cup. However... The dragon is nearby. And it's much improved from the last dragon - while it's alright, it's pretty good for a seven-year-old.
The dragon sets fire to Bandit's furry and itchy jocks as the others attack. Bluey flies up and battles hard with magic - eventually she gets the upper hand, turning the dragon into a handbag! Soon, the cave caves in on itself, and soon the Heelers are trapped! Until Bandit emerges with another version of the red car he's drawn before, now with a bullbar! They pile through the boulders as they escape the collapsing cave, all safe and sound - and to the victor go the spoils. As Bandit tries to fit Doug into the boot, Chilli's horse, after a tearful goodbye with her owner, decides to stay behind, as it sprouts wings and turns into a majestic pegasus! Clan Heeler watches on as it flies away.
Appearances[]
- Bluey Heeler
- Chilli Heeler
- Bandit Heeler
- Bingo Heeler
- Bucky Dunstan (debut) (memory)
- Chilli's Mum (debut) (memory)
Trivia[]
- This episode was released on Australian Mother's Day 2023, and also during the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
- Coincidentally, Kate Miller-Heidke, who voiced Chilli's Mum, represented Australia in Eurovision 2019.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Chilli's Mum on screen, being pictured in Obstacle Course and Promises, while being first mentioned in Onesies.[2]
- It is mentioned that Chilli's mother had died years prior to the episode and the series altogether, as Bluey wasn't quite sure who Chilli's mother was.
- Symbolism: In the last scene, Chilli realises that she has to let go of her horse/Pegasus and gives a soft goodbye to her. Given that her mother inspired her to keep on drawing to improve her horses, it's all but stated that this was her way of making peace with her passing.
- It's also worth noting that the horse bears a slight resemblance to Mrs. Cattle.
Mrs. Cattle and horse comparison
- It’s revealed that Chilli is exceptionally skilled at drawing, especially horses, having practiced drawing them at the age of seven with her late mother’s encouragement.
- It’s revealed that Bandit used to practice drawing cars when he was six, but gave up after Bucky Dunstan said his drawings didn’t resemble one.
- Bandit and Bluey's art styles were designed by Art Director Costa Kassab.[3]
- Chilli and Bingo's art styles were designed by Art Director Alice Walsh.[3]
- Chilli's art style is inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's watercolour work.[4] The art of Animation Director Beth Harvey, and the Storybots Emotions series were also referenced.
- In this episode, Bandit quotes Tony Montana's famous line from the movie Scarface: "Say Hello To My Little Friend." This was said by Bandit in reference to his axe. In the film, Al (or Tony) is referring to his trusty gun.
- When Chilli’s horse flies away, this could possibly be a reference to the movie, Jumanji: The Next Level, where Milo Walker is a horse and he flies away in the end because he was dying and wanted to be at peace. It could represent the same where Chili let her horse go free (her mom) to let her be at peace.
- When Bandit draws his getaway car to help the family escape the Dragon’s Cave, the design (especially the front bumper) looks to be patterned after car designs from legendary Australian director George Miller’s post-apocalyptic series, “Mad Max”.
- Possible error: Chilli, who is ambidextrous, draws the forest with her left hand. However, she holds her right hand saying she is tired; however she perhaps used her other hand off-screen.
- Error: When the illustrated Bandit emerges from the hoard in his car, he can be seen wearing his furry jocks. However, these were burned off just prior this.
- Error 2: When Bluey says “That horse is beautiful” on Disney+, the “T” in “that” is not capitalized.
- On the official website, the character section of this episode shows the characters as drawings.[5]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.bluey.tv/blog/updated-brand-new-bluey-more-series-3-episodes-are-coming-to-abc-kids-and-iview/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CsIgW8PBIsr/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://twitter.com/Scoutrager/status/1747729668583875028
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Scoutrager/status/1657615688658468867
- ↑ https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-3/dragon/