| 2024
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| Interviewee
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Source
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Topics
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| Dan Brumm
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Two Bandits Watching Bluey (archived)
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- 01:30 Dan Brumm talks about being shocked at popularity of Bluey in the United States.
- 03:50 Brumm talks about how he got the part of Uncle Stripe/sound designer.
- He notes that his brothers call him "Stripe" because of a streak in his hair, so when he saw a character named "Uncle Stripe" he figured it was written for him.
- 05:10 Brumm talks about Stripe being the "achievable parent".
- 07:25 Brumm starts talking about the plot of the episode. He says it's a comedic version of a Saturday with his kids.
- 09:30 They begin a discussion on screen time. A running theme of the conversation is that the video games they're used to were relatively static experiences, but they often see their kids using video games for collaborative, imaginative play.
- 09:45 Brumm says he thinks this episode is based in the COVID lockdowns, when screen time was one of the few available options for kid activities.
- 11:55 Brumm talks about child supervision - when he was a kid, he would go out all day on his bike, and come home for dinner - but he never lets his own kids out of his sight.
- 14:02 Brumm says that the show is a kids show with big themes for parents to reflect on.
- 14:10 Brumm goes into more detail about how this episode resembles a Saturday as his house a few years ago. He says his kids would get into a battle of wills, which would often become an interpersonal conflict between him and his wife due to their conflicting parenting styles. He says his wife's parenting is very researched and emotion-based, where he is focused on solving the problem without getting off the couch.
- 15:22 Brumm is asked about the process of recording a scene, specifically referencing the chase scene. He is asked if he needs to time things to the animation, if he ad-libs certain lines. He says no - they record from the script, before the storyboard is available, and it all comes down to good directing from Joe or Rich Jeffery. He says they're often asked if they all record together, but no - all the parts are recorded separately, and he ascribes the chemistry in the voice performances to Joe and Rich having a very strong vision of how the episode will play out.
- 17:16 When asked if there's anything in Stripe's appearance based on him, he says that the stripe is probably based on his hair streak, and he figures that Stripe's ear being folded over might be in reference to his usually messy hair.
- 20:55 When asked to comment on what he thinks Stripe does for a living, he avoids answering.
- 22:30 Brumm talks about another conflict with his wife over parenting (specifically over breakfast smoothies), and comments that parenting is often ridiculous.
- 24:24 When asked what Stripe *should* have done re: letting Muffin finish the cowboy hat, he says there's no good answer. Setting a time limit is no good, because a 3-year-old drawing is in their own little world, but "when you're done" wouldn't work because she'd never be done.
- He makes a reference to Jordan Peterson's Twelve Rules for Life ("Rule #11: Do Not Bother Children When They Are Skateboarding."). It seems to be a facetious reference, as thesis of that chapter ("Children need to be exposed to reasonable amounts of danger") is inapplicable to the conversation.
- 28:20 Asked for final thoughts on the episode, Brumm talks about the episode being a very real depiction of parenting, particularly of a three year old. In a situation like that, what can a parent even do? Often they're simply reduced to surviving the moment.
- 29:45 He says his wife's advice to parents is to simply lower your expectations. A lot of people's problems in parenting stem from expecting too much from kids.
- 30:50 On Squash: he says that's a true story. Joe is pretty much unbeatable at Squash, but Dan beat him once and still brags about it.
- 31:20 On Fairytale: he says it's a great '80s flashback without being corny. He says he did get teased a lot by Joe, so he "really feels" that episode.
- 33:35 Brumm provides a little behind-the-scenes trivia regarding Muffin's middle name. He says that the original line was "Muffin Heeler!" but Joe was contemplating in the sound booth what Muffin's middle name should be, Muffin's voice actress supplied, "Cupcake!"
- 35:00 When asked who his favourite character is in the episode, he says Stripe. He goes on to summarize Stripe's character, particularly in this episode. He's not the primary disciplinarian or totally up-to-date on child-rearing, but he wants his wife to enjoy herself and though he isn't entirely sure what he's doing, he is trying his best.
- 36:30 He changes his answer to Muffin, noting particularly the moment where she puts the gorilla-and-bikini filter on Stripe.
- 37:50 Brumm mentions having to do updated audio for Disney edits, so it does seem that these are made in-house by Ludo.
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| 12 February 2024
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| Chris Bennett
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BBC Radio 2 (Begins at 45:30) (archived)
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- Bennett doesn't "draw" the animations, but puppeteers the characters. If he wanted to move a hand then he would click on it and move it; he can do the same with hand shapes and so on. One doesn't need to be good with art to know how to do the animation.
- Every single frame is studied in depth, despite the time constraints, ensuring that no errors or mistakes are seen; any errors on screen are fixed before being sent off.
- It is confirmed that humans do not exist in the show's world.
- Bennet is so happy that the show has taken off to a global audience, "a dream come true" in his words.
- Chris moved from his birthplace of England to Australia in 2009, and then worked on the show. In a way, working on the show made him feel a part of Australia itself, giving him pride in his work and what he has done.
- Chris has not done any voices, however his son did a brief speaking role in Stickbird, with Chris animating that scene himself.
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| 11th April 2024
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| Daley Pearson
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ABC News (ABC Radio Brisbane) (archived)
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| 12th April 2024
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| Dave McCormack, Melanie Zanetti
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Bluey.TV (archived)
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| 13th April 2024
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| Joe Brumm
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Gotta Be Done
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- This interview takes place shortly after the airing of The Sign and primarily discusses that episode.
- Libbie Doherty suggested doing a longer episode.
- Joe had originally conceived of the Frisky/Rad wedding as the concept for a movie, but part of it ended up in Double Babysitter.
- He started writing the episode about halfway through season 3. He always wanted it to be the season finale so he wrote it with that in mind. Writing something so long was a challenge, but a welcome one.
- On the "moving" plot:
- He wanted to go into emotional and relatable territory, but as a kid's cartoon killing off a character or a divorce was off the table.
- Given how much the house and Queensland is in the show as a character, and how much the physical makeup of the house influences the sort of games you can play, it almost felt like killing a character.
- Joe moved several times as a kid.
- He noted that his kids reacted very differently to the death of a guinea pig, and he wanted to put some of that into the episode as well.
- He was tempted to claim that Screen Australia had mandated that they had to move to "spread Bluey around to different cities" but thought better of it.
- They did make a conscious effort to go back and reference past episodes. He thought it was particularly appropriate to the theme of the episode for events to depend on Bingo and Lila's choice to save a caterpillar in Slide.
- The Winton's Dad/Terrier's Mum plot wasn't set up for this purpose, the layout department had just been doing it more or less on their own. It turned out to fit the plot well - the Sheepdogs wanting a pool was already in the plot.
- 09:00 When asked if Bluey is linear: "It can be if you want it to be, but there's not a master plan of that level." The needs of the episode are prioritized over continuity.
- 10:45 Asked about The Farmer - Joe Brumm doesn't go looking for stories to use in episodes of Bluey; they're just stories that he heard and stuck with him.
- He describes it, as well as "Kisa Gotami" from Bumpy, as being "stories that come to your aid when you need them". The Farmer reminds us that when something bad happens to us, we don't have a wide enough view to see how it'll ultimately play out.
- He notes that the bit about "life has enough sad endings" comes from a piece of advice for young writers he read shortly after graduating from University, which has helped him quite a lot in his career.
- The episode is about "endings", so he thought it was particularly appropriate to include a story with a bit of an odd ending.
- He says that one function of The Farmer is to remind the audience that they're watching a story. He notes that of course the episode is a ridiculously happy ending, with all the plot threads working out well, because it's a story.
- 16:00 The Sign was only intended to be three episodes long.
- He says that for four- and five-year-olds, it was important to keep the house, to keep the show familiar.
- 17:35 on Brandy's pregnancy.
- Onesies brought some people into Joe's life who told him their stories, who wouldn't have that ending.
- He says he "hummed and hahed for ages" about what a happy ending for Brandy looks like.
- He feels like Brandy's journey is to be happy with how she is, so he worried about showing her pregnant. But he says the point of the episode is that stories aren't real life - so he hopes it doesn't feel unbelievable or unearned.
- 19:50 Grandpa Bob's return. Joe says he fell out mainly because Mort took his role.
- 21:20 on "Lazarus Drug"
- He thinks he listened to the album in 2020, and he was very taken with the song.
- He says the moment he started listening to the song, he started to visualize the ending of the episode.
- He says using the song was a bit of a difficult thing, because they haven't had to license music before, or use music with lyrics before. They've also never not used Joff for a big moment before.
- When Joe Twist came onboard for the episode, he pitched re-orchestrating the song, which Joe was very hesitant about, but "Joff and Joe proved me wrong"
- Meg Washington re-recorded the vocals for the Bluey version.
- She recorded it at Joff Bush's studio, and Joe got to watch her sing it.
- Joe says he won't speak for Washington on the themes of the song, but for him it's about the first couple of years of parenting. It "describes the exhausted exultant state you can flow in and out of when you're parenting."
- He says he's not really a lyrics person, and what really spoke to him is "the music, the melody, the vibe of the song."
- 27:40 "What does The Sign mean to you."
- "an easier way to go through life is to not get on the roller coaster every time something happens"
- It's about endings — there's not really any endings, there's just the choice to stop telling the story. You don't really know that the Heelers staying put is a happy ending.
- On Flappy:
- A Ulysses butterfly also featured in Joe Brumm's short film "Changes". However, he says that Trudi chose the butterfly so if it's a nod to his short film, you'd have to ask her.
- Brumm says that, being from Queensland, he had to choose a "dump" (or perhaps "dunk"?) butterfly. (I'm not sure what he means by this.) He sees the choice of butterfly as a nod to his north Queensland roots.
- Joe notes that they're quite large butterflies, and he thinks Trudi shrunk it a little.
- Asked if a butterfly has ever shown him the way, or more generally if he has ever followed signs
- Yes, when he doesn't know what choice to make he's done so. He says Bluey was like that but didn't elaborate.
- How did they keep it a secret?
- He says well it did leak. He said Disney aired it in India and Turkey, and Brandy's pregnancy was leaked in the ABC trailer - he says he personally OKed that trailer but missed that detail.
- When it was decided that The Sign would be waiting for a significant amount of time before airing, he says he accepted that it would leak.
- He likes to go into things 100% fresh, and says that even making trailers isn't his favourite, though he accepts that they're needed.
- on Surprise
- "Well, that was supposed to be a surprise."
- Hopefully it's out soon.
- 37:32 On other topics
- He's been writing something "very Bluey related" that they will be talking about soon.
- He's done a lot of travelling, including seeing Bluey stuff overseas; which he didn't get a chance to do earlier due to COVID
- on seeing Bluey in the wild.
- In Australia it's almost become normal.
- At the Macy's parade or the play, seeing the intense Bluey love is still shocking.
- Joe Brumm kept the meditating gnome from the AirBNB house.
- It reminds him of the second day he went back to the house, the crew all came to visit and they hadn't seen each other in 4-5 months.
- 44:20 Do you feel there are any mountains left to climb?
- Yes. They have announcements coming "in good time."
- The Sign is a good test run for something longer, which he would like to try.
- Q: Is Magic Xylophone a Simpsons reference?
- A: No, it's a game he played with his kids; though he can't discount the possibility that the Simpsons inspired the game; he has seen the first six or seven seasons many times.
- He has fond memories of watching Sunday Simpsons marathons on Foxtel with his brothers while hung over.
- "It's good to have lived through the exact experience that lead the writers of The Simpsons to write that scene." It's amazing how elements of scripts that he never thought about get examined.
- Q: What about Chilli and Aunt Frisky "...thinking" on Mt Coot-tha? Did that have to go back and forth with the assessors a few times?
- A: No, but he can confirm that that was stolen from The Simpsons - an exchange where Homer says he needs to do some thinking and Bart replies "I think he means drinking."
- Q: Was the scene in Stories where Winton flies and shoots rainbows a pop-culture reference?
- A: There were two parts to that. One is that Joe wanted to rise him up - "probably borrowing that imagery from Akira". Daniel Sun in VFX got ahold of it, and when flashy effects are being made, "the young kids gather round and talk about various anime shows". He said effects shots like that usually end up failing the Harding test (flashing lights) and need to be revised.
- Q: Who is the helmeted American football player on the Heelers' wall?
- A: Catriona Drummond did that - he has no idea.
- Q: Is there a pop culture reference that everyone's missed?
- A: "I want to say yes but nothing comes to mind."
- Joe is "glad he doesn't get to just do his first draft of everything". Bluey is a challenging show because it airs on preschool networks but aims at adult audiences. He feels a bit sorry for the networks, and specifically mentioned Dad Baby. He says he's mentioned it to Disney but has given up on it at this point.
- He's advocated strongly against the changes made for the UK market (presumably CBeebies) as the edits they made were to the detriment of the show.
- He attributes Disney rolling back their edits to audience reactions.
- In Surprise, there were a lot of discussions about what to reference for Bluey's costume. He says they squeesed a bit of Robocop, a bit of a cartoon called Spartacus.
- "The whole crew has been excited about The Sign for a long time. It's a pretty special episode because everyone's name is on the credits, because everyone worked on it rather than splitting the teams. It's one of the only eps where the whole crew's on it."
- How is Joe going to keep his animation team busy?
- He says the Australian animation industry is doing well, and he hopes that Bluey has improved their reputation.
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| 17th April 2024
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| Stuart Heritage
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The Guardian
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Stuart Heritage tells how he got the "From an idea by" credit in Surprise!.
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| 22 April 2024
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| Joff Bush
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Bluey.tv
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Joff Bush talks about the process of putting together the third album, Rug Island.
- The concept of the album is that, as adults, "we can visit the kids' world, but we can never really be part of it."
- The first album was put together in a hectic month, but this one was put together at a much more reasonable pace over the course of a year.
- He mentions that they were able to get a string section, which was something they were not able to do for the first album as the reach of the show was much smaller at the time.
- Some of the tracks are unused compositions or expansions on short themes from the episode in question.
- King Stingray reached out to them for the collab. They were able to schedule an afternoon jam session while the band was on tour, and produced Octopus.
- Joff's favourite track on the album is Turtleboy. He says he likes the simple, sweet songs.
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| 1 August 2024
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