In March of 2005, Bob Iger began his (first) tenure as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. He wouldn’t wait long to leave his mark on the House of Mouse, as less than 12 months later, it would be announced that Disney was acquiring Pixar. It would be the first of several major acquisitions for Disney under Iger, including Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, and ultimately, 20th Century Fox.
Today, 20 years after Bob Iger acquired Pixar, a new CEO is taking over The Walt Disney Company. Josh D’Amaro, as Bob Iger did in the weeks before stepping down, has indicated that Disney isn't contemplating any major mergers on par with the recent Warner Bros./Paramount deal. That said, I will be shocked if there isn’t a smaller, but no less important to Disney, acquisition on the horizon.
Disney Is Going To Own Bluey Soon, Right?
I’m thinking about Ludo Studio, the Australian studio behind Bluey, the animated family show that is one of the most popular IPs in the world right now. Bluey is big business for Disney, which is why I fully expect Disney to own the Bluey business eventually.
There’s no way to undersell how big the little blue dog is right now. Bluey has been the most popular series on any streaming platform for the last couple of years. More Bluey has been streamed than anything else, which, considering episodes are only a few minutes long, is even more of an accomplishment. Disneyland just opened the first Bluey attraction in one of its parks, and the line for it ran halfway across the park. Bluey is becoming such a big part of Disney; a lot of people probably don’t realize Disney doesn’t own it.
What Works For Disney, Becomes Disney
Star Wars, Pixar, Avatar, and even the Muppets all appeared in Disney Parks before Disney actually owned them, but ultimately all three came under the Disney umbrella. Paying licensing fees rather than having to actually manage a brand can be preferable in some cases, but Disney, even before Bob Iger, saw things differently, preferring to have control over everything.
And there is some evidence that Bluey is already becoming part of Disney in everything but name. In addition to being added to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World this year, there have apparently been talks about doing crossovers between Bluey and The Simpsons. Disney Jr. even released an animated short recently that had Bluey and her family dancing with Mickey and the gang.
This sort of Disney "synergy" isn't usually spent on licensees. Disney is very protective of even its own properties. We didn't get the first "official" Disney and Pixar crossover until 2021. Mickey Mouse doesn't dance with just any old cartoon.
If Bluey were merely successful, simply profitable, that would be one thing, but Bluey is arguably the most valuable brand Disney has at the current moment. The fact that the company doesn’t own it means that it can potentially lose it. That would be bad for Disney.
At the same time, simply buying Bluey isn’t enough. You need the creative minds that made Bluey successful if you want to have confidence that it will remain successful. This is why if you want Bluey, you need to buy all of Ludo Studio.
It certainly wouldn’t be a deal on the scale of the ones Bob Iger did, but it would allow Josh D’Amaro to make a mark and to improve Disney’s portfolio, without spending nearly as much money as it cost to buy Fox. It also means not having to share what is likely to be an incredible box office when the Bluey movie comes out next year.
And if this is going to happen at all, there's no reason to wait. I think, like Captain America, Luke Skywalker, and Kermit the Frog before her, Bluey is going to be a Disney property one day, and that day will probably be soon.
