Weep Week
No,yourecrying.
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This article was originally published on February 13, 2024.
On October 7,Bluey Minisodescame to Disney+.
What is it aboutBluey, the Australian childrens cartoon about a family of dogs, that makes people weep?
(It does, to be fair, feature a song titled Its Okay to Feel Sad.
)Blueyis about families and childhood, but again, so are so many other childrens shows.
What isBlueys special tearjerking power?
How does it smash that button over and over?
The next morning, Jean-Lucs tent is gone, and Bluey is heartbroken.
But the bit where theywerehere is happy, isnt it?
Bluey agrees, but shes still sad about it.
Then, from out of frame, Bluey hears someone say Hello, Bluey!
The frame cuts to a wide image of the creek, where Jean-Luc is standing and waving.
Their tails wag gently, and the episode ends.
But for adult viewers, Jean-Lucs reappearance pings a different set of feelings.
Its overwhelming to feelseen.
Theres also something telling about how carefullyBlueyepisodes are built so that kidsdontcry.
The issue is that when Bluey and Jean-Luc are separated, the game stops.
But the real depth of it is about the pain of being unable to have a child.
But its not like adults only cry at the parts of Camping that arent the game.
The game part, the child part, is the most important key toBlueys impressive crying formula.
Everything inBlueys world is bright and drawn with clarity.
Its all there together, adult experience and child desire, a harmonic resonance of feelings.
