Blue?s Big Musical Movie is a just released full length movie based on the hit show Blue?s Clues. The movie stars Steve, an actual person, who lives in a cartoon house with his cartoon dog, Blue, and all their friends. What kind of friends do a cartoon dog and a real man have? Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper (salt and pepper shakers, of course!), Tickety Tock (you guessed it?a clock!), Slippery Soap, Shovel and Pail, and Side Table Drawer. The animation is simple and brightly colored?perfect for its target audience of toddlers and preschoolers.

The Plot
Steve, Blue and friends are having a music show. Steve has prepared a list of things to do before the show and needs the viewer?s ?help? in getting everything done. Unfortunately, there are some minor snags along the way. Believe it or not, there are actually several ?sub-plots? along the way that all tie together at the end.

Introducing? Periwinkle!
Periwinkle is a new member to the cast. He?s the cat next door, and is of course periwinkle in color. He?s not a part of the music show, but overhears everyone else discussing it. Unfortunately, he misunderstands and thinks it?s a magic show. Periwinkle spends most of the movie practicing silly magic tricks, hoping he can be a part of the show. His magic words are, ?Peri Pocus Ocus Crocus!?

The List
Of course, Steve has a list of everything that needs doing before the big music show. He needs ?your? help to get everything done. The list consists of

*Breakfast
*Build a stage
*Make costumes
*Make snacks

Tickety Loses Her Voice!
Oh, no! The show?s today, but Tickety has lost her voice from all that practicing. She?s supposed to sing a duet with Blue. Blue can?t sing by herself as she only bark-talks. But Blue has an idea for a partner! We get to play Blue?s Clues to find out who her partner should be. Playing Blue?s Clues is promptly added to Steve?s to-do list.

?I?m too shyyyyy??
Poor Side Table Drawer. She wants to be in the show, too, but is too shy to ask. Side Table Drawer (I keep wanting to use her initials instead, but that would be bad!) keeps working up her nerve to ask, but can?t come out and say it. Instead, she sings a little song when she?s alone?

?How will I get to sing in the show? I?m too shyyyyy to even tryyyy.? La Di Da Da!

Together! We?re puttin? it together!
Blue?s Big Musical Movie is educational, too. Everyone shows up with certain supplies for the show?costumes, paint, props, etc. How will they ever organize it? Break into song and match the items that go together!

?Together! We?re puttin? it together! Two heads are much moooore fun! We?ll get together as one!?Fa La Ti La La!

Steve and Blue Skidoo
For the uninitiated, skidooing is being transporting into a game, picture or the like. Blue and Steve skidoo into a page of music. There they meet G Clef, played by Ray Charles. Steve wants to be a song-maker-upper and G Clef is there to help. G Clef teaches all about

*High and low notes
*Harmony
*Rhythm
*Tempo

Steve makes up a song, with your help, called ?Bee Bop Bay? and changes the notes, tempo and rhythm until it?s just right. To celebrate, Steve and G Clef sing another song.

?Music makes me move and it makes me hap-py? got to groove! When you hear it, if you feel it, the music in you? got the spirit!?Doo Wop Diddle Dee Ay!

Although Sofie is a music freak, she lost interest in this part. It?s fairly lengthy and complicated for the toddler set, but is probably fine and dandy for the preschoolers.

Finally!
In playing Blue?s Clues, Blue leaves her pawprint on three clues. Once all the clues are found, Steve goes to the Thinking Chair and with ?your? help, figures out the answer to the question of the day. Steve, however, has never found a clue himself. His day has come! In Blue?s Big Musical Movie, Steve gets to find his first clue! I don?t want to spoil the whole movie, so I?m not going to reveal the clues or the answer. I?m sure you can?t figure it out on your own.

Where?s STD? I mean Side Table Drawer?
The show is ready to start, but Side Table Drawer is missing! Everyone begins searching for her, but it is Periwinkle who finds her. Side Table Drawer is sad because she?s not in the show.

?I know I could sing, I know I could. I?m more than a drawer, more than just wood??Da Dee Da Di La!

Periwinkle Saves the Day
About this time, Periwinkle finds out it?s a music show instead of magic. He?s upset and makes himself ?disappear? by putting a cape over his head. But the audience is anxious for the show, yet the cast isn?t ready. Periwinkle performs an opening act of magic and saves the day.

You Can Be Anything You Wanna Be!?
The show goes on with only a couple of minor hitches. The theme of the show is ?You can be anything you want to be.? The characters sing about what they?d like to be when they ?grow up.? Steve sings his song and ?you? get to be his back-up singer. The finale goes something like this?

?I can be anything that I wanna be! Yeah, yeah. Don?t give up, ya know it?s true!?

This theme of being anything you want to be is repeated throughout the movie, encouraging the viewer to dream big. What a great message to start instilling at a young age!

What?s Not to Like?
Blue?s Big Musical Movie is sure to please parents and rugrats alike. For the parents, it?s educational (music, matching, reasoning, self-esteem). For the rugrats, it?s musical, entertaining and engrossing. Sofie danced for almost all of the seventy eight minute playing time. Blue?s Big Musical Movie is definitely one that will make it onto our screen on a regular basis.

**Note:
If you?re looking for this in DVD format, please realize that it is NOT bi- or trilingual. Blue?s Big Musical Movie plays in English only. Also, we had a terrible time finding this on DVD instead of VHS. We finally found it at Border?s, so I?d suggest heading there or calling ahead.