Ummmm … is Josh insane? Hmmm, how shall I put this? He has imaginary friends; he takes cues from imaginary friends. He relies upon imaginary friends. I mean, hey, don’t get me wrong. Josh (Jashua Dela Cruz) has a robust a clever imagination to be sure … but when you go around Central Park trying to get a word out of the local mailbox or mustard dispenser, well, how shall I put this? These things are inanimate objects. You know this, Josh. In the back of your mind, you know this to be true, don’t you?
Ok, for know we’re gonna pretend like it’s normal that a pajama-wearin’ treehouse denizen who spends his entire life talking to cartoons and trying to get a clue from a blue canine apparition is perfectly normal. Why, it’s so normal that when Josh (the G-rated Danny Pudi) hits NYC, he even gets support from the last guy to suffer these hallucinations, Steve (Steve Burns, the G-rated Joel Hodgson).
But I’m getting ahead of myself, which is something a “Blue’s Clues” devotee must never do. You have to wait until you get ALL the clues … and then sit down in your imaginary chair and puzzle out the mystery. Then –and only then- do you get to sing your little song, and send the guest star upriver on murder one.
Oh, this isn’t that kind of show? Ok. But wouldn’t it be funnier if Blue solved actual murders? If this isn’t an SNL sketch already it damn well ought to be.
For those who don’t know the premise: pajama wearing Josh sits in his cartoon house talking to the appliances until a “mystery” shows up in the form of, I dunno, he lost his car keys or something … except that there’s 
no way anyone lets this guy drive, so maybe his house key … except his house is fake. Anyway, whenever the man needs help, his imaginary dog Blue shows up leaving imaginary paw prints in lieu of big Blue crap everywhere. And the paw printed items help Josh solve the “mystery.”
Except this time, there is no mystery (well not immediately, at least). Instead, Josh has received an “invite” from some rainbow-colored imaginary dog to try out for a Broadway musical. The next scene, Josh is no longer in his fake tree house, but suddenly in Central Park, which is a neat trick and a copout because I would love to know how Josh gets a clue about how to deal with the requisite sot drooling on him at the Greyhound Station.
So let’s cut to the chase, because the film sure didn’t. Blue’s Big City Adventure is obviously not for me … but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily crappy. It just isn’t directed to get my attention. The thing is, this show is great deal longer than the average episode of “Blue’s Clues” and the movie compensates by adding a bunch of NYC filler and a musical number or two. Ok, so that’s neat, I suppose. Will your five-year-old take to it? Honestly, I doubt it. The Broadway-philes among the target audience will sooner be drawn to Lyle, Lyle Crocodile or Better Nate than Ever (both better films) and the “freaky dog in NYC” adventure among them will sooner be drawn to Clifford – also a better film. If your child is a completist Blue’s fan, well I guess you have to see this one, too, but I can’t say there’s much here that Disney hasn’t already tackled and tackled better.
♪I’ll remember til I’m gray
That weird condiment array
And how they danced around without LSD
And then that cartoon azure pooch
Appeared sans the help of hooch
Oh how I wish these hallucinations weren’t haunting me
Me and you and a dog named Blue
Isn’t imagination so grand?
Me and you lookin’ for a clue
Before our TV show gets canned♫
Rated TV-Y, 82 Minutes
Director: Matt Stawski
Writer: Angela Santomero
Genre: Imaginary friends
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Your five-year-old aspiring to be in Sherlock Holmes: The Musical
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People that don’t have much patience for talking salt and pepper shakers
♪ Parody Inspired by “Me and You and a Dog named Boo”
