D.W. and the Beastly Birthday

"D.W. and the Beastly Birthday" is a one-hour special that premiered on May 29, 2017 on PBS.

Synopsis
"In this all-new movie event, D.W.'s fifth birthday doesn’t go the way she had always imagined it would and she chose to escape to the magical island of Ukubonga. Meanwhile, Arthur has skipped her birthday party to go on a school trip to the planetarium – but instead of transporting him into outer space, it transports him four years in the future!"

Major

 * D.W. Read
 * Nadine Flumberghast
 * Arthur Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Ladonna Compson
 * Bud Compson
 * Emily
 * Timmy and Tommy Tibble
 * Bobbleboo
 * Bobblebay
 * Ruthra
 * Muk
 * Filomena

Minor

 * Nigel Ratburn
 * The Brain
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * David Read
 * Jane Read
 * Kate Read
 * Shop Owner

Cameo

 * Jessica
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
 * Helen
 * Nancy
 * Maria Pappas
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Carl Gould
 * Mary
 * Kiefer
 * Prunella Deegan
 * Otis
 * Alex
 * George Lundgren
 * Francine Frensky
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Binky Barnes
 * Slink
 * Jack Weasel
 * Fern Walters
 * Teenager
 * Thora Read
 * Pal
 * Vicita Molina

Mentioned

 * Francis Haney (phone call)

Songs

 * Big Beasty Boogaloo

Trivia

 * The plot surrounding D.W. is a parody of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, which inspired Marc Brown to become a writer and illustrator. The monsters on Ukubonga are designed just like the "wild things" from the book. D.W. also finds her own private sailboat, just like Max does in the book.
 * Vicita seems to be uninvited to the party.
 * Future D.W. is wearing a shirt with her name (Dora) in Japanese Katakana (ドラ).
 * The name Ruthra is based on the backward spelling of Arthur.
 * The title card for this episode is the only title card of the series without a center circle in the middle. All it has is D.W. walking by breaking a piñata open with her crown causing all the candy to fall out. It is also the only title card that immediately happens as soon as the theme song ends and before the special begins.
 * The llamas on Arthur's birthday card to D.W. are confused for aardvarks. This could be referencing the common real-world confusion over what animal Arthur's family is.
 * An online game based on the special, titled D.W.'s Island Bugball, was released on the Arthur page of the PBS Kids website on May 26, 2017.

Episode connections

 * D.W.'s fifth birthday is also celebrated in the episode "D.W.'s Perfect Wish." However, this episode is a re-imagining compared to the earlier one.
 * While at the planetarium, Mr. Ratburn receives a phone call from Mr. Haney in Tanzania. It is revealed why he is in Africa in "The Hallway Minotaur."
 * D.W. mentions how her encounter with the octopus on Ukubonga is like a nightmare she has had. This is in reference to the Season 1 episode "." She is known to be afraid of octopuses in other episodes.
 * Nine-year-old D.W. mentions her snowball, which is part of the running gag from "D.W.'s Snow Mystery" and "The Blizzard."
 * Ruthra's imaginary friend was his teddy bear. It is a reference to how Stanley, Arthur's teddy bear, was his imaginary friend in "The Friend Who Wasn't There."
 * D.W. gets Confuse the Goose as a birthday present, but she previously had it in "Arthur's Almost Boring Day."
 * Arthur time travels to the future with D.W. older, similar to how D.W. time traveled to the future and met her older self in "D.W.'s Time Trouble."

Errors

 * When Muk asks, "What's your name?", D.W. is briefly seen in her usual pink and white outfit, rather than her birthday dress.
 * At the end when D.W. and Arthur do the Big Beasty Boogaloo, there are two Bobblebays and no Bobbleboo.

Production notes

 * This is the first one-hour special since "Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll."
 * It is one of two hour-long specials produced as part of the Oasis Animation production deal (alongside Seasons 20 and 21); the second being "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House."
 * The title and synopsis of the special were known unofficially almost a year before the actual release date, based on PBS KIDS marketing information that was posted online.
 * The title was confirmed in press releases for the launch of the PBS Kids 24/7 Channel. The press release also confirmed it will premiere on the channel as part of the “PBS KIDS Family Night” block (launched on April 21). The synopsis was announced (along with "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House") in an infokit for the block.
 * IMDb lists this episode as "D.W. And the Beastly Birthday Party."
 * A commercial for the special and the surrounding tentpole event (a week of new episodes in the days following the premiere) was posted to the PBS Kids YouTube channel on April 29th, 2017.

Home Video
It was released on DVD on August 14, 2018.