Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
My son and I've waited all summer for Wiggly Safari, the latest release from The Wiggles featuring The Crocodile Hunter - Steve Irwin (and family) at the Australian Zoo. Today,September 3rd, 2002 Wiggly Safari was officially released on DVD and VHS in the US and Canada.
I was quite surprised to find that both the video and DVD were available in some stores as early as a week before it was slated to be officially released. Somehow, I managed to get my hands on a copy of the DVD version for around $15. Ever since purchasing Hoop-Dee-Doo on DVD with all the extras, it is my preferred format for Wiggles programs. I'll most likely pick up a VHS copy for use when visiting grandparents, etc also.
The Wiggly, Wiggly Background
If you are not familiar with The Wiggles, they are a group of four Australian grown men with backgrounds in Early Childhood Education who sing and dance around and perform children's tunes. Each member of The Wiggles (Greg, Murray, Anthony, and Jeff) wears their own color (Yellow, Red, Blue, and Purple) and has a distinct performance personality. The Wiggles are joined by a few of their friends which include: a pirate (Captain Feathersword), a dog (Wags the Dog), a green dinosaur (Dorothy the Dinosaur), a purple octopus (Henry the Octopus) and a few other friends - which add to the fun. Their biggest appeal is the 6 and under crowd with a strong toddler contingent making up quite a large fanbase in Australia, US, and Canada. My family recently had the opportunity to see The Wiggles Live as part of their North American Tour, and will be catching them again in November 2002 during their US Tour. The Wiggles are a class act and enjoyed by the whole family. If you have a child who is 6 or under, I recommend you and your children check them out.
About The Wiggles: Wiggly Safari Wiggly Safari is a field trip of sorts to The Australian Zoo. If you're as big of a fan of The Animal Planet as I am, you'll know that The Australian Zoo is the "home" of Steve Irwin aka The Crocodile Hunter. Yeah that is right - Steve Irwin. You know, that whacky khaki suited up guy who wrestles crocs, snakes and all things dangerous.... I don't know about you, but I love that guy and find myself drawn to it frequently when I am channel surfing on the television.
Now, most people know about Steve Irwin, and his wife Terri Irwin. But, do you know they have a sweet little girl named Bindi Irwin? Bindi is a cute little thing, who looks quite a bit like her father but with adorably blonde pig tails, and she happens to be a big fan of The Wiggles. This production must have been a dream come true for her. The entire Irwin family, including Bindi play a big role in Wiggly Safari.
Wiggly Safari is "recommended" for children 1 through 8 years of age, though I will maintain that this can be enjoyed by the entire family. Because of the animals and The Crocodile Hunter it not only appeals to the Wiggles "regulars" but also can be enoyed by a slightly older audience than most Wiggles material (aimed mostly at preschoolers). The program includes 16 songs and has a playing time of 55 minutes (not counting the DVD extras).
Wiggly Safari Song List *please note that this is the order they are listed on the DVD case, but they are actually presented in a slightly different order during the program
1. The Crocodile Hunter
2. Australia Zoo
3. Do The Owl
4. Wobbly Camel
5. Cocky Want A Cracker
6. Old Man Emu
7. Swim With Me
8. Feeding Time
9. Dingo Tango
10. Snakes (You Can Look But You Better Not Touch)
11. Kookaburra Choir
12. We're The Crocodile Band
13. Koala La La
14. You Might Like a Pet
15. Dorothy Queen of The Roses
16. Butterflies Flit
Going in the Big Red Car on a Wiggly Safari
Greg, Murray, Jeff and Anthony are in the Big Red Car and going for a drive in the bush. Don't worry, they have a lot of food in the BRC (that is if Anthony doesn't eat it all!). But, Uh-Oh! They are lost. Not to Worry, though, as Steve Irwin saves the day and they sing his introductory tune The Crocodile Hunter. This song is all about Steve and describes how he wears his khaki uniform and saves crocs. "Crikey! Its a croc.. Danger Danger Danger.."
This song is followed up by Australia Zoo which includes the entire cast and characters of The Wiggles, including Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, Dorothy the Dinosaur and the Wiggles dancers (including our new "friend" Ben Murray). The song is all about all the different "animal adventures" to be found at this fun zoo. Murray plays his guitar for the crocs, Greg does some magic tricks for the koalas, and Jeff falls asleep (big surprise).
But, double uh-oh! The Big Red Car is broken down. The Wiggles ponder, "How do people get around in the bush?" and then just when you think you've seen it all.... Captain Feathersword riding on a camel? Yep! I only learned this recently, but they have camels in the Australian desert. This song, Wobbly Camel, includes all sorts of fun facts about camels.
Once again, Captain Feathersword (Paddy), gets to have a lot of fun. The next number, Cocky Want A Cracker is all about a hungry Cock-a-too who likes to sing. Steve is teaching the the Captain how to speak in cockatoo and its really all in good fun. The Captain is wearing a great big silly white and yellow cockatoo hat that looks like the head of a bird. The song includes little kids dressed up in similar outfits and the rest of the Wiggles with the Irwin family dancing along.
Next, we see Anthony with a cast of kids all dressed up just like Steve Irwin in their khaki wiggly safari gear. Anthony introduces them one by one by their name. Bindi Irwin is one of the kids, of course. They are talking all about Dorothy the Dinosaur and her favorite things - which include roses, ballet, and butterflies. The song Butterflies Flit features a dancing dorothy, and the little girls and one little boy dressed up as butterflies. (My husband absolutely put his foot down here, but I think its really quite sweet).
Dorothy Queen of the Roses is all about her most favorite thing in the world, why roses to eat of course. The song doesn't take place at the zoo - but instead this number is taken from a live show. Here we see Jeff in the audience collecting roses from children for Dorothy. We recently went to a live show, and brought roses. Children were given the opportunity to give the roses to Murray and Jeff, and even Anthony came out to help there were so many. If you go to a live show, be sure to bring roses! We don't want Dorothy being hungry, now!
The Captain's getting all the fun again! We see him dressed up in a wet suit that looks just like his pirate outfit (and he still has his eye patch on) and he is ready to swim with the dolphins in Swim with Me, which was actually filmed at Sea World. Kids get to learn about dorsal fins, and more. Wow, the Captain sure looks like he is having a blast in the water with the dolphins!
When I think about Australia, I usually think about Koalas. And anytime I've seen koalas (at the zoo) they are sleeping - just like Jeff. I have to say that probably the sweetest song on Wiggly Safari is Koala La La which is a lullaby-like tune about the Koala who's taking a snooze in the eucalyptus tree. Greg sings all about the baby koala clinging to his Mother's back. Terri is holding the Koala, and Bindi is cuddling it. Awww!
Wags the dog isn't the only one who likes to tango. Steve introduces Anthony to a family of Dingos that are quite tame. But, he explains that dingos in the wild are just that, wild animals. The Dingo Tango is a short number about these dogs that don't bark, but howl at the moon instead.
Speaking of dogs, You Might Like a Pet is about animals of the domestic variety. It talks about loving your pets and the responsibilities of animal ownership. The song features Anthony with his dog, Jeff with a stuffed sleeping cat, Murray with a goldfish and more.
Old Man Emu is the tale of an interview with an Emu and all about this great bird that can't fly, but I'm telling you he can run the pants off a kangaroo. Kids can learn quite abit about this bird that can't do things like fly or swim, and doesn't even have wings! The song is a hoe-down type of tune and it spotlights Ben Murray dressed up like an emu. This is one of the numbers that we saw performed the live show and I'd have to say its Ben's defining piece. Who wouldn't love a guy who dresses up like an emu and runs like mad all around the stage?
Wiggly Safari wouldn't be The Wiggles without some sort of food reference. Now, this isn't yummy yummy fruit salad, or crunchy munchy honey cakes. But instead, its Feeding Time at the zoo. This song describes feeding the crocs (who are having chicken dinners) and the other animals. "Check that out, that's a Croc moving his huge ancient body silently through the water to get to his chicken dinner on the shore, Look at his teeth chomping". But more importantly, this song has an important chorus that applies to daily life and not just crocodiles! "Eat and Chew. Eat and Chew. That's what animals do. Eat and Chew. Eat and Chew. Animals Eat, and so do you!" A highlight of the song for kids is seeing a giant galopogus tortoise, named Harriet and she sure is chomping down her veggies!
Steve introduces us to a really cool owl and The Wiggles get an idea for a dance. Do the Owl is a song and dance number that is performed from a live show. In it all the Wiggles are wearing roller blades and dressed up in disco type gear doing a special 70s type dance that is sort of like Xanadu.
Anthony joins Captain Feathersword in the pool, except he is wearing his Wiggles outfit and Captain is in his pirate wetsuit. The 2 of them do all sorts of crazy kookaburra impressions before leading in the song The Kookaburra Choir.
There is always one song on each Wiggles program that sticks in my head and I find myself humming it or singing it in the grocery store. On Wiggly Safari, my all time favorite song on this entire album, is Snakes (You can look but you better not touch). The song is all about snakes complete with warning to tell an adult if you see one and do not touch them. You can look, but you better not touch! (Danger, Danger Danger)(The same rules don't apply to Steve Irwin, though, of course!) The main snake featured in the song's name is Rose and she is Terri Irwin's pet - she is massive.
Wiggly Safari wraps up with a big song and dance number including the entire cast singing and dancing to We're the Crocodile Band. The kids are all wearing really cool crocodile hats, too.
Is the Safari over, yet?
Not yet! The end of Wiggly Safari includes a couple of out-takes that will set you and your kids giggling. I won't spoil them for you.
The credits include names of each Wiggle and cast member on the screen. We even see my new favorite, Andrew Harcourt as Wags the Dog, as well as who is underneath Dorothy and Henry, too.
One very touching part of the credits is a memorial dedication of this video to September 11th and FDNY's Brian Cannizzaro who was Wiggly Dad. The Wiggles and Steve Irwin are shown wearing special T-shirts to pay a tribute to all the heroes and victims of that day, almost a year ago.
Wiggly Safari DVD Extras
Like most DVD's this one comes with extras. Its easy to navigate using the DVD menu and the "pointer" which is shaped like a crocodile (Crikey!).
Picture Gallery with over 60 photos from the Australia Zoo & The Wiggles
Interview with the Irwin Family & The Wiggles - This is great. Hear Steve talk all about how Bindi loves The Wiggles and would rather watch Wiggles than her own dad in Wildlife shows. Each of the Wiggles shares a bit about their favorite parts of Wiggly Safari.
Song Selection Navigation option
All about the Animals Read on screen text and watch short video footage about different animals, including Kangaroos, Koalas, Kookaburras, Snakes, and the Galopogos Tortoise (Harriet, the 171 year old!)
Subtitles - You can pick from English Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired or a Sing-A-Long with the Wiggles option.
Overall
Fans of The Wiggles, The Crocodile Hunter, and/or animal lovers should definitely add this video or DVD to their collection. My son loves to watch The Wiggles interacting with all these animals as well as the Irwin family. We've got a new favorite movie to watch here in our Wiggly household, and its playing over and over and over again.
Every safari needs a guide. Especially if it's a wiggly safari. After all, there are lots of animals in Australia. So, who better to lead The Wiggles ...More at HotMovieSale.com
Every safari needs a guide. Especially if its a wiggly safari. After all, there are lots of animals in Australia. So, who better to lead The Wiggles o...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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