The Wiggles are an international phenomenon. Formed in 1991 when three of the original members were studying early childhood education, the Wiggles connect with their preschool audience using light humor, simple songs with interesting lyrics, and lively dance steps. The supporting cast of characters includes a pirate named Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur, and Henry the Octopus. The Wiggles have their own television show, have sold more than 17 million DVDs, continue to perform to sold-out crowds in various countries and now have a presence in amusement parks in Australia and the United States.


wiggles.jpgIn their latest DVD You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, the group performs twenty musical numbers with a variety of musical guests. While most of the songs are original compositions, some are variations of well known tunes: “Day-O (a.k.a. The Banana Boat Song,” “(Are You Ready?) Do the Bus Stop,” “La Bamba,” and Duke Ellington’s “The Mooche.” All of the Wiggles are enthusiastic performers and their excitement for music is bound to rub off on most young children.
With You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, The Wiggles have brought something to the market that might genuinely interest the parents of their target audience. The group struts their stuff to some disco music with some help from Leo Sayer, whose “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” topped the pop charts in 1977. As a fan of the song back in the day, I enjoyed seeing Mr. Sayer again and wondered why he didn’t have more pop hits.
Most importantly, Wiggles fans should be quite happy with this latest offering. The dances are varied enough–ballet, waltz, etc.–to keep the interest of young children, and The Wiggles are in fine form.
Presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1, the picture quality is bright and clear. The soundtrack has a pleasing, strong surround mix. Optional English subtitles accompany the program. There is also a second “sing-along” subtitle option that displays the lyrics to the songs one word at a time as they are sung.
The disc has a few extras. There are two bonus episodes: “Henry the Octopus Visits Gawa” and “Henry Returns to Gawa.” In these eight-minute segments, the purple octopus takes a trip to the small island of Gawa, north of Australia, to visit a Warramirri community where the children show Henry around their village. Other extras are: a photo gallery, a “Thank You Message from Anthony Wiggle” delivered in a text crawl, “Safety Tips For Around the House” and a promo for Wiggles World at Six Flags.