Customer Reviews

Wiggly Safari (Starring The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another great Wiggles cd! If you have a little Wiggles fan in your house, they will not be disappointed with this cd. Not only does it feature Greg, Murray, Jeff and Anthony but also features Steve Irwin, otherwise known as The Crocodile Hunter. His infectious enthusiasm for life and Australian wildlife is translated onto this cd extremely well.

My two girls - almost 3 and 18 months - love The Wiggles and we actually bought this cd for a 8 hour car trip we had to do ... being new, they insisted on listening to it over and over again - and we even found ourselves singing along and learning a little bit about Australian wildlife as well through the songs and the introductions. Best of all, the girls were happy to be in their car seats for such a long car trip when they had this to sing and clap along too.

This cd is upbeat and fun - perfect for car trips, birthday party music or just a dance around your lounge room. Highly recommended.

Oh - The Crocodile Hunter does say the word "Crikey" alot - your toddler may pick this up. Don't worry - it's not a swear word, it's just Australian slang for "golly gosh" or something like that. My toddler actually goes around saying "Crocs Rule" which is featured in the first song - very funny and cute.

I have seen ALL of The Wiggles videos and heard ALL of their soundtracks. My six year old son, who is autistic, is attracted to The Wiggles and has learned a lot of words through their lyrics. As the parent of a special needs child, I run with whatever engages my son's elusive interest and attention, lovingly enduring even MORE repeat viewings than parents of typical children. Hence, my detailed review:

This is one of their VERY BEST efforts. There is a strong, consistent theme throughout (often uneven or weak in most Wiggles collections) and the Australian animals are a refreshing pause from overdone barnyard fare. From pop to ballads to disco to do-wop, the musical styles are as full of variety as the animals themselves.

The action is best when kept in the Australian Zoo. We are transported to a concert hall on two occasions; once for "Clap Hands For The Queen Of The Roses" (the obligatory Dorothy the Dinosaur song - thankfully none for Wags the Dog or Henry the Octopus this go around), and "Do The Owl", a clever take on using an owl's "who-who" call for a roller disco extravaganza. Both numbers are well-staged but break the nice flow and atmosphere created by being outdoors instead of on a set. Concert footage is simply out of place here.

Along for the ride with the genuinely infectuous Wiggles is Steve Irwin. I had not seen "The Crocodile Hunter" before this video and while he's no singer (and doesn't pretend to be, opting for spoken contributions to songs), he gets into the fun and is a sincere and entertaining host of the zoo. Steve's wife and young daughter appear sparingly but add a rare feminine presence that little girls will undoubtedly welcome.

The "fifth" Wiggle, Paul Paddick as Captain Feathersword, is hilarious! With all admiration and respect to Aussie Foursome, Paddick is the hands down the best performer of the lot. Everything this guy does is done full-out and seldom more apparent as when he imitates a kookaburra. Whether swimming with the dolphins in a pirate wetsuit, riding a camel, singing the occasional backup, or just reacting to whatever is going on around him, he is worth the price of any Wiggles video alone.

As for production values, there's mostly good news and a little bad news. The choreography is simple and inviting, the costumes (especially the animal accessories) are clever and fun, the editing is excellent and lively, and the additional adult and children performers are adorable. At the end, there are some terrific outtakes and video credits of the extended cast and crew, and a touching dedication that I won't spoil here.

Now, for the bad news. The direction as usual is on the sloppy side. This will seem like nitpicking to most but it's my beef and I have to get it off my chest.

Why after numerous videos and TV shows do the Wiggles still not ALL lip-synch when everyone is supposed to be singing or NOT ALL lip-synch when someone is singing solo? It's baffling and annoying to watch. The Wiggles pre-record their songs before taping -- they've learned their vocal parts already including who is singing when. If there are memory-lapses between recording sessions and taping, this should be reviewed cameras roll. The result looks terribly amateurish. It's the director's responsibility to tighten this up.

In addition, instrumentations of the song vary significantly or flat out contradict the instruments The Wiggles actually play in their videos. Now, there are always drums, horns, violins and more in many Wiggly tunes that come from "nowhere" and that's reasonable. There are only four Wiggles and they generally have a keyboard and a guitar or two at hand to work in with their choreography. Someone, usually Anthony, will occasionally fake a solo instrument (even if tongue-in-cheek) to fill in the gaps.

Okay.

But the kind of thing I'm talking about is demonstrated on this video in the "Koala-La-La" song. Greg is alone on camera, singing solo and strumming a solo GUITAR -- while the audio accompiament to him is a solo PIANO! I know that most little ones either don't notice or don't care about these things but it drives me nuts and probably confuses my son in connecting musical sounds with their corresponding instruments. It may be a small educational faux-pas but is this necessary? Again, this is the kind of detail the director should be picking up on and correcting.

Now that The Wiggles have hit the big time, I wish they would upgrade to a more attentive and professional director. However, the lack of first-rate direction is not enough for me to withhold one of the five-of-five stars I will give "Wiggly Safari". My pet peeves aside, this is a wonderfully unique and entertaining video that your little Wiggler is bound to enjoy.

My toddler and I love the Wiggles, and we initially bought this CD before we bought the video. The music is okay, focusing more on teaching children about Australian animals, which is great, but lacks the catchy tunes of the Wiggles in their heyday (e.g., Toot Toot or Yummy Yummy). Listening to the CD without the video is quite frustrating because the songs and dialogue are all about the animals. I had to go out and buy the video for my 2yo so she could see what an emu looks like since she heard about them in the songs! I would recommend the video or DVD before the CD. If you're looking for Wiggles music, try Toot Toot or Yummy Yummy.

If your child is a fan of the Wiggly Safari DVD, then this CD is a must have! Every single song from the video is on it, as well as two bonus songs. The only drawback to this CD is that, between each song, there's a little spoken "sketch" by the Wiggles and Steve Irwin. Fortunately, each of these speaking parts is on a track separate from the song, so I can just reach up and hit the skip button on the CD player. I don't mind these parts, but my two-year-old goes into a panic when each one starts, thinking that the singing is over!

I've had to listen to this tape all the way from Idaho to Disneyland and back, and several times a day driving around town, and have to say that I'm still not sick of it. I can't say that about any other children's CDs!

The Wiggles and The Crocodile Hunter have allowed both my daughters -- ages 8 and 22 months -- to enjoy the same thing for a period. Its WONDERFUL! The older one loves Steve Irwin while the younger one loves The Wiggles. A match made in heaven for all of us.

Plus, the music is suprisingly catchy. I find myself singing Old Man Emu or The Crocodile Band, too.

Good music. Good fun.

My son just loves listening to this cd and learning all about animals. It highlights many that we don't normally see in the U.S. -- it's a great way to talk about other parts of the world! And, the songs are intelligent enough and melodic enough that they don't drive the adults crazy! I highly recommend this cd.

Good CD to have for long car trips! My 2 1/2 year old son used to hate long car rides but now he does not mind as long as I play The Wiggles CD's. I do get a bit tired of listening to them over and over again but it is either that or listen to a crying little boy which is much harder on the ears. If you liked the music on the DVD then this is the CD for you. It has Steve and his wife talking to the guys on it in between each song giving tid bits of info about the animals.

Our 2-year old just loves this CD and we (his parents) don't find it as mind-numbing as some other Wiggles CD's - even after hearing it over and over again in the car. The songs are pretty catchy and our son seems to enjoy learning about the various animals. We have the video for this too, but he much prefers just to listen to the music and sing along.

I bought this CD before taking my baby to see the Wiggles in concert since their tour was titled "Wiggly Safari." What a great purchase (the concert was incredibly outstanding - worth more than the rental car, the hotel room and the ticket price we paid!)! I'm not sure what the reviewer is talking about - not wanting to listen to this very much because quite frankly, I really like this one myself! At least now I know how to properly pronounce kookaburra! Anyway, my baby loves it and it really is nice having Steve Irwin talking about the different animals. I love that kookaburra song and actually getting to see Dorothy dance the butterfly dance in a tutu with Captain Feathersword (what a talented man!) was absolutely a riot! Don't pass this one by - it's full of great information for your children and you'll have fun listening to all the songs as well. If you get a chance, definitely GO SEE THE WIGGLES IN CONCERT! What a great time!

Not the best of Wiggles, video is too fast for little kids to keep up. It is our 19 month old daughter favorite program and she love to dance with the Wiggles and the rest, just not in this video. The bottom line: The Wiggles are great programs for your little one.