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The Wiggles Movie
TheWigglesMoviePoster
The Wiggles Movie

Created by

The Wiggles

Starring

Greg Page
Anthony Field
Murray Cook
Jeff Fatt
Tony Harvey
Leeanne Ashley
Carolyn Ferrie
Paul Paddick
Donna Halloran
Paul Field
Mic Conway
Joanne Samuel

Directed by

Dean Covell

Produced by

Hilton Fatt

Written by

Greg Truman

Music by

The Wiggles
John Field

Production Design

Andrew Horne
Deborah Szapiro

Distributed by

20th Century Fox

Running time

83 min. (24fps)
80 min. (25fps PAL conversion)

Country

Australia

The Wiggles Movie (released internationally as Magical Adventure! A Wiggly Movie in North America and the United Kingdom) is The Wiggles' first and currently only feature film. Produced by Gladusaurus Productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it was released in Oceanian cinemas on December 18, 1997, but had no international Cinema release. Its soundtrack was released two months prior on October 17, 1997. It was the fifth-highest-grossing Australian film of 1997.

Summary[]

In the Movie, The Wiggles embark on a journey to find Dorothy the Dinosaur, since an amateur Magician Wally the Great, steals Greg's Magic Wand, which he thinks he needs to become a better Magician. Meanwhile, Dorothy is sad because she thinks that The Wiggles and everyone have forgotten her birthday, while in fact they're all planning a surprise party for her by performing at a circus tent that night.

Prologue[]

The Wiggles greet everyone in their studio and tells the audience that they are about to watch the "The Wiggles Movie." They say that you might see the Wiggly Friends and a new character known as Wally the Great who is a Magician. Anthony Wiggle's hand then gets hurt after Jeff Wiggle clicks a clapperboard Slate. He then looks embarrassed after Greg Wiggle and Murray Wiggle look at him. This introduction is only available on the VHS release.

Plot synopsis[]

Scene 1[]

Wally the Great (Tony Harvey), great-grandson of Waldo the Magnificent, is the aspiring amateur magician whose dream is to win the competition at the The Magic Club for Best Magician, hosted by his uncle Cecil the Magic Club President (Norry Constantian). However, he is confronted with his rival, Roland the Remarkable (Dale Burridge), who believes Wally is a nobody. Wally figures he needs a new wand if he wants to win.

Song 1: Hey There Wally

Scene 2[]

The Wiggles are performing live at a nearby primary school. Mrs. Bingle's School. Mrs. Bingle (Joanne Samuel), the principal, has an accident with Anthony Wiggle after she blows a whistle to wake Jeff Wiggle up before the show, causing him to act extremely silly. The Wiggles start the show.

Songs 2, 3 and 4: Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?), Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?), Rock-A-Bye Your Bear

Wally, watching from behind a wall, sees Dorothy the Dinosaur herself laying Greg Wiggle's (who is a magician) Magic Wand on a table while sulking that everyone has forgotten her birthday but really they were trying to keep the surprise party for her a secret. Wally quickly snatches it but gets cake on his face trying to reach for it, He then is caught by Dorothy after she sees it is not on the table. Wally runs to his bicycle and wipes his face off with a towel and puts on his helmet and attempts to take off but then Dorothy runs to him and tries to retrieve it but he and her both ride off but then crash into a stack of hay in a park after Wally notices her holding on behind his bike.

Songs 5 and 6: The Chase (Instrumental), Quack Quack

Scene 3[]

The two have a "tug of war" fight over the wand and the wand breaks in half. Meanwhile, The Wiggles decide to go out looking for Dorothy in the Big Red Car, after finding Wally's cape and assuming he may have captured Dorothy (as Greg says he knows Wally). After entering the Wiggles World through the rainbow, they visit Henry the Octopus and his Underwater Big Band in order to track Dorothy.

Songs 7, 8 and 9: Rockin' And A Rollin' Sea, Boom Boom, Mrs Bingles Theme

After learning that Henry has not seen Dorothy and having a quick musical number, the Wiggles visit Wags the Dog in Wags World. Shortly after that, Wally and Dorothy visit Wags to have the wand fixed, but Wally accidentally smashes the wand after Wags' puppies try to play with it.

Song 10: Tap Wags

Wally and Dorothy help the local police constable Officer Beaples stop the Rose Robber and attend to a live opera Dance Academy.

Song 11: Ballerina, Ballerina

As the Wiggles continue their search for Dorothy, They happen upon Brrrrrr Street where they get frozen by a snow storm.

Dorothy and Wally visit Captain Feathersword the Friendly Pirate and his swashbuckling pirate gang on the S.S Feathersword.

Song 12: Ooh It's Captain Feathersword

Scene 4[]

Since they have no luck finding Dorothy, they go to the Wigglehouse where they ace a test given to them by the talking Door, mix up their skivvies and then bedroom doors, have a flashback of the first time they celebrated Dorothy's birthday, and do the Romp Bomp a Stomp.

Songs 13, 14 and 15: Romp Bomp A Stomp, I'm a Cow, Nya Nya Nya

Meanwhile, Wally saves Pirate Blake, a young member of the Captain’s crew, from drowning in the ocean. He is awarded a medal for his bravery. During the adventures that Dorothy and Wally have, their friendship grows more and more. Dorothy leaves and sits on a bench, sadly, complaining to Wally that nobody remembers her birthday. Wally, having been reformed and become a friend to Dorothy, then says "I didn't forget your birthday" which makes Dorothy feel a little bit better.

Scene 5[]

Wally begins to daydream a vision about his grandfather's spirit, Waldo, saying to him to believe in himself and 3 Dancing Magicians dancing around him.

Song 16: Wally's Dream Music

Wally forgets all about the Magic Competition and is almost late but thanks to Dorothy, he makes it. However, Jimbo the Juggler blocks their way and says that Wally should put his tricycle vehicle in the full car park and that it is full but Wally thinks quick and says "You find a spot!" and tosses his helmet at him, leaving Jimbo pinch-faced. He then signs in and runs into Roland who clearly amuses the judges when his score is 10-9-9. Wally find his Grandfather's old chest of magic supplies and is confident in himself. He then finds a magicians jacket and puts on a new tie and vest and puts on a cape that's purple in front and gold in the back.

Scene 6[]

The Wiggles are waiting for Dorothy to come to the Party but nobody shows up. After Wally does his magic act, the judges score him 10-9-9. He wins the competition which leaves Roland jealous but at the same time impressed. Wally takes Dorothy to her party when it is just about to be cancelled and the party begins. Then everyone shouts surprise to her and sing a snippet of D.O.R.O.T.H.Y. (My Favourite Dinosaur) and then The Wiggles tell her that they didn't forget her birthday at all and they were trying it keep it a surprise and they were also worried when they ran after Wally but then Dorothy introduces Wally to them and Wally confesses to Greg that he broke his wand and gives him the pieces to it but then he hands him the Waldo's Wand that he won, but Greg says he has more wands and hands it back to Wally and tells him to keep it to remind him of the friends he made on the adventure. At the end, fireworks explode in the sky saying "The Wiggles", and then the credits roll.

Songs 17 and 18: Let's Have A Party, Wiggly Medley

Production[]

Development[]

The script was completed in August 1996.[1]

While the Wiggles filmed the movie with their newly updated skivvies, belt designs, and new costumes for the Wiggly Friends, they still used plain skivvies and older costumes when they performed during the same time of the movie's filming. The unique aesthetic would be debuted on April 14, 1997.

Originally, the film was supposed to be released in November but was pushed to December.[2]

The official soundtrack was recorded from August to December 1996.

Filming[]

Filming occurred from March 10 - April 11, 1997, over five to six weeks. The locations mainly included the Stables Building at Yaralla Estate (used as Mrs Bingle's School) and the Oatlands House (used as The Magic Club, including the interior of Mrs Bingle's School) as well as Max Film Studios and Mentmore House Studio for certain scenes (such as the scenes in Wiggles World and possibly the VHS opening, which were filmed on multiple sets).

Reception[]

Budget and Profit[]

The Film's Budget was $1.6-1.7 million Australian dollars. It was raised mainly by Producer/Executive Producer Hilton Fatt through private investors. By the end of January 1998, when its cinema run finished, it had made a total of $2.5 million at the box office.

In the 2011 documentary, Everybody Clap! Everybody Sing!, it is discussed that there were concerns about the Profit, as Australian cinemas did not charge children ages three and under. It would eventually make a profit upon its successful home video release.

Cast[]

Pirates[]

Mrs. Bingle's Class[]

Puppeteers[]

Uncredited Cast[]

Locations[]

Soundtrack[]

For more information, see here

TheWigglesMovieSoundtrack

The Wiggles Movie Soundtrack cover (1997)

"The Wiggles Movie Soundtrack" is an Enhanced CD released on October 17, 1997. In addition to 22 tracks featured in the film, a 23rd remix track titled "Wigglemix" is included at the end of the album. It would later be used in The Dorothy the Dinosaur and Friends Video and the international version of Yummy Yummy. The "24th track" is a special interactive component, which can only be played on home computers. Among the features on "Wiggles Interactive" are a driving game with the Big Red Car, and interviews with The Wiggles and Captain Feathersword about the Movie, filmed during the production of Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas, which was released on VHS the same month, as well as a montage "Trailer" set to "Romp Bomp A Stomp". The score of the film was composed by John Field.

Songs[]

  1. Hey There Wally
  2. Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?)
  3. Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?)
  4. Rock-A-Bye Your Bear
  5. Quack Quack
  6. Rockin' And A Rollin' Sea
  7. Boom Boom
  8. Mrs Bingles Theme
  9. Tap Wags
  10. Ballerina, Ballerina
  11. Ooh It's Captain Feathersword
  12. Hot Potato (Young Wiggles)
  13. Romp Bomp A Stomp
  14. I'm a Cow
  15. Nya Nya Nya
  16. Wally's Dream Music
  17. Let's Have A Party
  18. Wiggly Medley

CD Songs[]

Other Music[]

  • Dorothy's Birthday Party - sung by Dorothy at Mrs. Bingle's School, briefly used in score afterwards
  • We Like To Say Hello (Instrumental) - score during the Scene where The Wiggles leave Mrs. Bingle's school; an alternate Version also plays when The Wiggles leave Wags World
  • The Chase (Instrumental) - score played when Wally's Bike crashes in to a Haystack; reprises when Dorothy and Wally ride to the Magic Club
  • Wiggly Jingle - score played when the Wiggles mutter different days, get in the Big Red Car before leaving Wags' World, Come across Brrrrrr Street and Arrive at Wigglehouse
  • Fruit Salad - partially sung by the Wiggles when they take the test at Wigglehouse
  • Let's Have A Party (Instrumental) - score heard as The Wiggles and their friends head to the Circus Tent
  • Magic Club Music - score during the scene where Wally gets ready before he performs at the Magic Club
  • Hey There Wally (Instrumental) - score played during Wally's Performance
  • D.O.R.O.T.H.Y. - sung by The Wiggles and other party goers when Dorothy arrives at the Circus Tent

Though unmentioned in the credits, the song Captain Feathersword is adapted to an instrumental score piece during a Scene at the dockyard. The vocal version of "We Like To Say Hello" is sung by The Wiggles as they pull up to Wigglehouse in the Big Red Car. Several other unnamed pieces of score appear throughout.

Video Release[]

The Wiggles Movie
TheWigglesMovie - VHSCover
1998 Australian VHS Cover

Released

Australia June 20, 1998 (VHS)
USA February 4, 2003 (VHS/DVD, titled as "Magical Adventure! A Wiggly Movie")
Australia November 11, 2003 (DVD)[5]
UK June 20, 2005 (VHS/DVD)
USA October 9, 2007 (DVD Re-release)

Filmed

March - April 1997[6]

Previous Video

Yummy Yummy (1998 remake) (1998)

Next Video

Toot Toot! (1998)

For more information, see here

The Wiggles Movie was first released on VHS in Australia on June 20, 1998. It contained an exclusive introduction by The Wiggles (on the set of Toot Toot!). It would later be re-released in 2000, without the introduction (despite it still being mentioned on the cover) or any previews, although leakages of the introduction and half of the previews were heard faintly during the opening logos due to them reusing the 1998 VHS master for the re-release. It was later released on DVD on November 11, 2003, with a bonus Storybook and Photo Gallery.

The film was released on DVD and VHS in North America and the United Kingdom in 2003 and 2005 as a direct-to-video film respectively, re-titled "Magical Adventure! A Wiggly Movie". The original UK release also contains Wiggle Time!, but the 2008 handle-case re-release omits it.

The film has yet to be released on Blu-Ray or Disney+.

TV Airdates[]

  • Nick Jr.:
    • August 26, 2006[10]
    • August 27, 2006[10]
    • December 25, 2006[10]
    • February 21, 2008[10]
    • August 16, 2008[10]
    • August 31, 2008[10]

  • Das Erste (Germany):
  • MDR (Germany):
  • 3sat (Germany):
    • December 19, 2009[11]

  • Trivia[]

    • The movie was released on the exact day when Chris Farley died.
    • Wiggles World has a notably different layout in the movie.
    • A 35mm workprint reel of the film was on display at the Powerhouse Museum from 2011-2021.
    • According to Greg, the film was only made in the first place so that they could convince some people in the USA to take them seriously. They had yet to do much overseas touring by the film's early 1997 production except in New Zealand and Hong Kong. So, they knew the movie would help them start touring in other countries.
    • This was the only time The Wiggles used sound effects from the Series 4000 library until Wiggly Waffle.
    • This marks the first time The Wiggles use Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera sound effects until TV Series 2.
    • Greg Page sang part of "Hey There Wally" on Instagram.
    • The Big Red Car was redesigned as a real mechanical car. It was a converted dune buggy.
    • The tempo of the music is slightly faster on both the VHS and DVD than on the soundtrack. The film runs at 24fps, while the home video releases have been sped up to play back at 25fps. This complies with the frame rate of PAL television standards in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, China, Hong Kong, South Africa, India, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The USA and Canada releases are also based on the 25fps PAL conversion with frames blended to reach NTSC standard 29.97fps, rather than simply playing it at the original 24fps, which is also possible on NTSC DVDs. Speeding it up naturally shifts the pitch. It has been corrected to ensure the music is in the same key.
      • The movie's theatrical trailer is the same case, though it does not have the pitch corrected.
    • Greg says in his book, Now and Then, that the Brrrrrr Street aftermath makeup effects were created by putting gel and shaving cream on their hair and faces. They also put talcum or chalk powder on their clothes.
      • Also, a fan stated that Jeff's hairstyle in that scene looked similar to that of American recording artist Dan Zanes.
    • This is the first filmed official Wiggles-media where none of the Wiggles wear a wristwatch the whole way through.
    • The part where The Wiggles said Christmas Day did kind of make sense for the movie, as it came out in Australian theatres in December 1997.
    • The movie made a profit on video, as revealed in the 2011 documentary Everybody Clap! Everybody Sing! This means it became famous in 1998 in Australia and later in 2003 as Magical Adventure in the United States and Canada.
    • According to its teaser trailer in 2002, the movie was supposed to be called "Dorothy's Magical Birthday! A Movie Adventure" in North America.
    • Some of the background music was later used in TV Series 2, It's a Wiggly Wiggly World and The Wiggles Show!.
    • The theatrical and VHS releases open with Wally at The Magic Club office. For the DVD release and all international releases, this scene is moved to after Hey There Wally and The Wiggles' first scene, so The Wiggles would appear in the film earlier than they do in the original release.
      TWM-SydneyMorningHeraldArticle18Dec1997
      • This also might be why the introduction was filmed for the 1998 VHS as a reviewer at the time of the film's release explained that their daughter wasn't the only one asking "Where are The Wiggles?" during the first 5 minutes.
    • Greg sings "Hey There Wally" and "Ooh It's Captain Feathersword" even though The Wiggles do not appear in the scenes where those songs play.
    • Guitars used in other videos, such as the Maton F10 (from Wiggle Time!), Fender Classic Thinline Telecaster (from Yummy Yummy and Big Red Car), Takamine EF340SC (from Wake Up Jeff!, Wiggle Time!, Yummy Yummy and It's a Wiggly Wiggly World!) and Epiphone Sheraton II (from Wake Up Jeff! and Wiggledance!) are seen in the racks at the school.
    • The scene of Greg singing "Me-me-me-me" and The Other Wiggles singing "You-you-you-you" is similar to a backstage clip in New Zealand from 1996 and the A Current Affair interview for the bushfire relief gig in 2020.
    • At one point, The Wiggles say "Christmas Day" and Jeff says "Chinese New Year", a possible nod to his Chinese heritage.
    • The first four hankies that Greg takes out of the Box of Mystery are the same colours as the ones from Yummy Yummy.
    • The instrumental for the version of Quack Quack played would later be re-recorded in a D major.
    • The picture jumps slightly throughout the movie when it cuts to a different shot due to the film being shot and edited on 35mm film, the only Wiggles production done this way.
    • This is the only time we see Officer Beaples try to stop crime. It is also the only time we hear her talk until 2016's Wiggle Town!.
    • In the scene where The Wiggles jumped out of the pool, it was actual footage of them jumping into the pool, but to make it look like they're jumping out of the pool, the footage was played backwards.
    • The Wiggles sing apart from We Like To Say Hello when they arrive home at Wigglehouse, and Fruit Salad when they are doing "the test" to enter Wigglehouse.
    • This is the first time The Wiggles wear mixed up shirts.
    • The quote "Let's rock this place!" is used by Anthony, both young and adult.
    • Dorothy's favourite dance, the Romp Bomp A Stomp, is performed without her, and as a result, it does not have her lines throughout like in Wake Up Jeff!.
    • In the Wigglehouse scenes, the original design of the "Big Red Car" can be seen in a picture frame between the doors to Anthony and Murray's rooms.
    • This is the only time that Greg, Murray and Anthony are seen performing Romp Bomp A Stomp without Jeff, due to him being asleep in the scene.
    • Roger Lemke guest stars as Alfonso Tiramisu, although it is actually Paul Paddick as his singing voice which is also the debut of him using his operatic tenor voice in The Wiggles.
    • Nya Nya Nya is presented as an instrumental song. It is based on a traditional song called I'll Tell Me Ma.
    • Dorothy's Birthday Party and D.O.R.O.T.H.Y. (My Favourite Dinosaur) both appear briefly, and along with The Chase are the only songs not on the soundtrack, or included on any song list apart from the credits.
    • The instrumental version of Let's Have A Party has been used in The Wiggles' concerts as closing music.
    • In a few promo pictures of The Wiggles in Big Red Car, Murray is sitting in the front and Anthony in the back seat.
    • This is the only time that the Fender American Vintage Telecaster ("Red Starry Guitar") is seen using a black guitar strap. It usually uses the red leather guitar strap.
    • 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released this movie on DVD in Australia in 2003, the same year that HIT Entertainment released it on VHS and DVD in North America.
    • There is a fan campaign page on Twitter and Instagram called The Wiggles Movie Appreciation (@twmappreciation), whose goal is to get the attention of The Wiggles and the current rights holders of The Wiggles Movie in hopes of it being remastered and re-released (in its original form as seen in cinemas). Anthony Field currently follows the Instagram page and has occasionally interacted with posts on both platforms. Still, there has been no official word on a re-release coming any time soon.
    • In July 2021, Anthony Field revealed in an Instagram post by user wigglesenthusiasts2 that Sir Lesley Longley was the voice that introduced The Wiggles at Mrs Bingles' school.[3]
    • In one scene, Dorothy sings some of the song, Dorothy's Birthday Party. According to the music, her birthday is November 3rd, meaning the events of The Wiggles Movie are set in November.
    • The Canadian VHS comes in a soft and hard clamshell case.
    • I'm a Cow was originally supposed to be set in Jeff's room, but they decided to set it in the living room instead.
    • According to Greg in the now defunct "Remembers or Tries To" YouTube series, the back of the Big Red Car fishtailing wasn't meant to happen. That was a blooper that they kept in the movie.
    • During the movie's logo, two whistle sound effects that would later be used on Thomas & Friends can be heard; the sound effect used for the Rainbow Sun's whistle in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Carlos the Mexican Engine's whistle in The Great Race and Lexi the Cab-forward Engine's whistle (which is Canadian National #3254's out of tune 1980s whistle) and the sound effect used for Emily's original whistle in Series 7, Peter Sam's whistle in Series 9-12 and Freddie's whistle.
    • The HIT Entertainment DVD has the menu appear first before the warning screens, previews, and program.
    • In this movie, Officer Beaples blows the whistle to stop the Rose Robber, just like Mrs. Bingle, who did it by mistake to make Anthony do some very silly things like Murray sadly says.

    Goofs[]

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    Evidence that the 2003 "Magical Adventure!" version used different picture cropping

    • The Australian DVD release of the film has the Magical Adventure version.
    • During Rock-A-Bye Your Bear, Murray is playing his Red Starry Electric Guitar but the music features an Acoustic Guitar.
    • The pool moves a bit between Greg and Murray's jump into the water. This is likely the fault of it being moved accidentally after those particular takes.
    • A rope is seen pulling the Big Red Car when The Wiggles leave the Sandlot. This is cropped out of frame for the movie itself in widescreen as it was made in an open matte ratio and shown in theatres in widescreen, so it isn't meant to be shown. In the 1998 VHS, they applied a digital zoom on the picture right before it happens so it wouldn't be visible then they zoom out the picture again during the following shot while the camera is panning back so it's not as noticeable.
      • The 2003 "Magical Adventure" version uses different picture cropping, so the zoom isn't there, but the rope can be seen briefly as the Big Red Car arrives at the Sandlot and when it leaves.
    • When the Pirates are moving Dorothy's birthday cake at the Dockyard, at the end of the shot you can see some studio equipment on the side of the set.
    • The Wagettes can be seen in some closeup shots of "Let's Have a Party" early on in the Song.
    • When Murray is getting ready for the concert the guitar strap for the Fender American Vintage Telecaster ("Red Starry Guitar") is placed on the correct way but during concert performance, it is placed on backwards.
    • Nya Nya Nya isn't credited as a traditional arrangement.
    • In the second shot of Wags fixing the wand, the boom mic is visible.
    • When Wally throws the fixed wand to move to the broken one, the fixed wand can still be seen on the floor.
    • When the Dance Academy door opens, a hand appears to hold it open and then let's go of the door when it closes.
    • The Warner Home Video copy recycles the menu from the HIT Entertainment DVD.
    • When Roland is introduced, the shadow of the boom mic can be seen on the closed door.

    Legacy and Future[]

    Cancelled follow-up plans[]

    The first attempt for a sequel was in 1998, when it was announced that there was a script in the works being written by Don Arioli and Greg Truman. Nothing else was known after that.[12]

    The second attempt in 2005, when it was announced that The Wiggles were looking to finance a second feature film, and supposedly New Line Cinema had interest on doing so. However, their original sequel plans were eventually cancelled due to Greg Page's retirement in 2006.[13]

    A stand-alone sequel entitled The Wiggles: Pandamonium! was apparently announced in 2014 and was to be released in 2016, but the unfinished film was eventually shelved and is now considered lost.

    Possible sequel revival[]

    In a 2020 post on Twitter, Anthony Field has revealed possible plans for a potential sequel.[14]

    References[]

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