Yellow circle on a purple background. This one's different, it's a red triangle.
This one's different, it's a black rectangle. While this one is just plain blue. | ||
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Try the soundtrack, the Bumper Activity Book or the storybook of same name. | |
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Believe in yourself, Wally. Remember the magic chest. |
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| —Waldo the Magnificent | ||
| The Wiggles Movie | |
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 The Wiggles Movie | |
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Created by |
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Starring |
Greg Page |
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Directed by |
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Produced by |
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Written by |
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Music by |
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Production Design |
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Distributed by |
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Running time |
83 min. (24fps) |
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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; however, it 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[]
Wally the Great.......ah, isn't. In fact he's not even a good magician, but he thinks by 'borrowing' a magic wand from Australia's favourite children's entertainers, The Wiggles, he can follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and become a great conjurer. However his plan is thwarted by everybody's favourite rose-eating dinosaur, Dorothy, who gives chase when she spots Wally making off with the wand while The Wiggles play a concert.
Bumbling Wally thinks all is lost when quick-thinking Dorothy tracks him down, but their coming together sparks a journey of self discovery that builds Wally's self belief and prompts him to consider taking the ultimate test for a magician.
While Wally's challenge unfolds, The Wiggles are embroiled in a trek through the colourful, highly unpredictable sights and sounds of Wiggle World, racing against time to find their friend Dorothy. After all, it's her fifth-dinosaur birthday and they are planning a huge surprise party. But as the day eases into evening hope fades.
Will The Wiggles find Dorothy in time to celebrate her special day? And can wand-less Wally dig deep and succeed against the odds?
Prologue (VHS exclusive)[]
The Wiggles greet everyone in their studio and tell the audience that they are about to watch the "The Wiggles Movie." Greg Wiggle talks about what you might see The Wiggles do in the movie, and says that you might see the Wiggly Friends. Murray Wiggle says you'll probably see their new friend Wally the Great, who is a "pretty tricky" magician. Anthony Wiggle suggests that we all go "off to the movies", and Jeff Wiggle accidentally hurts Anthony's hand with a clapperboard slate.
Plot synopsis[]
Scene 1[]
Wally the Great (Tony Harvey), great-grandson of Waldo the Magnificent, is an aspiring amateur magician whose dream is to win the annual Magic Club competition, hosted by his uncle Cecil (Norry Constantian), the president of the club. He attempts to perform tricks for Cecil in his office but fails, resulting in Cecil suggesting that he practice more.
Wally believes he needs Waldo's magic wand (which is being presented to the competition winner) to be a good magician, to which Cecil rebuts, "A magic wand won't help you if you can't help yourself. You must learn that anything can happen - but, you have to make it happen."
Wally is also confronted by his rival, Roland the Remarkable (Dale Burridge) - a snobby and successful magician who believes Wally is a nobody. Roland warns him not to bother entering the competition at the risk of embarrassing himself, noting that it's for "real magicians."
Wally thumbs his nose at Roland and exits the office, heading out on his tricycle.
Song 1: Hey There Wally
Scene 2[]
The Wiggles are getting ready to perform a show at a nearby primary school. Mrs. Bingle (Joanne Samuel), the principal, is greeted by Murray Wiggle at the dressing room door.
Mrs. Bingle finds Jeff Wiggle asleep in his alarm clock chair two minutes before showtime, and she attempts to wake him up by blowing her whistle (even though Murray tells her not to do so). This succeeds; however, it causes Anthony Wiggle to suddenly whip into a fast-paced frenzy - playing all the guitars on the rack at once, ironing their skivvies inhumanly fast, pretending to be a bunny/airplane, and making faces with fruit from the fruit bowl. He calms down after eating an apple, and Murray informs the audience that "the sound of a whistle makes Anthony do some very silly things!"
With just 30 seconds to spare, Mrs. Bingle gets them back on track and sends them off to do the show.
The Wiggles are cued on stage by an announcer and introduce themselves to the audience. Anthony asks everyone to dance and sing along with them - "It's Wiggle Time!" Dorothy the Dinosaur enters, and Anthony invites everyone to have a dance with her.
Song 2: Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?)
Jeff falls asleep after the song. Greg Wiggle suggests playing a trick on him by counting to three and shouting "Wake up, Jeff!", which will cause him to jump around and "do all sorts of silly things." They do so and successfully wake Jeff up. He immediately begins flapping like a bird and making "tweet" sounds, to the delight of the audience.
Anthony tells Jeff that he needs to show everyone how to "point their fingers and do the twist." Murray invites everyone to do the dance with them.
Song 3: Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?)
Halfway through the song, we cut back to Wally on his tricycle, who is passing by the school. He hears the music playing and stops to listen. He gets off the trike and runs toward the school to investigate - tripping in the grass and being temporarily blinded by his cape in the process.
After the song, Greg cues Dorothy to take a break and eat a few roses. Once she exits, Anthony gathers the audience and tells them that "today is Dorothy the Dinosaur's birthday." He invites everyone to the surprise party they'll be throwing for her later that night, but tells them to keep it a secret, noting that "Dorothy loves a surprise."
Dorothy returns and asks everyone if they "know what special day it is". The Wiggles stall by giving intentionally wrong responses, to which Dorothy sadly exits, believing they've forgotten her birthday. Greg pulls out his "magic vase" and offers to do some magic tricks.
Scene 3[]
Dorothy heads over to a table with various snacks and cakes and mopes about her birthday being forgotten. We then boom down to Wally, who is eavesdropping on the concert behind a brick wall. He scoffs at Greg's use of the "Box of Mystery" trick, noting that "he could do that." However, he appears to become increasingly impressed with Greg's magic abilities.
Greg asks Dorothy to hold onto his wand while he prepares to continue the trick. Wally realizes that he could use Greg's wand to win the competition and begins daydreaming - visualizing himself on magazine covers, imagining himself becoming a popular public figure, etc. - he then promptly hits his head on the wall and falls down.
Dorothy returns with the wand and is called off screen by a little girl (Meaghan Woodhouse) wanting to ask her some questions. Dorothy sets the wand down on the table and exits, providing the perfect distraction for Wally.
Wally pulls himself up and notices the wand lying on the table. He checks for witnesses - once he's in the clear, he attempts to reach it at the far end of the table, having to lie on top of the wall in the process. He struggles and eventually ends up falling face-flat into a cake.
He gets up and wipes the frosting off his face, the wand still in his hand. Realizing he's successfully obtained it, he bursts into celebration and runs toward his trike - unaware that his cape has fallen off his back.
Dorothy returns and immediately notices the missing wand. She then overhears Wally singing "I got the wand!" to himself and shouts at him to bring it back, before charging in pursuit - she jumps off the wall and the ground quakes as a result.
Wally quickly attempts to flee the scene with a magic spell - "Wand so powerful, move this trike. Take off like a rocket, fly like a kite!" - while Dorothy jumps on the back of the trike just seconds before he takes off.
Greg attempts to finish the trick without the wand by using various different magic words, but fails. The other Wiggles enter and suggest singing a song for good luck.
Song 4: Rock-A-Bye Your Bear
The Wiggles receive their final round of applause from the children. Mrs. Bingle comes up and shakes their hands, thanking them for the performance. She asks where Dorothy is, as the children "would love to applaud their favourite dinosaur." The little girl tells them she witnessed Dorothy chasing after Wally, and that she managed to grab his cape.
The Wiggles pause to think, and Murray comes to a conclusion - "Find Wally, and you'll find Dorothy." Greg reveals that he is personally acquainted with Wally - "he's a funny fellow, but he means well." Greg doesn't really care about the wand; in fact, he has another 67 of them. What's important is Dorothy being safe and being back in time to attend the party at the circus tent.
They begin to head off, but Anthony briefly stops to ask Mrs. Bingle and the children if they would be interested in making "preparations" for the party - specifically wrapping gifts and preparing food.
They happily agree, and the little girl calculates how far away Dorothy is as a way of signalling The Wiggles to get a move on.
Anthony suggests asking Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus if they've seen her, since Dorothy "always visits them on her birthday." They say goodbye to the class and head off in the Big Red Car - we see them happily getting in and putting on their seat belts. We also see an aerial shot of Greg driving the car out of the school area.
Scene 4[]
We then cut to Wally, slowly pedaling his trike down a path and visibly struggling. He mutters, “Anyone would think I was carting a gorilla up that hill.” The camera pans to reveal Dorothy still riding on the back. She retorts, “I’m a dinosaur.” The conversation continues for a few more lines, until Wally suddenly realizes she’s there, panics, and veers off course - sending them both crashing into a haystack while “The Chase” plays.
Song 5: Quack Quack
Toward the end of the song, The Wiggles drive through the end of a rainbow in the real world, which transports them through the other side into Wiggle World, where they drive through a bright, colourful countryside with flowers, bright green hills, trees and farm animals.
After the haystack crash, Wally recognises Dorothy from the school. She confronts Wally about stealing the wand, to which he replies that he's just "borrowing it." They argue for a bit and eventually end up breaking the wand in half in a "tug of war" style fight. Wally throws a tantrum in the haystack - "I blew it! blew it!" - and Dorothy complains about having to spend her 5th birthday getting it fixed.
Wally begs her to try and get it fixed, but Dorothy tells him that a magician can't produce magic with just a wand - they must genuinely have a desire to entertain people. Wally bargains with her, promising to return it to Greg after winning the competition and hinting that her friends might remember her birthday.
At the thought of that, Dorothy brightens. Excited, she agrees to go with him to get the wand repaired.
Scene 5[]
The Wiggles arrive at the Sandlot, a small public blow-up swimming pool that serves as a portal to Henry’s Place. Jeff has fallen asleep again, and Greg invites everyone to help wake him up. After doing so, they exit the car and ask the lifesaver (Paul Paddick) if Henry the Octopus is home. He responds only with a non-sequitur safety announcement about “swimming between the flags,” delivered in a goofy voice. Confused, they head into the changing room.
The Wiggles each emerge one by one, wearing goggles, swim fins, and hats - the latter of which they immediately lose upon entry - and dive into the pool, swimming down to Henry’s Place on the ocean floor.
Song 6: Rockin' And A Rollin' Sea
The Wiggles arrive, and Henry warmly greets them. They ask if Dorothy has stopped by, but Henry replies that she hasn’t - he’s been busy rehearsing with his Underwater Big Band. A beret-clad shark pops up on Anthony's shoulder and grumbles about wanting to finish up rehearsals, muttering "some of us have got family we want to feed on." Anthony, visibly intimidated, asks Henry if they could join in on a number.
Song 7: Boom Boom
Back at the Sandlot, the lifesaver is reciting a swimming safety rhyme to a penguin. The Wiggles each jump out of the pool and head back into the changing room - this time, confusing the lifesaver.
The Wiggles get back in the car, buckle up into their seats and decide to head to Wags' house.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Bingle and the schoolchildren prepare food, decorations and gifts for the party while doing a dance.
Song 8: Mrs Bingles Theme
Mrs. Bingle contacts Cecil over the phone, requesting a magician to appear at the circus tent celebration. Cecil happily obliges and notes that they can have the competition winner perform.
Scene 6[]
The postman (Mic Conway) is attempting to discreetly deliver Wags' mail. Wags immediately picks up his scent, and the postie frantically shoves letters in his letterbox. He barely finishes before Wags gives chase, sending him sprinting around the corner and off screen.
As The Wiggles rush outside and try to locate him, Wags and the postie return and continue the chase, circling around The Wiggles. Murray stops Wags and tells him to give the hat back in dog language. He does so, but The Wiggles each take turns wearing the hat. The postie angrily shakes his head at Wags, who barks and sends him off running. Murray reminds Wags not to mention the party if Dorothy drops by, and they head off.
Immediately after, Wally and Dorothy arrive and enter Wags' house. Dorothy asks Wags if he knows what day it is, to which Wags shakes his head. Wally changes the subject and tries to get Wags to fix the wand. Wags puts on his goggles, and after a montage of industrial saw sounds, smoke and sparks, he reveals the fixed wand - the two halves clumsily taped together in the middle.
Suddenly, one of the Wagettes (puppies whose relation to Wags is never explicitly stated) snatches the wand, seemingly eager to play. Wally tries to retrieve it using his “hypnotism powers,” but when that fails, he resorts to a classic “look over there!” distraction. It works - briefly - and he grabs the wand back, only to fumble it and accidentally snap it into pieces.
Wally nearly starts a heated argument with Wags, but Dorothy breaks it up and suggests that Wags and the Wagettes show them their new dance.
Song 9: Tap Wags
They applaud the performance and promptly exit. Wally hits his head on the door on the way out, and they head off to Captain Feathersword's dock.
Scene 7[]
The Wiggles pull up on an intersection - they attempt to locate Dorothy to no avail and drive on.
We cut to Luigi (Luigi De Luca), an ice cream vendor, calling out and pushing his cart down the street. Some children stop him to buy some ice cream, and one of them notices Dorothy pulling up on the trike. They exchange a quick hello before Luigi calls them back to get their ice cream.
Wally then prompts Dorothy to wrap it up by asking where Captain Feathersword lives. Suddenly, a whistle is heard and a criminal known as the "Rose Robber" (Paul Paddick) is seen running down the street, holding a basket of roses and attempting to flee from a police constable (Leanne Halloran).
The thief suddenly trips on Dorothy's tail, causing the basket of roses to spill out onto the street. He is promptly captured by the constable, who thanks Dorothy and presents her with a rose. The Rose Robber is taken away and Wally makes a quick remark before Dorothy overhears music coming from a nearby dance studio.
Dorothy, expecting it to be The Wiggles, frantically ropes Wally into following her through the unguarded stage door.
Song 10: Ballerina, Ballerina
In this song, Wally and Dorothy interrupt a ballet recital - clumsily bumping into the two dancers while the tenor (Roger Lemke) and his three singing reptiles continue the song normally. Near the end, the male dancer launches the ballerina into the air for an extended amount of time, much to the confusion of the others - she comes back down exactly as the tenor hits the final note. Wally spins back on stage and attempts to present Dorothy with a bouquet of roses - all of which fall off their stems. To add insult to injury, Wally's pants fall down in front of the audience and he has to awkwardly prompt Dorothy to get going.
Meanwhile, The Wiggles have gotten lost and need to find out where they are. They find themselves on Brrrrrr Street - an ice-cold, arctic part of Wiggle Town with snowstorms and mountains. They attempt to walk down it but are quickly blown back by the intense wind.
Now sitting on the ground behind the Big Red Car while freezing, they agree to head back to Wigglehouse, reminding everyone to keep a look out for Dorothy.
Scene 8[]
At Captain Feathersword's dock, his Friendly Pirate Crew is handling the cake he cooked for Dorothy's party.
Captain notices Dorothy and Wally arriving, and quickly signals them to hide the cake.
He greets Dorothy, nearly giving away the surprise with his choice of words - "what a surprise party!", "who wouldn't be alright on such a special day?" - and she introduces him to Wally. Captain and Wally attempt to shake hands, but always seem to miss.
Dorothy signals Captain toward his crew, who are messing about in the back. Captain suggests they show everyone their new pirate dance.
Song 11: Ooh It's Captain Feathersword
Scene 9[]
The Wiggles arrive at Wigglehouse, where they are "greeted" by their grouchy, talking door, who requires them to take "The Test" to prove their identities. They ace this, and after saying the password - "silly pants!" - they are let in. However, instead of Door opening up like a regular door, the front wall completely rips off the house and the walls fold out from the inside.
Once inside, they proceed to check their bedrooms for Dorothy. They emerge wearing each other's skivvies, not noticing this until Murray realizes this for himself. Anthony retrieves an apple from his apple-flipping machine, then Jeff and Anthony express regret toward the surprise party idea - even suggesting to call the whole thing off. Murray cheers them up, noting that they've always celebrated her birthday and that she knows they'd never forget.
We flash back to when The Wiggles were kids and celebrating baby Dorothy's first birthday. They promise to give her roses and sing songs for her every dinosaur year, and then break into a rendition of "Hot Potato."
Song 12: Hot Potato (Young Wiggles)
The Wiggles remember that promise, and agree that "tonight's celebration is gonna be the biggest yet." They decide to do her favourite dance - the Romp Bomp A Stomp - while Jeff takes a quick nap in his chair.
Song 13: Romp Bomp A Stomp
They receive an incoming phone call - Anthony answers it, expecting it to be Dorothy. Anthony keeps responding with "You don't say" while the other person on the line speaks. When they ask him who it was, he replies "They didn't say!" They head off to find Dorothy, but Murray notices Jeff - still asleep in his chair - and wonders what he's dreaming about.
We then fade into Jeff's dream - him dressed in a cow costume on a plain blue backdrop, singing about being a cow.
Song 14: I'm a Cow
Murray, confused by the dream, decides to wake him up. He pulls a crank on the back of the Alarm Clock Chair, and the bells pop up and start ringing, revealing a set of cartoonish eyes. Jeff wakes up immediately.
Scene 10[]
We then cut to Captain and the crew dancing on the dock.
Song 15: Nya Nya Nya
Captain convinces Wally to join in on the dancing halfway through the song. Although he struggles at first, he eventually gets the hang of it and is clearly having fun.
At the end of the song, Wally accidentally knocks a young boy pirate (Blake Bowden) into the sea. The boy shouts out to Wally for help - Wally tries to signal someone else, but they appear to be too distracted by Captain hyping them up after the dance. He decides to get in a nearby lifeboat and pull the boy out himself, much to the shock of everybody around him.
The other pirates step in and help, and Captain thanks Wally for saving the young boy. He then presents Wally with the official S.S Feathersword Badge of Friendship. After almost giving away the party again, Captain and Wally fail to shake hands once more - but this time, Wally pulls another "look over there" distraction and successfully shakes the Captain's hand, making them both laugh.
While Wally dances happily to his trike, monologuing about the badge and all the new friends he's made, Dorothy is sadder than ever - still in shock that her friends have forgotten her birthday. Wally attempts to comfort her - "You're special to me. I haven't forgotten it's your birthday!" - and they reflect on the day they've had while sitting on a bench. Dorothy tells Wally that "if he believes in himself, good things will happen."
Dorothy starts singing, and Wally begins to daydream. Suddenly, Wally finds himself sitting on a stool on the Magic Club stage, in the middle of three magicians who are dancing to an orchestral piece.
Song 16: Wally's Dream Music
In the middle of the song, the lights go dark and Wally sees a vision of Waldo, who tells him to believe in himself, and to "remember the magic chest."
Wally nods understandingly and the lights return to normal, with the magicians making a return. As the song ends, we fade back into the bench scene, where Dorothy wakes Wally up and tells him she needs to get back and tell Greg what happened. Wally steps up and says he should have to tell Greg since he broke the wand. He then has an epiphany - if he wins the magic competition, he can give the Great Waldo's wand to Greg.
There's just one problem: Wally's just about out of time, since the registration deadline is 6pm. But Dorothy has a way - by pedaling inhumanly fast on Wally's trike, they're able to exit Wiggle World through the rainbow and make it to the Magic Club just in time, nearly crashing into Roland's limousine on the way. They are briefly held up by Jimbo the Juggler (Mic Conway), who smugly tells Wally to put his trike in the packed car park. Wally makes a witty retort - "You're a juggler, you find a spot!" - tosses Jimbo his helmet, makes his way in and signs up just seconds before the deadline.
Cecil notices Wally after directing the contestants backstage, and is shocked to see him. Wally introduces Cecil to Dorothy, and informs him that he's discovered the true key to being a good magician. Cecil reminds Wally that the competition is tough, and that he'll "have to do something very unusual to win."
Scene 11[]
Montage: The Wiggles and their friends head off to the circus tent for the party. The Wiggles try to keep a look out for Dorothy - it's their last hope.
Backstage, Wally and the other magicians are getting ready to perform. Roland enters and teases Wally, making fun of his battered costume. Suddenly, Waldo's advice hits him - "Remember the magic chest." Wally finds said chest and digs through it. He tells Dorothy that he remembers how Waldo would wear a special suit to competitions, and he suddenly finds the sharp, purple-and-gold suit in question. He even manages to come across Waldo's magic cabinet.
At the circus tent, The Wiggles are very patiently waiting for Dorothy to arrive - visibly bored out of their minds. They attempt to come up with an idea to locate her, to no avail.
Meanwhile, Wally is fixing up his costume backstage with Dorothy's help, while Roland is pretentiously swooshing his cape. Wally is obviously annoyed by this, and even mocks him by swooshing his own cape. Jimbo informs Roland he's next up, and he begrudgingly tells Wally that he's last up, and he can watch Roland from side stage.
Roland finishes up an impressive act, with a final score of all 9's across Cecil and the other two judges. Dorothy encourages Wally, to which he responds, "I can do it, Dorothy. I believe in myself." Cecil introduces Wally to the audience, and he's welcomed with minimal, polite applause. Dead silence. He locks eyes with Roland, who is staring at him pitifully. Wally attempts the "connecting rings" trick he failed earlier...
...they connect. The audience applauds. With a simple blow of air, they disconnect smoothly. He makes his way to the table and attempts his next trick - he pours a beaker of liquid into a small bucket, waves his hand over it, and successfully shocks the judges, who expect to be splashed but end up covered in confetti. The applause increases - Roland is visibly nervous.
More confident than ever, he reveals Waldo's cabinet, spins it around and opens it up - nothing inside. A quick wave of the hands and he opens it again - a massive array of flowers come flying out into the audience and rain down like bubbles. He closes up the cabinet and lifts up his cape - Roland and the judges watch curiously. He puts it down to reveal Dorothy standing behind him, to the delight of the audience. He presents Dorothy with another bunch of flowers - again, the flowers all fall off their stems. But this time, he blows on the end of the stem to reveal some red roses.
Wally and Dorothy take a bow and the audience erupts in applause. The judges reveal their scores: 9, 9, and - from Uncle Cecil himself - a 10. Wally reacts in absolute shock, realising that he has finally achieved his dream. Cecil walks on stage with Waldo's wand while Roland looks on - he is visibly disappointed, but at the same time, genuinely impressed. Cecil confirms Wally to be the winner and presents him with his great-grandfather's magic wand. He then informs Wally about the circus tent celebration, and he agrees to perform. Dorothy and Wally head off to Wigglehouse to find The Wiggles.
Back at the circus tent, everybody's still waiting for Dorothy - they've clearly lost hope.
Scene 12[]
Dorothy and Wally arrive at Wigglehouse and are greeted by Door. They are asked to do The Test and succeed. The house falls apart for the second time - "Twice in one day? No wonder I'm becoming unhinged." - and Dorothy begins checking their rooms, but there's nobody there. Wally suggests going to the celebration as a way of cheering her up, but she's lost all hope and has no desire to go.
Back at the circus tent, The Wiggles officially decide to put off the party for another dinosaur year. Just as everybody's leaving, Cecil, Roland and Jimbo arrive. Mrs. Bingle explains that she hired the competition winner to perform, and Cecil asks what's going on. Greg explains the situation, which prompts Cecil to say "You pack up, I'll wait here for Wally." Everybody recognizes the name, when suddenly Dorothy and Wally walk into the tent.
Everyone immediately shouts "Surprise!" and breaks into a shortened rendition of D.O.R.O.T.H.Y. (My Favourite Dinosaur). Dorothy is in shock, and The Wiggles are relieved to see her. Dorothy formally introduces Wally to The Wiggles, and Wally owns up to breaking Greg's wand, presenting him with Waldo's wand as a replacement. Dorothy brings up how Wally won it, and Captain mentions him saving the young boy pirate earlier. Greg tells Wally that he's earned the wand and promptly gives it back, informing him that he's got replacement wands and that Waldo's wand serves as a symbol for all the people he's helped. Murray proclaims "Let's party!" and the celebration begins - Wally and Roland even exchange a high-five.
Song 17: Let's Have A Party
The film ends with a shot of the circus tent, where we see The Wiggles' name lit up by fireworks in the sky.
Song 18: Wiggly Medley/Credits
Production[]
Development[]
The script was completed in August 1996, although the film was not officially announced until early 1997.[1]
While The Wiggles filmed the movie, they donned newly updated skivvies and custom belt designs in the shape of their logo. In addition, they produced new costumes for The Wiggly Friends. However, they continued to use their then-current look (plain skivvies and belt buckles) when they performed shows during and after the production period. This updated aesthetic would make its official debut 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[]
- The Wiggles: Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Greg Page
- Wally the Great: Tony Harvey
- Dorothy the Dinosaur: Leeanne Ashley
- Dorothy's Voice: Carolyn Ferrie
- Mrs. Bingle: Joanne Samuel
- Captain Feathersword: Paul Paddick
- Henry the Octopus: Donna Halloran
- Henry's Voice: Jeff Fatt
- Wags the Dog: Paul Paddick, Paul Field (Circus Scene)
- Magic Club President: Norry Constantian
- Roland the Remarkable: Dale Burridge
- Little Girl with Glasses: Meaghan Woodhouse
- Jimbo the Juggler: Mic Conway
- Postman: Mic Conway
- Officer Beaples: Leanne Halloran
- Life-Saver: Paul Paddick
- Rose Robber: Paul Paddick
- Young Murray: Daniel Lack
- Young Jeff: Eddy Jong
- Young Anthony: Justin Woodhouse
- Young Greg: Lachlan McCarthy
- Wagettes: Lachlan McCarthy, Cassandra Halloran, Jessica Halloran
- Ballerina: Holly McGlinchy
- Male Dancer: Cameron Lewis
- Alfonso Tiramisu (Tenor): Roger Lemke
- Ice Cream Boy: Luke Field
- Gelati Vendor: Luigi De Luca
- Dancing Magicians: Leanne Halloran, Donna Halloran, Edward Rooke
- Young Boy Pirate: Blake Bowden
Pirates[]
- Donna Halloran
- Cameron Lewis
- Craig Henderson
- Reem Hanwell
- Alissa Russo
- Elyssa Dawson
- Cie Jai Legget
- Kristen Knox
- Michelle Drady
- Rhiannah Kitching
- Sarah Bowden
Mrs. Bingle's Class[]
- Clare Field
- Amy Dunbar
- Emma Ryan
- Bradley Benson
- Sophie Hendrix
- Madeleine Hurley
- Caitlin Mollica
- Sian Ryan
- Shanna Curry
- Anthony Silvestrini
- Cassandra Halloran
Puppeteers[]
- Gavin Sainsbury
- Edward Rooke
- Sheryl Talmage
- Melissa King
- David Anthony
- Matthew McCoy
Uncredited Cast[]
- Baby Dorothy's Voice: Carolyn Ferrie
- Wags' Voice: Paul Paddick and Jeff Fatt (Songs only)
- Henry's Voice: Jeff Fatt
- Voice of Sir Lesley Longley: Anthony Field[3]
- Voice of Jacques the Shark: Paul Field
- Voice of Waldo the Magnificent: Paul Field
- Iggy, Ziggy, and Frank’s Voices: Paul Paddick
- Other Students: Joseph Field, Jessica Halloran
- Door's Voice: Tony Harvey[4]
- Party Performers: Larissa Wright, Holly McGlinchy
- Magic Club Judges: Anthony Field, Greg Page
- Concert Mother: Pauline Field
- Old Woman at Magic Club: Marie Field
Locations[]
- The Magic Club
- Mrs. Bingle's School
- Dorothy's Garden
- Henry's Place
- Wags World
- Wiggle Town
- Brrrrrr Street
- The S.S Feathersword
- Wigglehouse
- Circus Tent
Soundtrack[]
For more information, see here
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[]
- Hey There Wally
- Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?)
- Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?)
- Rock-A-Bye Your Bear
- Quack Quack
- Rockin' And A Rollin' Sea
- Boom Boom
- Mrs Bingles Theme
- Tap Wags
- Ballerina, Ballerina
- Ooh It's Captain Feathersword
- Hot Potato (Young Wiggles)
- Romp Bomp A Stomp
- I'm a Cow
- Nya Nya Nya
- Wally's Dream Music
- Let's Have A Party
- Wiggly Medley
CD Songs[]
- Wigglemix (Seen in The Dorothy the Dinosaur and Friends Video (Australia) and Yummy Yummy (1998 video) (International) as Puppets)
Other Music[]
- Crazy Anthony - score heard when Anthony is sent into a frenzy by the whistle
- 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 trike crashes in to the 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 backstage 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 | |
|---|---|
 1998 Australian VHS Cover | |
|
Released |
|
|
Filmed |
March - April 1997[6] |
|
Previous Video |
Wiggle Time! (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 streaming services.
TV Airdates[]
- Showtime:
- June 1999[7]
- Sky Movies:
- October 1999[citation needed]
- Seven Network:
- October 5, 2003[8]
- Disney Channel:
- 200? (month/date/year unknown)[9]
Trivia[]
- The movie was released on the exact day as Chris Farley's death.
- 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.
- Some fans consider this film to be the unofficial pilot to The Wiggles’ TV series.
- 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. 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.
- 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 ask "Christmas Day?" does somewhat make sense for the movie, as it came out in Australian cinemas 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.
- 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 was not 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.
- Other guitars on the racks were guitars that The Wiggles did not use until their later videos and TV series such as the KidsWay Guitar (from Hoop-Dee-Doo It's a Wiggly Party), Rickenbacker 360 Deluxe Thinline (from Animals), Ibanez Musician Bass MC924, and a custom Fender MST-32 Mini Stratocaster. The MST-32 Mini Stratocaster was later seen during "Hot Potato".
- The space on the rack was for the Fender American Vintage Telecaster ("Red Starry Guitar"), which accounts for why Murray was using it for the show, and he took it with him throughout the rest of the film.
- 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" was commonly 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.
- The HIT Entertainment DVD has the menu appear first before the warning screens, previews, and program.
- The 2008 UK handle case re-release was released a day before the You Make Me Feel Like Dancing video was released in America.
- The US Screener VHS was released on the same day that Barney Songs From the Park VHS & DVD was released.
Goofs[]
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 cinemas 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.
- The Wiggles and Hilton Fatt were not credited as executive producers. In addition to not being credited in the movie itself, Hilton Fatt also was not credited as executive producer on the back cover of the Warner Home Video DVD release for the film.
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[]
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age/127581761/
- ↑ 20 Jun 1997, Page 64 - The Age
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.instagram.com/p/CRSxfRAHol0/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210503044312/https://twitter.com/GregPage_Yellow/status/1389077934518853634
- ↑ http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Discs/Disc.asp?ID=9360
- ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/the-wiggles-53d7aff1.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWRUcaA3vy8
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/the-wiggles-movie-channel-7-broadcast-05-10-2003
- ↑ Image uploaded to The Wiggles World Discord server
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 TRILT listings
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 German broadcast dates via Fernsehserien's website
- ↑ https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20010608154827/http://www.theage.com.au/daily/981019/news/news5.html
- ↑ https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/the-wiggly-way-20050522-geww32.html
- ↑ https://www.kidspot.com.au/lifestyle/entertainment/celebrity-news/anthony-field-reveals-the-wiggles-are-planning-a-new-movie/news-story/f6cce2f4ca996662a1ff0719ef756198