PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
The Wiggles-Yule Be Wiggling (2001)
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The Wiggles-Yule Be Wiggling (2001)
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If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD
Released 4-Dec-2001
This review is sponsored by
Details At A Glance
| General |
Extras |
| Category |
Childrens |
Menu Audio
Karaoke-15
Read Along-The Christmas Fairy
Featurette-Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?
Gallery-Photo
DVD-ROM Extras-Games, Web Links
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| Rating |
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Year Of Production
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2001
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| Running Time |
47:49 (Case: 67)
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RSDL
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Flipper
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No/No
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Cast & Crew |
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Start Up
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Menu |
| Region Coding |
1,2,3,4,5,6
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Directed By |
Chisholm McTavish
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Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment
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Starring |
Murray Cook
Jeff Fatt
Anthony Field
Greg Page
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| Case |
Soft Brackley-Transp |
| RPI |
$34.95
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Music |
None Given
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NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.
Plot Synopsis
It'd be wonderful to be part of The Wiggles: Christmas comes around and if you're running short of the old ready all you need say is "let's do a Christmas Special". Hey presto - instant cash. Perhaps I'm being just a little naughty, but these guys have been at this lark for so long now that it must be so very easy. The format of this Christmas outing provides few surprises for those familiar with the colourful foursome, with two minor exceptions. All of the songs are new to the group's repertoire (most seemingly newly written with a Christmas theme, but with a couple of traditional seasonal songs thrown in) and the whole show is studio produced. The latter detracts somewhat from the energy levels previously seen from filmed live stage productions, but this is unlikely to be a consideration for the target audience. When I reviewed The Wiggles' first DVD (Wiggly DVD) I was unfamiliar with their work. I canned its content for being lightweight. Changes in my young (and growing) family now mean that I'm entirely familiar with the full range of children's TV and video, and I've got to admit that even I find The Wiggles' material pretty enjoyable. In contrast to a lot of the stuff to emerge from the US, especially "that other pink dinosaur" whose music is mind-bogglingly sugary and one-dimensional, The Wiggles make use of their Cockroaches heritage to produce music with real rhythm and melody, and performances that exude energy. It may still have little to offer in the way of knowledge development but it's great to see your young children starting to sing and dance along to the songs.
Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.
Transfer Quality
Video
Once again the production quality of the video really is first class. Being produced entirely in a controlled studio environment there have been no compromises necessary with lighting or camera work. Clearly the material is sourced from a high quality video master and comes in full screen format (1.33:1, not 16x9 enhanced). There is a slight softness in the image that comes with any video camera but edge definition is remarkably good. Shadows are rarely of any great depth (again, due to the studio lighting) but when they do appear they fail to show any real detail. There is no low level noise and no graininess. Colours are highly saturated with tremendous variety on offer, and there is no significant colour bleeding visible. In this regard I guess the overabundance of bright colour is almost as important as the rest of the package.
There are no artefacts of any type to note.
Video Ratings Summary
| Sharpness |  |
| Shadow Detail |  |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
Audio
The audio is reproduced via a straight English Dolby Digital 2.0 track. However, it's a pretty immersive aural experience with both a wide front soundstage and significant use of the surround speakers to create lots of depth. Even in the absence of a specific LFE channel, the subwoofer gets plenty of use supporting the low end of the musical material. This all contributes to the fullness of sound achievable from the disc. Dialogue is always crystal clear, although some of the dubbing that has obviously taken place is not always in great sync. This is not something to be taken too seriously.
Audio Ratings Summary
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
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| Surround Channel Use | |
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Extras
Menu Audio
Karaoke
This is simply the entire show repeated with karaoke-style subtitles for the songs. You're given the option of jumping directly to each song. Read Along - The Christmas Fairy
A rather longish story about the Christmas fairy. You have the choice of either reading the text as it appears on the screen or of having the text read out as you go. Featurette - Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?
This is rather painful, as Dorothy and Captain Feathersword very slowly explain the background of Christmas. Too dry for any audience, and quite a departure from the normally upbeat Wiggles. Photo Gallery
7 small photos of The Wiggles and friends. Gee, OK. DVD-ROM Extras - Games, Web Links
We have a Drop and Drag game, which allows you to drag various Christmas decorations onto a bare Christmas tree, Captain Feathersword's Magic Christmas Buttons game, which lets you push the Captain's coat buttons to select various song snippets, and a direct link to The Wiggles internet home page. Not a lot, really, considering the internet link is available to anyone.
R4 vs R1
NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible.
There is no R1 version. Go Aussie, Go.
Summary
More of the same Wiggles stuff. Bright, colourful, lightweight but fun. If you're in the market for this then you needn't fear the technical quality of the disc. If you're not then you're not even reading this.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
© Murray Glase (read my bio)
Sunday, December 30, 2001
| Review Equipment |
| DVD | Toshiba SD-K310, using S-Video output |
| Display | Pioneer SD-T43W1 (125cm).
Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
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| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver.
Calibrated with Video Essentials.
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| Amplification | Pioneer VSX-D906S |
| Speakers | Richter Wizard (front), Jamo SAT150 (rear), Yamaha YST-SW120 (subwoofer) |
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