Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: The show's art style, animation
Likes: "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!," the Kooky Kid
Dislikes:
Hates: Most kids shows

The Show
Wubbzy is no creature you can define, with his curly, prehensile tail, square body and bright yellow color, but there's no denying he sure is cute, as he bounds about the town of Wuzzleburg with child-like glee. The happiness and wonder he expresses when exploring the world, vocalized with his trademark "Wow! Wow!," is infectious and makes every adventure a fun experience.

Joining Wubbzy are his pals Widget and Walden. Southern-accented Widget is a handy pink rabbit who can whip up a nifty invention to solve most any problem, while Walden (who I believe is a koala, based mainly on his Aussie-like accent) is the brains of the group, bring a wide array of knowledge to the party, to go with his meek, bookwormy look and personality. Together, they are a tight trio of friends who can help each other through any problem and have fun doing it. Most adventures include some sort of message or moral, but it never feels preachy.

On this DVD, the first for "Wubbzy!," there are three episodes (made up of six stories), and it's a pretty good selection of shows, including "Attack of the 50-Foot Fleegle," where Wubbzy gets the most adorable rapidly-expanding pet ever, and "Come Spy with Me," in which Wubbzy and Widget follow Walden around to figure out his secret. With stories about not lying and how being different is OK, these are positive cartoons that young ones will actually enjoy, as the message is blended well with the silly fun.

For kids, the appeal of the show is obvious, as the adorable animals, bright color palette and frequently frenetic pace are all child-friendly, but for myself, the appeal of the show is mainly in the clean, geometric art style, which looks in some ways like it was inspired by video games. The other impressive part of the series is the music, which is bouncy and perfectly suited for what's going on in the show. The music is especially fun in the music videos that follow each two-story episode, which feature incredibly catchy songs about one of the morals in the show, accompanied by fun animation.

Stories included on this release:
A Tale of Tails: People won't play with Wubbzy because of his tail, which makes him sad
Special Delivery: When a delivery for Walden is dropped at Wubbzy's, he gives into his curiosity
Widget's Wild Ride: Widget makes a fancy new car for Wubbzy to drive in the town's big race
Attack of the 50-Foot Fleegle: Wubbzy gets a pet that won't stop growing
Come Spy With Me: Widget and Wubbzy spy on the suddenly secretive Walden
Wubbzy Tells a Whopper: Wubbzy covers up after breaking Widget's Whammer Hammer

The DVD
A one-disc release, this DVD is packed with some promotional inserts in a single-width yellow keepcase (to match Wubbzy), which is inside a slipcover with a lenticular 3-D cover. The disc features a nice animated full-frame main menu, with options to play all, select shows, adjust languages and check out the bonus features. Audio options are English and French 2.0 tracks, while there are no subtitles, though closed captioning is included.

The Quality
The video quality of these full-frame transfers is excellent in terms of the color, clarity and detail, which is to be expected from a series animated in Flash. There are no obvious issues with digital artifacts, and obviously no dirt or damage at all.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks are impressively strong, with no issues with separation or distortion. The mix plays things down the middle, and sounds better than it's ever sounded on TV.

The Extras
Two bonus stories are included, Mt. Fizzy Pop and Puddle Muddle, but oddly, they are listed on the episode menu with the rest of the main content, so whether they are extras or not is questionable. An extra music video, "Kooky is Cool," (a personal favorite) is also available, along with the option to watch just the music videos in a single batch.

Pop the disc into your DVD-ROM drive and there are more extras to check out, including a link to a amusing, and somewhat difficult online game of ring toss, along with a set of printables that includes coloring sheets, cut-outs, a connect-the-dots activity and a foldable party invite.

The Bottom Line
A cute, fun series, "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!" doesn't offer much for the adults watching, but it isn't boring or sickeningly sweet either, and it's got the qualities that will entertain kids, as well as adding in some positive messages. This DVD doesn't pile on extras or even content (as is the standard for kids DVDs,) but it looks and sounds great. With so many options out there as far as kids shows go, this is one of the better choices for everyone in the room.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.