All Rise...

Judge Erich Asperschlager invited Mr. and Mrs. Jam over for dinner. They wouldn't leave, so he had to kick them out.

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Yo Gabba Gabba! Birthday Boogie! (published February 1st, 2010), Yo Gabba Gabba! Circus (published June 19th, 2011), Yo Gabba Gabba! Clubhouse (published June 14th, 2010), Yo Gabba Gabba! Let's Visit The Doctor! (published January 16th, 2011), Yo Gabba Gabba! Meet My Family (published October 20th, 2009), Yo Gabba Gabba! New Friends (published April 6th, 2009), Yo Gabba Gabba! Party In A Box (published July 12th, 2011), Yo Gabba Gabba! Super Spies (published April 28th, 2012), and Yo Gabba Gabba! The Dancey Dance Bunch (published October 20th, 2008) are also available.

The Charge

"Razzle dazzle! I've got glasses!"

The Case

As much as I love these Yo Gabba Gabba! releases, after a half dozen it's hard to find new things to say about them. So, for this review, I decided to share the duties with the one person in my house who loves the show more than me: my two-year-old daughter. I sat down with her over the course of a few days to watch the newest Gabba collection, Music Makes Me Move!—partly to get her opinion, and partly to make sure I wasn't just imagining seeing a bespectacled man in a jumpsuit singing songs with a Cat Dragon.

• "Band"
After a band of puppet pals stops by for a concert, the Gabba crew decides to make their own music group, with Plex on guitar, Toodee on bass, Brobee on drums, Plex on guitar, and Foofa on tambourine. ("We love to rock, yeah! / Kicking out the jams! / We love to rock, yeah! / Playing in a band!") Harsh early reviews from DJ Lance teach them the need for practice and teamwork. Five minutes later, they write their first hit song, a meta tune about what it takes to write a hit song—things like "drums," "uniqueness," and "keytar."

Also in this episode: Biz's Beat of the Day; The Super Music Friend Show with Lady Tigra and the Yo Gabba backing band; and a DJ Lance Dance. My daughter liked the music in this episode, though she got bored during a song about patience; too bad there wasn't also a song about irony.

• "Move"
It's fun and games time in Gabba Land, as Plex leads the crew in a round of "Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Go! Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Stop!" After Ricky Fitness from the Aquabats shows off his drum kit, the move-a-thon continues with Foofa getting her friends to skippy-skip around with her. Later, she teaches a hyperactive Brobee the value of being quiet while birdwatching.

Also in this episode: An animated ska number about picking up your room; Plex extols the virtues of washing your hair; Tony Hawk shirks his dancey-dance responsibilities, instead showing off his skateboard skills; funny faces with DJ Lance; and Story Time about a near-sighted, Scottish, soccer-playing moose. My daughter seemed engrossed with this episode. The most I could get out of her was a "yeah" when I asked her if that one guy was playing the drums. Near the end of the episode, she turned on her loud "ABC" toy—because sometimes you just need to hear a cartoon character singing the alphabet.

• "Differences"
Muno's increased clumsiness prompts an eye exam from Dr. Plex, who prescribes a special "pair" of one-lensed glasses. Although DJ Lance assures ol' "two eyes" that looking different is great, Toodee and Brobee call him weird, which leads to a nifty song about not saying mean things to friends. Somehow, the events of this episode transpire in such a way that no one bats an eye when DJ Lance says, "I think the toast may need glasses." In the end, the show wusses out of changing the look of a lead character by trading Muno's glasses for contacts—er…contact? Either way, lame.

Also in this episode: Mark Mothersbaugh draws a carrot with sunglasses; and Super Music Friends I'm from Barcelona sing "Just Because It's Different Doesn't Mean It's Scary." My daughter enjoyed this episode, dancing up a storm during the song "All My Friends Are Different." She especially liked the underwater-themed Story Time. At least, that's how I understand "Fish! Some fish! Some fish!…It's not bedtime."

• "Train"
The gang uses teamwork, and a little DJ Lance magic, to turn found objects into a train they ride around Gabba Land. Just as they're ready to leave the station, though, Muno gets scared and needs to be comforted by his friends. Freak-out averted, they go for a ride while singing the songs "Train Ride, We're On A Train Ride" and "Inside Voice, Outside Voice."

Also in this episode: a kid named Ham likes to dance; Foofa navigates a maze with the help of the audience; Laila Ali shows off her dancey-dance, "The Dog"; and an Anime-inspired Story Time. Apparently, I overestimated the effort it would take to sit down with my daughter and watch four full episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba! because I had to watch this one solo. I'm sure she'll see it eventually, though I don't know how much she's into trains. I should probably know that, huh? Maybe I should spend more time with her and less time writing reviews. Thanks for exposing me as a shoddy parent, DJ Lance.

Even if my little experiment didn't work out, I did get to watch most of Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Makes Me Move! with my daughter, and she seemed to dig it. Only time will tell whether it will end up being a go-to DVD like that dang Jack Black episode…man, we watch that a lot. Even if it isn't, Music Makes Me Move! is another solid collection of loosely themed episodes, presented in colorful full frame with a 2.0 stereo mix. There are no bonus features, although the box does advertise the forthcoming Volume 3 of their excellent Music is Awesome CD compilations. Maybe if I buy this new album for my daughter, she'll forgive me for watching that last episode without her.

The Verdict

How can you hate a robot playing keytar? Not Guilty!

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