Scooby Doo has spanned generations and over 40 years. Since the 1960’s the name and conventions have become a part of the pop culture. The original cartoon series had a series of conventions. The Scooby Gang would drive around in their green Mystery Machine van and solve ghostly mysteries. Fans of the show quickly grew to learn that these spirits and goblins were usually just normal people using scare tactics to get revenge or make a profit. The cartoon classic spawned music albums, live action movies, and several new shows and animated features.
The jokes haven’t changed much, even if the voices have. Frank Welker, who voiced Freddie briefly in 1970, returns as Freddie and Scooby Doo. Unfortunately Don Messick died in 1997, and Welker has been voicing the pup since that time and before. Mindy Cohn has been voicing Velma since 2004, replacing a line of actors starting with Nicole Jaffe. What’s important is that Casey Kasem does not return as Shaggy, a part he’s played since 1969. That part now goes to Matthew Lilard. Don’t get me wrong, he does a fine job, but this was the most unmistakable voice in the mix up until now. Older fans will notice the change with sadness. Part of me is very glad to see that Scooby and the gang are still out there working for Scooby Snax. The charm remains, even if the jokes don’t appear quite as funny anymore. Daphne is now voiced by Grey Delise. She’s done the voice on and off since 2001. Heather North was the original voice and has come back to the role as recently as 2004.
This is a brand new series which began to air in 2010. This single disc release is pretty much just a collection of four episodes. The episodes are:
Beware The Beast From Below:
Even the cops are trying to stop the gang from solving the mystery of a slime creature who wraps up its victims in a slimy cocoon.
The Creeping Creatures:
It’s revenge of the Alligator People. It seems that Gatorsburg is being overrun by them. Beverly D’Angelo reprise her Grizwald character… sort of. It’s the same car and same personalities.
Secret Of The Ghost Rig:
The Ghost Trucker is haunting the town of Crystal Cove. Could it be because there’s a priceless diamond hidden there?
Revenge Of The Man Crab:
A volleyball tournament is in danger when strange crab creatures pull the kids under the sand and hold them hostage.
Video
Scooby Doo is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The colors are actually pretty good here. The entire image is very bright and sharp. Black levels are above average. The animation is clean and smooth. Certainly, Scooby didn’t look this good back in the day. The print is clean, and I saw no real compression problems.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track does exactly what it was originally intended to do. It delivers dialog and some mid-range music. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to distract. A perfectly average presentation.
Special Features
Nothing.
Final Thoughts:
It almost seems like Scooby and the gang have been around forever. Warner has found a gold mine in these vintage characters and simple ghost stories. The series had 14 episodes, so at this pace we’re looking at a while before they’re all available. I’m not sure why a season set isn’t the norm for these cartoons. Of course, there are a few extra bucks to be made this way. ” Oh… right.”
