The show itself is actually pretty good especially since it’s geared more towards kids (though there is a fair amount of innuendo that will go over them) but I have a hard time recommending this release because there are only 4 episodes in a 16-episode season. Doing the math, $10/set = $40 for a season with no features, is a tad much. If it these could be had for, say, $5-6/set, then I probably would be on board.
Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated: Season One, Volume 1 (2010)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Animation, Comedy, Mystery
Warner Bros. | NR – 92 min. – $14.98 | January 25, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Various
Writer(s): Various
Cast: Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, Patrick Warburton, Gary Cole, Frances Conroy
DISC INFO:
Features: None
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (Dolby Surround Stereo), French (Dolby Surround Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Surround Stereo)
Video: Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: None
THE MOVIE – 3/5
Please note, my 3/5 grade for “Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated” isn’t so much the quality of the program (which if I were to grade the entire season, it’d be a 4/5) but for the fact that rather than releasing the first season in either two parts or, *gasp*, as a complete set, Warner has decided to release Season One in four volumes (16 episodes total, 4 episodes per volume).
Anyway, as for this latest incarnation of Scooby-Doo and the gang, I found it quite refreshing. As a kid I enjoyed the original series, “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” though watching it again as an adult, while containing some nostalgic value, frankly didn’t hold up well in the 21st century as it had in the late 60s/early 70s when it aired.
In this newest version, Fred (FRANK WELKER), Velma (MINDY COHN), Daphne (GREY DELISLE), Shaggy (MATTHEW LILLARD) and Scooby (WELKER) are in high school and living in Crystal Cove, a town that relies on gullible tourists wanting to know more about the ghostly and supernatural elements that often occur. But not everyone likes the kids and their dog going around solving crimes. The town’s mayor (GARY COLE) – who is also Fred’s dad –, the town sheriff (PATRICK WARBURTON) and the curators of the Crystal Cove museum – Velma’s parents – chronicles the various monsters the Scooby gang had exposed, though the museum was there trying to show that they’re real and thus spark up interest and money. And Shaggy has his own family with Uncle Colton Rogers (voiced by CASEY KASEM) who shows up a couple of times.
“Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated” is an inspiring revamping of a long-running cartoon that has spawned a few television series, including the incredibly awful “Scooby-Doo Get a Clue”, and countless number of TV movies. This version has some of the basic elements like Shaggy and Scooby’s insatiable appetite, their desire to run away from a mystery rather than investigating it and the general characteristics of the others in the gang. Where the change comes is the relationships adding another dimension. From reading various message boards, I know this aspect makes some fans cringe but I like that they are at least trying something different and it mostly works. There are two relationships going on: one between Shaggy and Velma, one he wants to keep secret for fear Scooby would get jealous which, admittedly, doesn’t lead to a whole lot of laughs and the other between Fred and Daphne which is a good running joke through the season as he’s oblivious to her advances wanting more to focus on the traps.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5
No real features except for some previews for Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster and “Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” and via the main menu, trailers for Scooby-Doo: Camp Scare, Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes and Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp.
VIDEO – 3.5/5
The episodes are presented in their original 1.78 aspect ratio and given this version are bright, it comes across well enough on DVD though there is some pixilation but it’s not so overwhelming that it would be a distraction.
AUDIO – 2.75/5
All I can say is the Dolby Surround Stereo track is adequate but for obvious reasons doesn’t exactly provide for an all encompassing aural experience. Again, it’s probably on par with what is seen in the show’s original airings.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, the show itself is actually pretty good especially since it’s geared more towards kids (though there is a fair amount of innuendo that will go over them) but I have a hard time recommending this release because there are only 4 episodes in a 16-episode season. Doing the math, $10/set = $40 for a season with no features, is a tad much. If it these could be had for, say, $5-6/set, then I probably would be on board.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 03/11/2011