Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue! – Volume One (Warner DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: C
There is
no question that Hanna-Barbera’s original cartoon creations have created a
plethora of spin-off characters and series, but there gets to be a point when
enough is a enough. Just released on DVD
is Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!:
Volume 1 that once again transforms the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? classic into a debauchery of cartoon
mayhem. Well for those of you counting
this is Scooby-Doo horrible incarnation number 10 and even though it got Joseph
Barbera’s stamp of approval, no fan of the classic will accept this series
lightly.
The main
focus of the series is Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo. Apparently a rich uncle of Shaggy’s has
recently passed away and left him everything…including a ton of money. With the money Shaggy and Scooby update the
mystery mobile so that it now can turn into a plethora of vehicles. Something this reviewer just rolls his eyes
at. Besides inheriting all the money it
seems Shaggy has inherited all his uncles old, jealous enemies; the worst of
which being Dr Phinius Phibes, a one handed crazy man bent on finding Shaggy’s
uncle old inventions. The inventions are
high tech nano technology that Shaggy and Scooby are completely unaware of, as
well as being unaware of the fact that they are hidden in Scooby Snacks. Upon ingestion some wild and crazy things
happen…some things that no dog should ever do.
Like make another bad series.
The
technical features of this one disc set are simple with nothing flashy. The picture is presented in an ordinary 1.33
X 1 full screen format to preserve the original aspect ratio. The picture is clean but the quality seems a
bit bright and/or washed. The sound is
unimpressive in its Dolby Digital 2.0 surrounds, but what do you want from such
a simple series. The extras are nearly
nonexistent only offering kids a chance to play a silly game called Shaggy and Scooby-Doo’s Crooked Caper
Challenge that consists of a ‘figure out the bad guy’ sequence, a shrink
gun game, and a maze challenge (that could lead many to suicide if you play too
long).
In the
end, the series is purely unnecessary.
Kids deserve better than this, show them the classic Scooby-Doo. The art on this series is plain and
uninspiring, often appearing over sanitized.
The episodes are boring and only become slightly interesting with
references to the classic Scooby-Doo.
Even Shaggy and Scooby are only shells of their old selves; with a new
‘hip’ look reminding this reviewer of something you would see in a Hallmark
card, not a good series. The creators
need to get a clue…this is a definite pass.
- Michael P Dougherty II
