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Scooby-Doo in Pirates Ahoy!
Warner Bros. // Unrated // September 19, 2006
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
When I think of someone cashing in on the success of a movie, what typically comes to mind are exploitation or low-budget films. For decades, there have been cheap knock-offs of more successful movies. In the middle of the 20th century, these movies would usually play at drive-ins or as part of a double-bill. (Just look at how many rip-offs there were of movies such as The Exorcsit, Jaws, and Star Wars. As the video revolution dawned, these films would suddenly show up in the video store. However, riding the coattails of a successful trend isn't beneath the bigger names in Hollywood. Due to the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, pirates are very hot right now, thus Warner Home Video brings us Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!.
As Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! opens, a research vessel cruising through the Bermuda Triangle is invaded by a ship full of pirate ghosts (or are they ghost pirates?). The lone survivor is star-mapper Rupert Garcia (voiced by Freddy Rodriguez). The scene then shifts to Miami, where the familiar Mystery Inc. gang, Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker), Shaggy (voiced by Casey Kasem), Fred (voiced by Frank Welker), Daphne (voiced by Grey Delisle) and Velma (voiced by Mindy Cohn), are meeting Fred's parents, Skip (voiced by Tim Conway) and Peggy (voiced by Edie McClurg) for a voyage aboard a cruise ship.
Once on board the boat, they meet the cruise director, Sunny St. Cloud (voiced by Kathy Najimy) and Captain Crothers (voiced by Arsenio Hall). Almost immediately, odd things begin happening on the ship and the group soon realizes that they are part of a "mystery cruise" and much to the chagrin to the other passengers, they solve every mystery. Thus, they don't find it odd when Rupert Garcia is found drifting in the water, and they dismiss his tale of ghost pirates. It also seems mundane when billionaire playboy, Biff Wellington (voiced by Ron Perlman) lands his jet-pack on the deck of the ship. However, things get truly odd when, during Mr. Mysterio's (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) hypnotism act, the ghost ship attacks the cruise ship and the pirates overtake the vessel. Now alone on board, Scooby and his friends chase the ghost ship and find themselves face-to-face with the tyrannical Captain Skunkbeard (voiced by Ron Perlman).
With the advent of the direct-to-DVD "Scooby-Doo" movies with 1998's Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, the series has gone in many different directions. The aforementioned Zombie Island revamped the series by having the gang face real supernatural creatures instead of the typical "guy in a costume" foe. But, Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! harkens back to the type of story which was prevalent on the Scooby-Doo, Where are You? TV series from the late 60s-early 70s. The Mystery Inc. gang (and I still stand by my assertion that I never heard "Mystery Inc." mentioned on the old shows) travels to an exotic locale and meets a ghostly foe. It was also customary for the older series to throw in random relatives, such as Fred's parents. These are the only homages to the old shows. All of the "monsters" on the "Mystery Cruise" are villains from the classic series. For me, this "old school" approach really helped to broaden the appeal of Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!, which otherwise would have been a somewhat lackluster affair.
Given that, viewers may be somewhat divided on the overall quality of Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!. Life-long fans of "Scooby-Doo", such as myself, will delight in the fact that this movie has attempted to recapture the flavor of Scooby-Doo, Where are You?, and smile knowingly at the clever nods to the old show. However, once the direction of the story becomes clear, these same devotees may find the proceedings a tad boring, as the movie follows the formula of the old series and is somewhat predictable.
On the flipside, the newer generation of "Scooby-Doo" fans should really take to this tale. The story moves along at a nice pace, and the movie doesn't make any "bones" about the scary nature of the pirates. As one would expect, the movie showcases a mixture of adventure and comedy, and even features the reliable "chase set to music" which was so often featured in the TV series. The animation is unpredictable, as some scenes show a nice multi-plane look, while others sorely lack in detail.
Video
Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! heads out to sea on DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video. The movie is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The transfer is OK, but it does have some problems. The image is sharp and clear, showing no defects from the source material or grain. The colors look fine, as the palette runs more towards the darker end, but the occasional bright colors look good as well. The transfer does render jagged lines and video noise in the animation at times. The edges of image are quite soft at times, reducing the amount detail.
Audio
The DVD carries a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are plentiful and noticeable. However, except for musical cues, the surround sound effects were seemingly non-existent, as were the subwoofer effects. The audio is fine for an animated feature of this quality, but more could have been done with the 5.1 sound.
Extras
The only extra on the Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! DVD is a set-top game entitled "The Bermuda Maneuver".
There's nothing quite like an experience that takes one back to one's childhood, and that's what I got with Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!. The movie doesn't live up to the quality of Scooby-Doo, Where are You?, but it does an admirable job of trying to recapture the spirit of the old shows. Thus, fans old and new alike, should find something to like about this movie.
When I think of someone cashing in on the success of a movie, what typically comes to mind are exploitation or low-budget films. For decades, there have been cheap knock-offs of more successful movies. In the middle of the 20th century, these movies would usually play at drive-ins or as part of a double-bill. (Just look at how many rip-offs there were of movies such as The Exorcsit, Jaws, and Star Wars. As the video revolution dawned, these films would suddenly show up in the video store. However, riding the coattails of a successful trend isn't beneath the bigger names in Hollywood. Due to the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, pirates are very hot right now, thus Warner Home Video brings us Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!.
As Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! opens, a research vessel cruising through the Bermuda Triangle is invaded by a ship full of pirate ghosts (or are they ghost pirates?). The lone survivor is star-mapper Rupert Garcia (voiced by Freddy Rodriguez). The scene then shifts to Miami, where the familiar Mystery Inc. gang, Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker), Shaggy (voiced by Casey Kasem), Fred (voiced by Frank Welker), Daphne (voiced by Grey Delisle) and Velma (voiced by Mindy Cohn), are meeting Fred's parents, Skip (voiced by Tim Conway) and Peggy (voiced by Edie McClurg) for a voyage aboard a cruise ship.
Once on board the boat, they meet the cruise director, Sunny St. Cloud (voiced by Kathy Najimy) and Captain Crothers (voiced by Arsenio Hall). Almost immediately, odd things begin happening on the ship and the group soon realizes that they are part of a "mystery cruise" and much to the chagrin to the other passengers, they solve every mystery. Thus, they don't find it odd when Rupert Garcia is found drifting in the water, and they dismiss his tale of ghost pirates. It also seems mundane when billionaire playboy, Biff Wellington (voiced by Ron Perlman) lands his jet-pack on the deck of the ship. However, things get truly odd when, during Mr. Mysterio's (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) hypnotism act, the ghost ship attacks the cruise ship and the pirates overtake the vessel. Now alone on board, Scooby and his friends chase the ghost ship and find themselves face-to-face with the tyrannical Captain Skunkbeard (voiced by Ron Perlman).
With the advent of the direct-to-DVD "Scooby-Doo" movies with 1998's Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, the series has gone in many different directions. The aforementioned Zombie Island revamped the series by having the gang face real supernatural creatures instead of the typical "guy in a costume" foe. But, Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! harkens back to the type of story which was prevalent on the Scooby-Doo, Where are You? TV series from the late 60s-early 70s. The Mystery Inc. gang (and I still stand by my assertion that I never heard "Mystery Inc." mentioned on the old shows) travels to an exotic locale and meets a ghostly foe. It was also customary for the older series to throw in random relatives, such as Fred's parents. These are the only homages to the old shows. All of the "monsters" on the "Mystery Cruise" are villains from the classic series. For me, this "old school" approach really helped to broaden the appeal of Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!, which otherwise would have been a somewhat lackluster affair.
Given that, viewers may be somewhat divided on the overall quality of Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!. Life-long fans of "Scooby-Doo", such as myself, will delight in the fact that this movie has attempted to recapture the flavor of Scooby-Doo, Where are You?, and smile knowingly at the clever nods to the old show. However, once the direction of the story becomes clear, these same devotees may find the proceedings a tad boring, as the movie follows the formula of the old series and is somewhat predictable.
On the flipside, the newer generation of "Scooby-Doo" fans should really take to this tale. The story moves along at a nice pace, and the movie doesn't make any "bones" about the scary nature of the pirates. As one would expect, the movie showcases a mixture of adventure and comedy, and even features the reliable "chase set to music" which was so often featured in the TV series. The animation is unpredictable, as some scenes show a nice multi-plane look, while others sorely lack in detail.
Video
Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! heads out to sea on DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video. The movie is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The transfer is OK, but it does have some problems. The image is sharp and clear, showing no defects from the source material or grain. The colors look fine, as the palette runs more towards the darker end, but the occasional bright colors look good as well. The transfer does render jagged lines and video noise in the animation at times. The edges of image are quite soft at times, reducing the amount detail.
Audio
The DVD carries a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are plentiful and noticeable. However, except for musical cues, the surround sound effects were seemingly non-existent, as were the subwoofer effects. The audio is fine for an animated feature of this quality, but more could have been done with the 5.1 sound.
Extras
The only extra on the Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy! DVD is a set-top game entitled "The Bermuda Maneuver".
There's nothing quite like an experience that takes one back to one's childhood, and that's what I got with Scooby-Doo!: Pirates Ahoy!. The movie doesn't live up to the quality of Scooby-Doo, Where are You?, but it does an admirable job of trying to recapture the spirit of the old shows. Thus, fans old and new alike, should find something to like about this movie.
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