The Movie:

Okay. Here we go again.

Much like other successful cartoon properties like Storm Hawks or Spectacular Spider-Man from Sony, Scooby-Doo Where Are You! Volume 3: Hello Mummy represents Warner Brothers' continued attempt to double-dip on a popular series. Complete season sets of this landmark cartoon have already been released, in other words, yet the studio opts to now go with pricier single disc releases of the same series (and lacking significant extras to boot).

So, what is a reviewer to do? Scooby Doo Where Are You! is the introductory series of a well-known cartoon gang, and of course I would recommend it. Yet, part of me wants to give a critical drubbing to this release because it seems so unnecessary with a reasonably priced season collection already out there.

Ah well. In any case, this DVD promises four episodes of Scooby-Doo Where Are You! (I always wondered why the title ends with an exclamation point instead of a question mark) and that's precisely what's inside, with all four from the series' inaugural 1969 season. For the uninitiated, Scooby-Doo is a large brown dog who accompanies a gang of teenagers - sensible Fred, nervous Shaggy, brainy Velma, and cute-but-danger-prone Daphne - as they tool around the country in a groovy van solving mysteries. The characters have since become iconic, appearing in numerous sequel series, several live action films, comic books, and a truckload of merchandising.

I've grown up with these episodes of Scooby-Doo Where Are You!, so perhaps I'm a bit biased in a nostalgic sense. However, this series has some magic to it that transcends its cheap animation, recorded laugh track, and redundant storytelling. The characters are all likeable (even if Fred somehow comes off a little dull), and the hijinks the gang gets involved in are reasonably funny. It's juvenile storytelling can engage little kids, but there's enough fun stuff for the adults to keep them from nodding off.

The episodes of Scooby Doo Where Are You! included in this volume are:

The Backstage Rage - A violin case full of money leads the gang to investigate counterfeiters.

Bedlam in the Bigtop - The gang matches wits with an evil-looking "ghost" clown.

A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts - The most fun episode of this set has the gang interacting with a number of Universal Classic Monster archetypes like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolfman, and the Gypsy.

Scooby-Doo and a Mummy Too - Titled Scooby-Doo and a Mummy in the DVD cover art (which clearly takes its inspiration from this episode), the gang deal with a "cursed" mummy.

These episodes are fun, and just about any release of Scooby Doo Where Are You! is going to get a recommendation from me. However, I'd encourage Scooby-Doo fans to skip this release and go for the season set.

The DVD

Video:

Warner Brothers releases these episodes of Scooby-Doo Where Are You! in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio that obviously reflects the cartoon's original television exhibition. Colors are strong, though dirt and other defects were not cleaned. I suspect these are the same transfers as the season set released several years ago.

Sound:

Three languages are represented in the audio options for these episodes: the original English, as well as French and Spanish. All are Dolby Digital 1.0. They may be mono tracks, but that's fine - dialogue is always clear, and that's what's most important here.

Optional subtitles are available in English for the Hearing Impaired, Spanish, and French.

Extras:

A trailer for Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins precedes the main menu. It isn't made available in the Extras menu; however, that submenu does offer ads for Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword, Smurfs Volume 1, Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Seasons 2 - 4, and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

In addition, an episode of Shaggy & Scooby-Doo: Get a Clue! titled High Society Scooby is included in the extras. It's pretty clear to see why this short-lived 2006 cartoon series never caught on. The animation is interesting, but the concept removes Scooby and Shaggy away from their Mystery Inc. friends, leading to a strained concept that tries too hard to be funny and postmodern.

Final Thoughts:

Scooby-Doo Where Are You! Volume 3: Hello Mummy offers four episodes from the landmark cartoon series' first season. It's hard not to recommend anything that collects these shows; however, I'd highly recommend the already-released season set over these piecemeal volumes.

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