The Movie

I am at a total loss when it comes to explaining how, of all things, Scooby-Doo has endured over the course of four decades. Now for the record, I am not putting-down the famed Great Dane nor his plucky gang from the Mystery Machine. However, I find it most enigmatic that a throwaway Hanna Barbera cartoon from the late 1960s has not only lasted in public memory since its inception, but instead has positively thrived. Scooby-Doo is as popular today as he ever was, spawning new episodes, millions in merchandising revenues, and a blockbuster motion picture which performed so admirably at the box office that a sequel is coming next Spring.

But, why Scooby-Doo? Why not, say, Jabberjaw or something of the like?

(Well, because Jabberjaw sucked monkey droppings, that's why. A giant walking, talking shark who's entire hook was a really bad Curley Howard impersonation? Puh-leeze!)

Scooby-Doo has become a revered favorite for generations of kids. The show, which premiered as a Saturday morning cartoon in 1969, clicked immediately with children and became a cherished favorite. Each week, millions of adoring youngsters would tune in to watch Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo travel the world in their van, solving mysteries and tearing rubber masks off of old men everywhere. These characters became legends of their era.

Of course, as soon as Generation X discovered drugs and alienation, all sorts of theories emerged that attempted to deconstruct these beloved characters. Why was Shaggy hungry all the time? Why did he and Scooby suddenly turn into raving junkies the minute anyone tempted them with a Scooby Snack? What were those Scooby Snacks laced with? And who names food after a dog? Or, who names a dog after food? With all the mysteries that the gang solved, always resulting in an adoring and grateful group of locals, how come nobody ever kicked in and bought some contact lenses for Velma? Or did they get some kind of perverse pleasure in watching the poor girl crawl along the floor, near blind, searching in vain for her glasses while about to be mauled by a drooling, saber-toothed demon? Did Velma have a thing for Daphne, or was Daphne too busy pairing off with Fred to notice? And what was up with Fred's ascot? A bit fey, if you ask me. And Heckle and Jeckle: brothers, lovers, clones, or what?

Unfortunately, like with all the playthings of youth, I find that I have outgrown Scooby-Doo. Every now and then I'd catch a classic episode on television, always resulting in a disaffected shrug. The show definitely had its charms, but my love of all things Scooby has pretty much evolved into a nostalgic affection but with no lasting impression (on the other hand, my love for classic Loony Toons and Tom and Jerry will survive in perpetuity.) But millions of kids today still thrill to the adventures of Scooby-Doo, and new episodes are being produced today in the all-new What's New Scooby-Doo? television show. So while I might pass on the four episodes on the What's New Scooby-Doo? Space Ape at the Cape DVD, children will probably love them... until adulthood inevitably drains their hearts and replaces it with cynicism and the dark spirit of pragmatic compromise, sapping their souls of the childlike innocence for which we spend the rest of our lives yearning, in Quixotic acts of desperation that leave us withered, shriveled, quivering on the floor grasping at the ghosts of serenity that never were, wretched in our own filth, as the autumn of our loneliness slips quietly, unnoticed into deepest winter, frozen in season, lost in abstraction...

But wait until you see the presentation quality on this DVD!

The following episodes are included on this release:

• There's No Creature Like Snow Creature
• Space Ape at the Cape
• Big Scare in the Big Easy
• 3-D Struction

The DVD

Video:

Created expressly for television, the video on this DVD is presented in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The transfer on this DVD is nearly perfect. Nearly. The video boasts some of the strongest and most vibrant colors I've seen on a disc, displaying a rich, lush palette without any discernable bleeding or over-saturation. Blacks are deep and rich, with fine contrasts and brightness levels. Compression noise and pixellation are nowhere to be found. The original material is in great shape, resulting in a noticeably clean and smooth picture. Image detail is extremely sharp; unfortunately, it's also too sharp. Sharpness levels are so high that there is an extreme amount of shimmering, jagged edes, and edge haloing throughout the picture. This is the only noticeable flaw in an otherwise stellar transfer.

Audio:

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, with language options in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, and is remarkably impressive for a two-channel soundtrack. The score is surprisingly robust, with excellent punch and range and a strong degree of fidelity. There is a strong amount of activity in the surrounds, although the sound field is inherently limited in its amount of spatiality and direction. Dialog is clear, bright, and lacking in any noticeable flaws.

Extras:

There are a variety of extras on this DVD, although most of them are pretty slim pickings and aimed at youngsters.

Backstage with Simple Plan is a three-and-a-half-minute interview with the "hot" young band behind the new Scooby-Doo theme song. With a sound that is completely indistinguishable from every other pop/punk-wannabe band, Simple Plan does little to impress, but I appreciate their enthusiasm as much as I appreciate a swift kick to the face.

Velma Dinkley Music Video is a short video montage "hosted" by Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. It runs two minutes, and showcases the intrepid Ms. Dinkley in various scenes from various mysteries, while her very own theme song plays in the background. It's very cute, and even more forgettable than you can possibly imagine.

Mystery Inc. Music Video is yet another video montage, featuring the entire gang and hosted again by Scoobs and Shaggy. The song is weak. The montage is insipid beyond words. Yet, it accomplished the impossible: it made me yearn for the glory days of the Velma Dinkley video.

Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo and the Gang is a scam! The feature runs under two-and-a-half minutes, allegedly showing how you can simply pick up pencil and paper and become the definitive Scooby Gang artiste. Yeah, good luck. They basically zip right through a quick drawing without any instruction whatsoever. I am so hopeless. I tried to draw a Scooby Snack and instead ended up sketching a fat guy named Eddie at a fetish party. What's wrong with me?

Extreme Boardin' with Scooby-Doo... *sigh*. This is a play-once and forget-instantly "game" in which you guide the esteemed Great Dane on a snowboarding run. Is the game exciting? Nope. Is it thrilling? Not a chance. Is it extreme?! Like a Touched By An Angel marathon. As always, your mileage may vary....

Family Favorites is a collection of trailers for some other Warner Brothers family titles, including Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico, Scooby-Doo Meets the Harlem Globetrotters, and Ozzy and Drix.

Final Thoughts

If you have a child in the house that is a Scooby-Doo fan, What's New Scooby-Doo? Space Ape at the Cape will mostly likely provide hours (well, maybe an hour and a half) of fun and harmless entertainment. Otherwise, I can't really recommend this disc. On the plus side, the presentation of the material is pretty impressive, and at time almost flawless. However, the episodes themselves aren't very compelling or memorable. It's standard family fare material, along the lines of a Disney DTV sequel or movie. Kids will dig them. Adults will shrug. But you could do a lot worse... like that Freddie Prinze Jr. abomination.