Wandering deep into the catacombs, Warner Bros. digs up four less than classic direct-to-video Scooby-Doo! movies; none of which are all that special (or very good frankly), hint at a multi-release Complete Collection master plan, or offer junior mystery junkies what they're really after: early Hanna-Barbera Scooby-Doo, meticulously restored and presented in high definition. Instead comes the 5th, 6th, 7th and, leaping forward five years, 13th Mystery Inc. misadventures from Warner Animation. The oldest hails from 2003 -- subsequently the oldest animated Scooby release available on Blu-ray -- and the youngest is still a pup, born in 2009. Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003) and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico (2003) at least have the distinction of reuniting the original series' voice cast (Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Heather North and Nicole Jaffe) for the first time in more than thirty years, even though the ends fail to justify the means (or the potential). While Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster (2004) and Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) are decent but lesser efforts altogether, two small evolutionary steps between the earliest DTV releases as yet unavailable on Blu-ray and some of the more flashy or clever Scooby-Doo! movies released in recent months, namely Legend of the Phantosaur and Mask of the Blue Falcon. Ah well, completists can't be choosers.
Next stop: Scotland! After unmasking the Yowie Yahoo in Australia and catching a criminal-turned-chupacabra in Mexico, the Mystery Inc. gang -- Fred (Frank Welker), Daphne (Grey DeLisle), Velma (Mindy Cohn), Shaggy (Casey Kasem) and Scooby-Doo (Welker) -- head North to visit Daphne's cousin Shannon (DeLisle) at the famed Blake Castle in Loch Ness. The castle, though, is currently under renovations... by a not so wee beastie cryptozoologist Del Chillman (Jeff Bennett) and local professor Fiona Pembrooke (Sheena Easton) confirm to be the elusive Loch Ness Monster of legend. But when everyone's favorite meddling kids notice a fishy things about the sea monster, they set out to prove Nessie isn't Nessie at all. The suspects? Chillman and Penbrooke top the list. Then there's Sir Ian Locksley (Bennett), the Highland Games head judge. Colin, Angus and Lachlan Haggart (John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr and Welker), competitors in the games. And let's not forget Duncan MacGubbin (Michael Bell), a Nessie nut. The list goes on and on. Fortunately, the Mystery Inc. crew is up to the challenge.
Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster is a small but welcome step up from Legend of the Vampire and The Monster of Mexico. The animation is a slightly improved. (Slightly.) The Mystery is more of a head-scratcher, with enough potential ne'er-do-wells to keep kids and even parents guessing. And the voice cast is more satisfying. (DeLisle and Cohn may not be the original Daphne and Velma, but they're more spirited and, ironically, at home in the roles.) That's not to say Scoob's seventh direct-to-video outing is a must-see by any means, though, as everyone behind the mystery -- from the animators to directors Scott Jeralds and Joe Sichta to the movie's trio of writers -- aren't quite sure whether they want to evoke the series of old or forge ahead in a different direction. The ensuing uncertainty is scraped over 75-minutes of movie too, which produces frivolous, hit or miss subplots aplenty. Some are fun: Daphne and Shannon, for one. Some not so much: the Highland Games hijinks. Still, somewhere between the stilted comedy and the distended mystery is a glimmer of the Scooby-Doo! movies that would start to seep out of Warner Animation in later years. And at a low price, there's more to be gained than lost, especially with a solid AV boost in tow. Read on...
Born within a year of The Legend of the Vampire and The Monster of Mexico, Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster is prone to the same issues as its predecessors. Artifacting, slight to at-times severe pixelation, ringing, middling animation, hurried missteps... it isn't the best-looking series mystery, that's for sure. But most of these shortcomings can be traced back to the movie's source, and have little to do with the Loch Ness Monster's otherwise watertight 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Line art is nice and sharp, small details are given time in the spotlight, colors come alive, black levels are deep, and contrast is spot on. In fact, the only issues that really afflict the encode involve some rather apparent, at-times distracting banding and macroblocking, neither of which spoil the proceedings altogether. Is it enough to justify the price of admission? If you already own the previously released DVD and are looking to upgrade, sure. Just set your expectations low.
Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster is backed by a commendable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track; one that's a bit fuller and stronger than those featured on the Blu-ray releases of The Legend of the Vampire and The Monster of Mexico. Voices are clean, intelligible and perfectly prioritized, even in the midst of a chaotic creature chase, and sound effects follow suit. LFE output packs a decent punch as well, while the rear speakers are active enough to make the thrills and chills a wee bit more thrilling and chilling. It's all still limited by the movie's at-times flat sound design, obviously, but the sonics are more refined and rewarding this time around, and that goes a long way toward making the lossless experience more noteworthy.
The back cover lists a number of special features -- "How to Solve the Mystery with Scooby-Doo and Shaggy," "Bloopers" and a trio of "Great Challenges" that include "The Case of the Missing Scooby Snacks," "Catch Nessie" and "How to Speak Scottish" -- but none of them appear anywhere on the Blu-ray itself. There isn't even a special features menu, or individual extras listings under any other menu.
Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster is a better direct-to-video release than the two that fall before it, but it's still a little too waterlogged for this Scooby fan. My son had a blast -- much more so than he did with The Legend of the Vampire and The Monster of Mexico -- but I kept getting hung up between my nostalgia for the classic series and my enjoyment of the most recent Scooby-Doo outings. Warner's Blu-ray release is easier to recommend too, with its expectation-meeting video presentation and relatively strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The extras listed on the back cover are unfortunately MIA, but no matter. Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster is an otherwise decidedly decent DTV mystery release.
Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster Blu-ray, News and Updates
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of four 2003-2009 Warner Bros. Animation Scooby-Doo! movies: Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire, Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico, Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster and Scooby-Doo and ...
Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
