Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue: Volume 2 – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Available at Amazon.com

Scooby-Doo, where are you? What have they done to the great dane that once sniffed out spooks? Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue: Volume 2 is not close to the cartoon that aired on Saturday mornings of my youth. Remember that recent Richie Rich / Scooby Doo Show DVD set? Imagine if they fired Richie Rich for substance abuse and moved Shaggy into the bank vault. Shaggy is Richie Rich and Scooby-Doo is dollar. How did it happen? His Albert Shaggleford vanishes and the stoner is put in charge of the fortune.

Now that this duo is loaded, they’ve dumped their friends. Fred, Velma and Daphne have been cut out of their lives. They’ve upgraded the Mystery Machine. The battered van has been replaced by a high tech vehicle that transforms into a jet, sub or hotdog maker. Their Scooby Snacks now have strange nano-technology that allows them to glow and display superpowers. On the plus side, Scrappy-Doo has also been sent packing. Instead of merely uncovering spooks as old guys, they constantly battle with Dr. Phineas Phibes. This character has no relation to Vincent Price’s The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Kids won’t be shocked by Phibes taking off his face. He is missing a hand which he uses like a Snap-On tool. The animation style is reminiscent of The Venture Brothers as it bridges Hanna-Barbera and anime.

There are only four episodes on the DVD. “Smart House” has Shaggy and Scooby battling Dr. Phibes’ computer virus when it infects their automated mansion. “Lightning Strikes Twice” launches the duo into orbit to shut down Phibes’ space station that causes thunderstorms around the world. “Don’t Feed the Animals” lets them ruin Dr. Phibes’ rainforest lab that’s looking for a secret of youth in the native critters. “Mystery of the Missing Mystery Solvers” nominates them up for a mystery solver award. The other nominees keep disappearing during the ceremony. Will anyone survive for the fish entree? All this could have been prevented if they hadn’t alienated Velma.

For old school fans of Scooby-Doo, this revamping is a complete culture shock to nostalgic eyes. Maybe kids today don’t want to know that the monsters that scare them are cranky old guys in disguises. This new show is not nearly as entertaining as those early episodes. There’s so many elements missing. Where’s the Harlem Globetrotters and Don Knotts? Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue: Volume 2 plays like “What if Shaggy took over Richie Rich’s life?” The biggest mystery is why they updated a show that was eternal?

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. It’s a recent show so there’s no defects in the image. The audio is Dolby Digital Surround. You can hear them crunching away on Scooby Snacks. There’s also a Portuguese dub. The subtitles are in English and Portuguese.


None.

Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue Volume 2 is best viewed by the little kids that watched this show on Saturday morning cartoons last year. Fans of the old school Scooby-Doo will freak out at the merging of Shaggy with Richie Rich.

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Warner Home Video presents Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! Volume 2. Starring the voices of Jeff Bennett, Scott Menville and Frank Welker. Running time: 84 minutes. Rated G. Released on DVD: July 8, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.