Director(s) – Joseph Barbera (Josie and the Pussycats, The Funky Phantom) and William Hanna (The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn’t, ABC Afterschool Specials)
Release Date – 1969
Rating – 4/5
Blu Release – 4/5
I was a typical kid when I was growing up. I know a lot of my horror minded friends were lifelong horror fans. They would tell me stories of watching horror movies with a close relative and so forth and the horror bug bit them. That wasn’t me. I would watch horror and sci-fi with my grandmother in middle school but that was the time I began my obsession with the genre. As a kid I would watch anything and everything. Movies like Heavy Weights, Air Bud, Space Jam, and so forth along with the typical kids shows of the time along with Scooby Doo.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Scooby Doo kid. I watched it so much as a kid that I couldn’t stand to see anything related to the character for damn near 20 years. Now, I’m a father and I try to share some of the things of my childhood with them. My oldest daughter and son are now watching Scooby Doo and we bond over episodes of this.
This has rekindled my love for the show and it has been more than enough time to give it a revisit. A week or so ago was the 50th anniversary of season one of Scooby Doo, Where Are You? and the series received an amazing blu release. I reached out and was able to get that set in for review. Thank you guys so much for sending it this way!
**Spoiler Alert** The show, for the two of you out there that has never seen it, follows Mystery, Inc. which consists of Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby Doo. The gang travels all over the country, and sometimes the world, solving supernatural occurrences that typically ends with some greedy or evil person using the rouse of a supernatural entity to their advantage.**Spoiler Alert**
I loved checking out this classic show again. There is so many monsters that I absolutely loved growing up and I could totally see myself getting them tattooed if I wouldn’t have burned myself out with the show first. This blu set with all the extras is a great addition to my collection and something I will be handing down to my children when they are old enough to appreciate it.
I’ve always enjoyed the voice acting in the show growing up. Revisiting it does point out the flaws that I missed as a kid. The voices fit the characters perfectly and I couldn’t imagine anyone else voicing these iconic characters. With that being said, their emotional range is not that broad. Certain scenes required a specific emotion and the cast was unable to deliver that. This is a bit strange for a cartoon but it doesn’t ruin the experience. The viewer, regardless of the age, is more focused on the monster and the person behind it than the voice acting.
The stories for these all follow a simple formula and it almost always works. The gang arrives at a location where a paranormal phenomena was occurring leading them to investigate the situation determining that someone was behind the sitings and haunts in order to gain something. Even though every story follows the same guidelines they still pull the viewer in with the different location and creatures.
Finally, this bluray set is beautiful. The haunted house box looks amazing but the cardboard can easily be broken or damaged especially if a little one grabs it wanting a closer look at it. Inside the haunted house packaging there is a Funko Pop keychain, encyclopedia, and several special features. Overall, Scooby Doo, Where Are You? is an essential show for any child and this bluray set is a must have for fans or the young at heart. Grab it now!
Special Features:
Collectible Mystery Mansion Packaging
Scooby-Doo Encyclopedia
NEW BONUS FEATURES:
My Life with Scooby, Frank Welker’s Animated Journey
A Scooby-Doo for Everyone
50 Years of Scooby Snacks
Scooby-Doo and the Lost City of Gold Trailer (Live Stage Production)
