Movie Info:
Writer: Joe Sichta
Director: Joe Sichta
Cast: Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle
Rating: G
Studio: Warner Bros.
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: Direct to DVD
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $13.99
As a kid I loved Scooby Doo. In fact, every kid that I knew loved that show. It always followed the same format, but it was a great show. It managed to incorporate pop culture, so older kids and adults would like it, and the characters were more than enough to keep kids satisfied. To this day, if that show is still on and I pass it on the television, I will stop to watch.
In the last few years, Joe Sichta has begun working on the franchise, making direct to DVD movies. We’ve reviewed one of his movies in the past. The last movie, Chill Out, Scooby Doo lacked originality. It just felt wrong to have the distinguished Scooby Doo name on that movie. Chill out Scooby Doo is similar to The Goblin King because it is a mish-mash of numerous cartoon ideas including many of the things that make Scooby Doo great. However, when you add all these ideas together with no regard for order or respect to the original series, you end up with a whole lot of wasted DVD space.
There are some big name voice talents, both familiar to the show and for this show only, but that really doesn’t help anything. These characters might look and sound like we expect them to, but it’s obvious that they are different. I am sure that the option of having another Halloween themed special was a good idea, but they could have easily dug up a selection of original shows and made a DVD that was way more pleasing than this. Kids would have loved it and adults would have, too.
The Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King Plot
Scooby Doo and the Goblin King takes place at a carnival. When Shaggy and Scooby unmask the Amazing Krudsky (Wayne Knight), a magician performing at the carnival, the audience becomes outraged and leaves the show. This causes Krudsky to go through his magic books to find a way to become a real magician. When he meets a fairy princess that goes by the name of Princess Willow (Hayden Panettiere) he captures her in order to take her powers.
His thirst for hunger doesn’t end with the light-less fairy though. Krudsky becomes determined to get the Goblin King’s scepter because if he gets it on Halloween all of the powers of Halloween will be transferred to him. This will allow him to turn everyone into monsters and goblins.
Naturally, Scooby and Shaggy cannot let this bad guy win and turn everyone into dastardly monsters. So, they head to the castle to try and get the scepter before Krudsky gets there.
The main problem with this is there is no mystery at all. You know from the beginning that it’s Krudsky. In the original series, even when someone seemed suspicious in the beginning, they did not out the real culprit until the end. This was just disappointing. Little kids might like it thanks to bright colors and fair graphics, but fans of the franchise will be sorely disappointed.
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Audio/Visual:
With a 1.33:1 aspect ratio and full-screen video you aren’t going to find anything here that you haven’t seen before on television or from this series of direct to DVD movies in the past. The colors are bright. The picture is relatively clear. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it is certainly passable and will work for young children, which is the target audience for something like this.
The audio is handled in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The sound is placed mainly in the front channels, making it sound a great deal like 2.0 as opposed to 5.1. The sound is easy to understand, but it’s more flat than not and it’s not dynamic at all. It’s just kind of there, doing the minimum job that it can do.
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Bonus Features:
There is only one main feature to go along with this Scooby Doo movie, unless you count the coupons for Red Robin and Nestle Push-Up Treats that are in the box. The only actual feature available is handled by Magician Adam Grace, showing children how to do a series of magic tricks. The tricks that are taught include “The Floating Paper Clip,” “The Vanishing #2,” “The Disappearing Card Trick,” and “The Salt Shaker Trick.” Younger kids might like learning to do these tricks, though I am not positive that they would be able to do all of them. At least a couple are easy enough to accomplish though, so I suppose that’s better than nothing.
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Bottom Line:
Scooby Doo used to be one of the greatest cartoons on television. While those cartoons still hit the spot any day, these new Direct to DVD releases are just a shell of what Scooby Doo used to be. Small children will like this, but that’s about it. Parents won’t enjoy this if they like the original series and many older kids won’t be interested in it either. I highly recommend renting this before attempting to purchase it blindly.
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Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Halloween Episode, Cartoon, Scooby Doo, The Goblin King, Mystery Van, Warner Bros
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
