The Good
The Bad
A Pup Named Scooby Doo - Volume 2 follows the early exploits of Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Fred. What is cool about this show is that these are the small versions of the characters we have come to know and love, yet they sound very much like them and they also act the same. This 93 minute disk has four episodes which are “For Letter or Worse”, “Babysitter from Beyond”, “Snow Place like Home” and “Now Museum, Now You Don’t”. The antics in these episodes range from the gang having to solve the mystery of an apparition, how they deal with an Ice Demon and what happens when you touch a 700-year-old samurai sword.
Features
No extras came with this disk.
Video
Standard Version presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of it’s original television exhibition. Full Frame. I might be wrong here but A Pup Named Scooby Doo - Volume 2 looks more like the original shows then the other Scooby spinoffs. I am not sure why this may be, it just seems odd that the newest of the new has more in common with the oldest of the old. The colors are not as bright as they are on the new Scooby adventures in which the characters are their “regular” ages. Even the actual drawings on this DVD look like the older show. My only complaint is that my DVD got very pixilated in certain spots but maybe I just need to clean my player?
Audio
Dolby Digital. English, French and Spanish Mono. You know, I know this DVD is meant for kids, but I love the intermittent songs that come in on some of the episodes. They have an older, 1950s type feel and I just really enjoyed them. Usually, songs in movies (especially animated movies) make me uncomfortable, but not in this case. Another thing I really appreciate is how much the younger voices of the characters really do sound quite similar to that of the older voices of Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Fred.
Package
This cover has a game show-type feel with Scooby as the announcer and a young Shaggy playing against an apparition. The back features Scooby and Shaggy freaked out (what a surprise) and a young Velma searching for clues. There is a description of the show (which is actually pretty descriptive for a kid’s DVD), an episode listing and some tech specs. Once again, Warner Bros. has given us a cover that is filled with enough enthusiastic characters and bright colors to at the very least peak consumer interest.
Final Word
I never knew that an early years version of Scooby Doo existed. I liked this show. It isn’t the greatest thing I have ever seen, but it very much keeps in the spirit of Scooby Doo as a whole. Lets be honest, there really isn’t a lot of room from which to deviate. There will always be the expectation that Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Fred will solve whatever mystery they encounter in the allotted time slot of that particular episode. Yet, something always happens to me when I watch these shows. I almost forget that I know everything is going to be okay. I allow myself to get caught up in the story and then the characters get it tied up perfectly in what seems like only a few minutes later.
Overall, A Pup Named Scooby Doo - Volume 2 was fun and enjoyable jaunt down new and old memory lane. I think this DVD is perfect for kids and fans of the show as a whole.
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo was released .