In this episode, the Mystery Inc. Gang is invited to a Halloween party at Dracula's castle. However, they soon learn the reason they were invited. Having heard that the gang are famous ghost hunters, Dracula and all his monster friends want the gang to rid the castle of the ghost of monster hunter Van Helsing.
This is a truly wonderful episode. I love how it combines having real monsters with a typical Scooby mystery. It really helps that the mystery itself is very well done with some surprisingly good twists along the way. The ghost is a great villain with a delightfully creepy and memorable design. I especially the glow around him. The monsters themselves are a lot of fun, and I love their designs as well. The humor is also quite good here and the final twist here is really funny.
This episode was written by the very popular cartoon and comic book writer Paul Dini, whose excellent work has appeared on such shows as Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Duck Dodgers, Justice League Unlimited and New Looney Tunes. However, he is probably best known for being the creator of Harley Quinn. His other work with Scooby Doo would include the direct to video movie Scooby-Doo!: Abracadabra-Doo (2010).
Another reminder why Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are the best director-star duo in movies today.
This movie has the delightfully strange and creative premise of two conspiracy theorists kidnapping a CEO, because they believe she is an alien bent on Earth's destruction. From this premise Lanthimos delivers one of his funniest but angriest films. Beneath all the humor and weirdness, this is a very pessimistic movie. Lanthimos and screenwriter Will Tracy (Co-writer of The Menu (2022)) are angry at humanity for what they have become in our 21st century world (socially, politically and most of all ethically). This may be one of the bleakest portraits of humanity in all American cinema. In fact, it would downright depressing if it wasn't so entertaining. Luckily for us though there is a lot to actually enjoy here. Lanthimos' typically over the top humor is all of this movie and it has rarely been funnier than it is here. The movie also works equally well as a thriller. It keeps you guessing what direction the story is going in all the way through. Even when you think you know where the story is going it makes you constantly second guessing yourself. The suspense scenes are just as excellent as the comedic ones. Each one is full of lots of excitement.
It is hard to talk about the ending of this movie in detail without giving away spoilers. What I will say is it is incredibly effective and makes you want to laugh, while at the same time making you feel very uncomfortable and ashamed for wanting to laugh. It is in short brilliant.
This movie also benefits from a fantastic and very small cast. Emma Stone is as wonderful as she has proven herself in her previous films with Lanthimos. Jesse Plemons is equally wonderful.
This may not be a film for everyone, but it is still a wonderful movie.
One of the more memorable Scooby and Scrappy shorts.
In this short, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are planning on watching the Wizard of Oz (1939) in the Mystery Machine. However, when Scooby accidentally knocks himself out, he dreams he is in Oz. In his dream he is the cowardly lion, Shaggy is the Scarecrow and Scrappy is the Tin Man.
Though not exactly funny, this short is loaded with charm. For some reason these characters feel perfectly at home in an OZ like setting. There is a lot of imagination put into this setting, much more imagination than in the typical Scooby and Scrappy short. Even if it is a bad pun, there is something quite charming about the Yellow Brick Toad. The artwork here is lovely and has a great storybook type feel to it. Most of all though there is just a certain calm relaxing Saturday morning charm to this cartoon that I really enjoy.
No one will claim this to be a masterpiece but it quite charming.
A frustratingly vague and unintentionally silly political thriller.
This movie about a new controversial political party tearing apart a family is both very politically charged and apolitical at the same time. It seems to very desperately want to say something, but afraid to make any real political commentary at the same time. At first it seems like this will be a very important movie with a lot to say but the closer you look at it you find it is completely hollow and without substance. When politics is the focus of the film then a movie needs to have a political point of view. The problem with an apolitical political movie is that it is too vague and abstract for us to have any real attachment too. What we simply get is some people seemingly talking about politics but saying nothing (admittedly that is similar to some actual political speeches I have heard but that is beside the point).
For a movie that is supposed to be holding a mirror to our society, it often becomes too over the top and unintentionally silly. For what starts off as a rather realistic thriller, it quickly veers into completely unbelievable territory. Each plot twist makes the film more unbelievable and sillier. If this was a South Park like satire, this would work but instead the movie takes itself 100% seriously as if they believe everything in this movie can not only happen but somehow seems like a very probable future for America.
This is a complete mess that views itself as a film with substance, despite lacking anything to actually say.
In this episode, Daphne, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy take a trip to Transylvania. They read that the Frankenstein monster is on the loose and Daphne decides they should investigate. They go to Frankenstein Castle to investigate and find the castle is now occupied by the Draculas. Scooby and Shaggy become a babysitter for the Dracula's however the normal human looking baby turns out to be a werewolf.
There is a lot that is very strange about this cartoon. Despite the obvious supernatural elements to this episode, Daphne remains completely unconvinced that the supernatural can be real and she never once doubts this. If this was played for laughs, that would be one thing, but her disbelief is just treated as a matter-of-fact thing making it seem just odd. The uses of the monsters are also quite odd. The Frankenstein monster is treated as almost a robot and Dracula's wife looks like the bride in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Towards the end this episode takes an even stranger twist, and the final gag is more bizarre than funny. However, it is this strangeness that truly makes this episode stand out and gives it a real bit of charm. The episode also benefits from a strong sense of atmosphere and some great background art.
The main flaw of this episode though is its runtime. At this time a half-hour of Scooby-Doo was made up of two 15-minute segments. However so much happens here that it would have benefitted from a half hour runtime. The episode simply hops from one plot point to the next. This doesn't allow enough time for the episode to take advantage of the comedic possibilities of the story. Scooby and Shaggy babysitting a werewolf in particular has lots of comedic possibilities, yet they are never fully utilized.
The credited writer for this episode was Robert Goldblatt, this is the only writing credit I can find for him. Perhaps this accounts for the oddness of the cartoon.
This is a very weird and odd Scooby short but that honestly gives it a real charm.
There are many words that come to mind when you think about Great Garbo, but none of those words are athletic. Yet this following article from a 1930 issue of Modern Screen Magazine insists that athletic was just what Greta Garbo. If you have any trouble reading the following article, click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have touch screen click here.
In this episode the Mystery Inc. Gang goes on their biggest mystery yet as they face the Freak of Crystal Cove and try to solve the mystery that dissolved the original Mystery Inc. gang before them.
Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated was one of the few Scooby shows to have a continuing story arc from episode to episode. One of the best aspects of this show is how well it built up the stakes from episode to episode. This is one of the few cartoon shows where not only did each episode lead up to something bigger but when that something bigger came, it completely lived up to what it promised. Most of these shows have disappointing conclusions but this show lives up to everything it promises. This can easily be seen in this finale to the first season. This episode feels so much bigger than anything that came before. Not only is the monster creepy and threatening but this episode truly changes the relationships between the characters. Unlike most Scooby mysteries the mystery has a greater and much more personal effect than simply a monster being unmasked. The reveals in this episode are truly shocking with the most shocking unmasking in the history of Scooby-Doo. This not only feels like a great cumulation of everything that everything that this season has been heading towards, but it also promises something much larger and more intense in the second season.
This episode was written by Mitch Watson, who wrote many episodes of this show's first season and provided some voices of incidental characters. His non-Scooby work includes the live action made for TV movie, Ben 10: Race Against Time (2007) and the TV series, Beware the Batman (a very underappreciated TV show).
The episode was directed by Victor Cook, who not only directed many episodes of the show but was also the supervising director for the first season and a producer for the second. As well as this show, he also directed the direct to video movie Scooby-Doo Stage Fright (2013). His non-Scooby work includes such series as Spectacular Spider-Man and Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters.
For those of you unaware Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers were one of the greatest songwriting teams of the 20th century. With Hart providing the lyrics and Rodgers providing the music, the team had written many gems of the Great American Songbook. These include My Funny Valentine, Where or When, The Lady Is a Tramp, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered and of course Blue Moon. The two worked only together until Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II for Oklahoma. This movie tells the story of Lorenz Hart at a bar after seeing the premiere of Oklahoma.
On paper it would seem like a movie like this wouldn't work. It takes place almost entirely in one setting and is filled with wall-to-wall dialogue. While you can argue about how cinematic this type of storytelling is, you become so caught up in how great the dialogue is that you don't even really pay attention to this. Early on in the film, two characters quote Casablanca (1942) to each other. Perhaps it is inevitable that a movie filled with such great dialogue would pay tribute to the film with the most iconic dialogue in cinema history. The script by Robert Kaplow (author of the best seller Me and Orson Welles) is extremely witty, intelligent, engaging and insightful. This is the kind of script that stays with you long after the film is over. The ideas expressed in the dialogue are very profound and thought provoking, yet this is not the only charm of the dialogue. Being a film about a lyricist, words are chosen not only for their meaning but their sound. Appropriately there is a real lyrical quality to the dialogue that is quite entrancing. Even so the dialogue can also be really funny at times, which helps the film from getting too heavy as to not be entertaining. Of course, having some of the greatest American music play throughout the movie
One line from Casablanca that is quoted numerous times throughout is "nobody ever loved me that much." Within this quote lies the tragedy of the story. Though Hart had some written the lyrics to some the greatest love songs ever, he never experienced that kind of love himself. Meanwhile his alcoholism and personal problems have driven away the closest people he ever had to him. This movie looks at a deeply lonely and sad man, who finds more companionship with a bartender and piano player in a bar than to those who should be closest to him. Yet the movie does not spend most of its time pitying him but rather empathizing with him. We deeply feel every emotion he is feeling and any of us who have ever felt lonely or incapable of being loved, see too much of ourselves for our own comfort. This complexity is perfectly captured by Ethan Hawke's magnificent performance. This may be the best performance of his career as he perfectly captures every single emotion and complexity to this character.
Yet Hawke is not the only standout of this cast. The whole cast is excellent, and special attention must go to Margaret Qualley as a younger woman he is infatuated with. She is positively radiant on screen, and we can perfect understand this infatuation.
There have been many movies lately about individuals standing up against the Nazi Regime in Germany. Perhaps this is because in today's politically heated climate, the message of standing up to the evils around you is incredibly timely. It is also safer to tell these stories than ones involved directly in today's political climate. This is especially true since most sides of the political spectrum (except for those dangerous amoral extremists who actually wave around Nazi flags), will believe the modern equivalent of the Nazis to be people on a different side of the political spectrum.
Talking about being safe, safety is the main flaw of this film. This movie does nothing that the countless similar films haven't done already. It does all these elements quite well, but its familiarity makes it simply blend in with the many similar movies. Because of this, you are not likely to remember much about this movie in the future and if you do, you will probably get it confused with a different film.
Despite this the movie is very well made. The emotional moments hit quite hard and some of the tense scenes feel almost unbearable. Even the romance (something that often feels forced into these films), is quite effective and touching. However, the heart of this film lies with the characters and the cast. We automatically like and care about these characters. Even more than this we respect their bravery and how strongly they stand for what they believe in. The cast is uniformly excellent. Ewan Horrocks is especially compelling in the main role.
Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne and Scrappy are taking a trip to Scottland to find out why Barkerville sheep have been disappearing. Many of the shepherds believe that they are disappearing because of the monstrous Hound of the Barkervilles. Unfortunately, Scooby is mistaken for the Hound of the Barkervilles and the gang must work together to clear Scooby's name.
This is one of the better episodes of this show. It is very atmospheric with some great spooky background art that recalls the original Scooby-Doo Where Are You. The Hound of the Barkervilles also has a wonderfully memorable and creepy design that really enhances the episode even if he only appears on screen briefly. However, what really makes this episode work so well is having Scooby-Doo be suspected of being the monster. This is a great twist on the typical Scooby formula that helps this episode stand out.
However, I will admit this episode is low on laughs and the mystery is too easy to solve.
Despite any flaws though, this is simply a delightful episode.
This is the third segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this episode, our heroes must save the day when the evil Professor Korloff brings an ancient mummy to life for his own nefarious reasons.
As a fan of superheroes and the old Universal monster movies, this episode is a pure delight. The whole episode has a delight spooky Halloween-eque feel to it that I find tons of fun. The mummy's design is simple but very effective and his muffled vocal noises give him a delightful spooky feel. On top of this the mummy proves to be a very fun Super Friends villain, feeling like a real threat to our heroes. To name the professor leading the mummy Professor Korloff is a very fun nod to the classic Universal monster movies and to Boris Karloff who was the star of the horror classic, The Mummy (1932). The action scenes are a lot of fun here as well.
If I had one complaint it is that this episode takes place mostly in the daytime. A spooky themed episode like this would have been even more fun and effective with a nighttime setting.
This is the second segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, the Wonder Twins must help when a prank goes very wrong and a teenage girl ends up trapped in an avalanche.
This is another rather lame Wonder Twins cartoon. Once again, the message takes precedence over any actual entertainment. Once again, this message is presented in a very didactic way with dialogue that is much too on the nose. The supporting characters again seem to only exist to drive home this obvious moral.
I will say that the background art is lovely in this cartoon though.
In this episode, the gang goes to Greece, where they visit a museum. At this museum they see a minotaur come to life. Before they can say "Jinkies," superhero Wonder Woman comes to slay the minotaur. When the minotaur gets away. The Mystery Inc. Gang and Wonder Woman team up to stop the creature.
There is a lot to enjoy about this episode. The gang's chemistry with Wonder Woman is fantastic. Scooby's fanboy like crush on Wonder Woman is especially tons of fun, especially when Wonder Woman thinks Scooby is the most adorable dog in the world. Wonder Woman thinking the monster is real while the gang thinks it is a person in a mask adds a great dynamic and provides a fun twist on the usual Scooby formula. The humor is also pretty strong in the episode. Daphne and Velma get some good comedic lines here. Scooby and Shaggy meanwhile get some great bits of slapstick (especially during the training scenes).
My one complaint about this episode is that the design of the minotaur is kind of generic and unmemorable.
This episode's writer was Caroline Farah, who wrote many episodes of this show and a couple for Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Her non-Scooby work includes Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (a really underrated cartoon show) and Monsuno. This episode was directed by Gavin Dell, who also directed episodes of Family Guy and Border Town. He has also worked as a storyboard artist on such shows as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Looney Tunes Show, Elena of Avalor, Disenchantment and Futurama.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with their 1950 recording of May the Good Lord Take a Likin' to Ya. This song was written by Peter Tinturn, who also wrote the songs for the Roy Rogers movie, Days of Jesse James (1939).
This is followed The Monroe Brothers with their 1937 recording of Sinner You Better Get Ready.
Afterwards is Johnny Cash with his version of the old Carter family song, Troublesome Waters. This recording comes from John's 1964 album, I Walk the Line. John certainly went through troublesome waters in his life. At one time they simply became too much for him to handle on his own. John spoke about this time stating, "It just felt like I was at the end of my line. I was down there by myself and I got to feelin' that I'd taken so many pills that I'd done it, that I was gonna blow up or something. I hadn't eaten in days, I hadn't slept in days, and my mind wasn't working too good anyway. I couldn't stand myself anymore. I wanted to get away from me. And if that meant dyin', then okay, I'm ready. I just had to get away from myself. I couldn't stand it anymore and I didn't think there was any other way. I took a flashlight with me and I said, I'm goin' to walk and crawl and climb into this cave until the light goes out, and then I'm gonna lie down. So I crawled in there with a flashlight until it burned out and I lay down to die. I was a mile in that cave. At least a mile. But I felt this great comforting presence sayin', 'No you're not dyin'.' I got things for you to do. So I got up, found my way out. Cliffs, ledges, drop-offs. I don't know how I got out, 'cept God got me out." After this experience, he knew that he had to repent from his many sins and rededicate his life to the Lord. (quote from The Man Called Cash by Steve Turner).
Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Lord You Made the Cowboy Happy. This song should remind us of how blessed we truly are. It is the things we take for granted each day that are our greatest blessings. Sometimes we need to stop and simply thank God for these blessings. The narrator of this song is not thankful for any big event in his life, but rather for all the little blessing he receives every day.
Next is Anne Wilson with Dead in the Water. This song is from her 2025 album, Stars.
This is followed by Brenda Lee and Emmylou Harris with Jesus Loves Me. This comes from Brenda's 2007 album, Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends.
Today's musical selection ends with Jerry Lee Lewis with Gather Round Children. This recording comes from The Killer's 1971 album, In Loving Memories (The Jerry Lee Lewis Gospel Album). The backing vocals are by The Jordanaires, who backed Elvis Presley on many of his gospel recordings.
Now for the 14th chapter of the Buck Jones movie serial, The Red Rider (1934).
Now for a message from Billy Graham.
Psalm 89
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.
18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52 Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church.
Hello, my friends and welcome back for a spooky edition of Saturday Morning Cartoons.
Today's spooky cartoon selection begins with The Haunted House (1929). Despite its spooky setting, this film was released closer to Christmas, premiering in movie theaters on December 2, 1929. Still the spooky setting is very effective, and this sense of atmosphere makes it one of my favorite early Mickeys. Though legendary animator and pioneering Disney director, Ub Iwerks had by this time mostly been dedicating himself to the Silly Symphony shorts rather than the Mickey Mouse, you can see some of his work here. However, this is in reused footage from the famous first Silly Symphony, The Skelton Dance (1929), which was released earlier the same year. This film did run into trouble with the state censors though not for any of the creepy parts. Instead, they objected to gags involving a chamber pot and an outhouse.
Now for the Pink Panther in Pink Plasma (1975). This short was directed by Art Leonardi, who had been an animator for Friz Freleng's unit at Warner Brothers (Friz of course was one of the producers of the Pink Panther cartoons). He would later become a director for the TV series, Tiny Toons Adventures. The writer for this cartoon was one of Friz's favorite writers John Dunn.
Next comes a classic Norman McCabe directed Daffy Duck cartoon. Though he only directed three Daffy cartoons, Norman McCabe more than proved himself as a perfect match for this character. Though his Daffy was still wild and crazy, Norman's cartoons gave him a more fully formed personality than previous directors did. Besides just the personality these films were extremely high energy cartoons that were extremely fun. Norman McCabe would continue working with the Looney Tunes characters well past the golden age of Looney Tunes, as he would be a timing director for the TV shows, Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-1991), Taz-Mania (1991-1995) and The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995-1996). So, enjoy Impatient Patient (1942).
Now comes the Terry Toons cartoon, Pandora (1934).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for Felix the Cat in Skulls and Sculls (1930).
Now for something completely different here is a completely serious cartoon short of the 1950's, The Tell-Tale Heart (1953). This film is not surprisingly from the UPA studio. The UPA studio at this time sought to move away from the violent slapstick of Warner Brothers or MGM cartoons, or the more realistic "illusion of life" featured in many Disney cartoons. They often experimented with what could be done with the color and design in animated films. These films often experimented with flat backgrounds, purposely limited animation and abstract color schemes that reflect the emotion of a scene rather than what something would really look like. As is true of all cartoon studios that do a lot of experimenting, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Tell-Tale Heart is one of the most successful and one of the most extreme experiments. Most American audiences at this time had never seen an animated short quite like this and many would never see something like this again. When a 1954 article in Home Movies talking about the Cannes Film Festival got to Disney's Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953) winning a prize, the writer had this to say, "It is unpardonable however that Disney should so openly and fully steal the style of the cartoon developed by the most excellent groups of artists, Steven Bosustow's UPA. It was no secret this was the case among those as the festival as UPA is well known and well respected in France. It is a shame that UPA recent and excellent 3D cartoon, The Tell-Tale Heart could not be shown at the festival, for it most certainly won the prize awarded to Disney." This cartoon is placed at 24 in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.
Next comes Woody Woodpecker in Spook-a-Nanny (1964). This is the only original cartoon made for TV's Woody Woodpecker Show. For the most part the cartoons on this show consisted of the theatrical short films from the Walter Lantz studio. However, this cartoon has become a Halloween tradition for many cartoon fans (including me). The title song is ridiculously catchy.
Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment, The Raven (1990). This cartoon comes from the first of The Simpsons' many Halloween specials. The first Treehouse of Horror was released during season two and with the show in its 37th season, it has continued to do one of these Halloween specials every season since. This still ranks as one of my favorite Treehouse of Horror segments.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
The gang goes to visit Daphne's Uncle Alfie (AKA Batman's Butler Alfred). When Uncle Alfie disappears, Batman suspects our heroes of kidnapping him. After discovering that they aren't behind the kidnapping, Batman simply tells the gang to stay out of his way while he solves this mystery.
There is a lot to enjoy about this episode. Though the Mystery Inc. gang has teamed with Batman before, they usually teamed up with a lighter version of the charter more in tune with the Super Friends and Adam West interpretations. To have them meet with this darker more brooding version allows this to feel distinctly different from those previous encounters. This allows for a wider variety of gags and a different chemistry that works very well. The humor in this episode is often really funny as it both parodies and pays tribute to Batman's history. Daphne being constantly distracted while investigating an abandoned department store with all sorts of rare fashion accessories, only adds to the great humor. I also love that this episode incorporates the lesser-known Batman villain Man-Bat her as he proves himself to fit in perfectly to this Scooby setting.
If I have on complaint, it is that the mystery is much too easy to solve.
In this short, Shaggy (along with Scooby and Scrappy) visits his ancestorial home of Moonlight Castle. There the creepy butler puts a medallion on him that turns him into a werewolf.
There is a lot to enjoy about this short. Moonlight Castle has a wonderfully creepy atmospheric feel to it. The background art and use of lighting and muted colors give this cartoon a great creepy feel to it, similar to that of the original Scooby-Doo Where Are You episodes. The storyline is quite clever and perfect for these characters, and the cartoon has a strong ending.
The only real problem with this cartoon is that it is never that funny. There is a charm to some of the jokes but it still never really made me laugh.
A very entertaining movie based on the popular manga and anime.
For a movie about a teenage boy who can change into a creature made of chainsaws, this movie has all the over-the-top action (where else are you going to see a guy made of chainsaws riding a massive shark) and gore one could hope for. The action scenes are tons of fun to watch, and they look wonderful on a bug movie screen. However, this movie has more going for it than just fun action. The main treats of this film are the characters and the worldbuilding. I have never read the manga or watched a single episode of the anime, making this my first experience with this franchise. Yet I quickly found myself to be absorbed in this world. Meanwhile the characters are all very likable and easy to relate to.
The storyline is quite familiar and mostly predictable. However, it well told and leads to surprisingly emotionally powerful ending (probably the only part of the story I did not see coming). This ending is so effective that it makes you easily forgive the predictableness of the rest of the movie.
On the other hand, the humor almost consistently falls completely flat (there are really only a couple comedic moments that are actually funny). Some of these comedic moments also come off as loud and obnoxious, like the filmmakers are trying too hard to be funny.
This movie may have its flaws, but the parts that work are truly fantastic.
This 2002 film marked the first live action Scooby-Doo movie and Scooby's first film to be released theatrically.
In this movie, the Mystery Inc. Gang splits apart after a big fight. Two years later, the entire gang is invited to solve a mystery on a theme park called Spooky Island. However, this proves to be a much more dangerous mystery than the gang has solved before as something truly supernatural is happing here.
There is a lot to love about this movie. Even the film's biggest distractors must admit that the casting is perfect here. Matthew Lillard (Shaggy), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Fred), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne), Linda Cardellini (Velma) and Neil Fanning (the voice of Scooby) are simply wonderful and are as close as you can ever come to capturing the cartoon character in live action (though Scooby is CGI). They even look like the cartoon characters come to life (again with the exception of Scooby who is CGI). Matthew Lillard was so perfect that he would later become the voice of Shaggy in the cartoons. Another way this film captures the feel of the cartoon is in its sense of atmosphere. The sets are wonderfully atmospheric and gives this movie a unique and fun look that stays with you. These sets are equal parts spooky, imaginative and fun, just like any Scooby-Doo movie should be. The use of lighting also adds a lot to this movie's wonderfully effective look as does location shooting in Australia (much on Tangalooma Island resort in Moreton Island). As well as being very atmospheric this film is quite a bit darker than the average Scooby mystery and features a few legitimately creepy moments. Yet they are not so creepy as to take away from the fun feel. The comedic moments may not always hit but when they do, they can be laugh out loud funny. Even Shaggy's romance with a girl named Mary Jane (Isla Fisher) is quite effective and has a good twist.
The main problem with this film however is its treatment of Scrappy-Doo. I understand that the filmmakers (as well as many cartoon fans) were not a fan of the character of Scrappy and that he is an easy comedic target. However, this simply comes off as too mean spirited and at odds with the rest of the movie. It can even make our main characters seem too unlikable in one scene. If this scene was a cut-away on Family Guy, I could see it being pretty funny. However in an actual Scooby-Doo movie, where we are supposed to like the characters, it is at odds with the rest of the film. Some of the CGI has also dated poorly which is to be expected from a movie from 2002.
This movie was directed by Raja Gosnell. Gosnell's other directorial efforts include Home Alone 3 (1997), Never Been Kissed (1999), Big Momma's House (2000), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008), The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013). His work may not be exactly critically praised but it was often very successful at the box office.
The writer was none other than James Gunn, who would go on to direct the Guardians of the Galaxy films and Superman (2025) as well as the current head of DC Comics' theatrical films. James Gunn would later tell that this movie was not originally made to be family friendly but rather an R rated movie, meant for adults. However, over time Warner Brothers kept pushing for this movie to be more family friendly, preferring a movie kids could go see. James Gunn stated about this, “The first cut was rated R by the MPAA, and the female stars’ cleavage was CGI’d away so as not to offend. But, you know, such is life. I had a lot of fun making this movie, regardless of all that. And I was also able to eat, buy a car, and a house because of it.”
Despite coming out the same summer as Disney's Lilo and Stitch (2002), this movie was a box office success ranking number one at the box office on its opening weekend. Critical reviews were quite poor; however audiences greatly enjoyed the movie, and it is still a favorite of many who were kids at the time. It has even gained a cult like status in recent years. Due to this film's popularity James Gunn stated, “I was offered every movie you can imagine. Like, uh, the Jabberjaw movie, and The Jetsons movie, and the Captain Caveman movie. I was offered tons of money to do all of these things. So, of course, me being me, I chose to write Dawn of the Dead. Go figure out my brain, who knows.”
Though I may not be a fan of this movie's version of Scrappy-Doo, I love everything else about this charmer of a movie.
