Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #302

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning and happy Halloween. Once again it is time for some spooky cartoons. 

Today's spooky cartoon selection begins with our favorite friendly ghost, Casper, in Fright From Wrong (1956). 

Next, we join Superman in The Mummy Strikes (1943). This is the 14th out of 17 theatrical cartoon shorts staring the famous DC superhero produced at first by the Fleischer Studios and then its successor Famous Studios. 

Now for the silent Felix the cat cartoon, Switches Witches (1927).

Now for a true classic starring Porky and Slyvester, Claws for Alarm (1954). This was the second of two cartoons (both directed by Chuck Jones) featuring Sylvester as the cowardly cat that must protect his owner Porky for murderous mice (the first being Scaredy Cat (1948)). Unlike other appearances of Sylvester, here the cat is treated more like a real cat and has no ability to speak. Chuck Jones would use this basic formula again for Jumpin' Jupiter (1955). That film would again feature Sylvester as a cowardly cat that must protect Porky. However, in that cartoon he would protect his master from a space alien rather than mice.  Claws For Alarm would later be used in the feature length compilation movie, Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988).

Now it is time for a commercial break.

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. 

It's time to attend Betty Boop's Halloween Party (1933). This is pure pre-code Betty at her best with fast paced action, bizarre cartoony gags, an energetic music score and a heck of a lot of charm. The following are two exhibitors' reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. "BETTY BOOP'S HALLOWEEN PARTY: Betty Boop Cartoons—Good cartoon and sound. It's just a toss-up which is the best cartoon, "Mickey Mouse," "Betty Boop" or "Popeye the Sailor," with "Popeye" slightly in the lead.—S. H. Rich, Rich Theatre, Montpelier, Idaho, Town and Rural Patronage." "BETTY BOOP'S HALLOWEEN PARTY: Talkar- toons—Better than the average Betty Boop. Good short for any program. - H. E. Newberry, Y.M.C.A. Theatre, Ware Shores, S.C. Small Town Patronage."

Next comes one of the earliest of Disney's Silly Symphonies, Hell's Bells (1929). What is amazing about this film is that it is animated by only three people. Wilfred Jackson animates the scene introducing the devil and his court, the scene with the devil's band, the pool of lava, the three dancing bats, the devil king applauding and ringing the bell, the imps carrying the bowl of fire to the devil king, the devil feeding the three-headed dog and the devil pursuing the imp. Ub Iwerks (who also directed the cartoon) animates the opening and closing shots, the single dancing bat and the devil king falling from the cliff and being devoured by the flames. Les Clark animates the serpent swallowing the bat, the dragon/cow and the devil threatening an imp. Animation for this film was done from September to October 1929. Its New York opening was at the George M. Cohan on November 10-16. It played along with the feature film, Song of Love (1929). However, its Los Angles opening would have to wait until it played at the Fox Boulevard theatre, February 20-26, 1930. It would play alongside the feature film, The Cock-Eyed World (1929). 

Of course, a Halloween tradition for cartoon fans is the Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. Here is a delightful segment from the very first Treehouse of Horror.

Thank you 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
Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show: The Bride of Darkseid (Part 1) (1984)

 

The Bride of Darkseid (Part I) is the first episode of Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. This version of Super Friends introduced both new heroes and new villains, notably Darkseid. With these new villains, the stakes were raised as our heroes faced greater danger than previous Super Friends series. More importantly, this series has Adam West himself as the voice of Batman. 

In this episode, the Super Friends meet the new superhero Firestorm, who is really college student Ronnie Raymond and college professor Martin Stein fused into one being. The team lets Firestorm join the Super Friends. However, Darkseid shows up from his home of Apokolips to Earth with plans of making Wonder Woman his bride. 

This is a pretty good start to the series. Firestorm is great addition to the team. His powers provide some fun and creative action sequences. His personality is well formed from even this first episode. Even his crush on Wonder Woman allows for some fun interactions. While we don't spend enough time with Darkseid for him to feel like anything but a typical 1980's cartoon bad guy, his voice and design make him already a great villain. He also proves to be a great threat to our heroes. The artwork in this episode is also great. The background art is as wonderful as it always is in these Hanna-Barbera cartoons. As well as this the art style change when Ronnie and Professor Stein combine into Firestorm is very effective. 

All in all a good start to this fun series. 

Movie Review: Supergirl

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent superhero adventure. 

The film's story (based on Supergirl's comic book story, Woman of Tomorrow) may not offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking for the superhero genre. However, this does not stop the story from being very well told. The heart of this story rests heavily in the title character. In many ways she is very different from her cousin Superman. She is much more cynical and hides her pain behind a lot of partying and an outwardly apathetic demeanor. Yet none of this can hide that like her cousin, she is deep down a very good person. When it comes to doing the right thing, she can't help herself. It is hard not to love a character like this. Her outward demeanor makes her come off as very cool, while her good heart makes her easily to care about emotionally. The scenes dealing with her backstory are very well done. These emotionally effective scenes make us fully understand why this character is the way she is. Also endearing this character to us is Milly Alcock's fantastic performance (she brings a real charisma to this character) as well as her relationship with the young girl (played by Eve Ridley) she goes on this journey with. How Kara (Supergirl's real name) cares for this young girl really captures the heart of this character. She may get annoyed or exasperated with the young girl and even loses her temper at times. However, when push comes to shove Kara always has the girl's back. 

As well as a great lead character, this movie also features some very good comedy and action scenes. The comedy is often very funny, while (unlike some recent superhero movies) never distracting from the drama or the characters' arcs. This is because all of the humor flows naturally from the story and characters. Jason Momoa as Lobo gets many of the film's greatest laughs. The action scenes are fantastic. They are very exciting and well-paced. The use of rock music on the soundtrack is also a great asset as it perfectly fits the main character and the tone of the movie. 

What keeps this movie from getting a higher grade is the villain. This is a very bland, generic and forgettable villain with nothing to make him stand out from so many similar movie villains.

A delight for superhero fans.   

All-New Super Friends Hour: Rampage (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the final 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 Superman and Green Lantern team up to save the day when a wild elephant is loose in India.  

This is a fun cartoon. Superman and Green Lantern have to save the day without harming the elephants making saving the day feel like a real challenge. The elephants have a great design, and the background art of India is very eye pleasing. The climatic action scene is done quite well. There is some of that very corny superhero dialogue that I love. While there may not be anything new here there is still enough to enjoy. 

Movie Trailer: Supergirl

 

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)

 

This direct to video animated film is perhaps the best Green Lantern movie. 

Unlike most of the direct to video DC animated movies, instead of telling one story, this is an anthology film. The connecting story has the Green Lantern Corps about to fight against the powerful anti-matter entity Krona. When new recruit Arisia Rrab is nervous and admits she doesn't feel worthy of being a Green Lantern, Hal Jordon tells her the story of Avra, one of the first four Green Lanterns and how he doubted his abilities as well. After this story, the two run into drill sergeant Kilowog and this leads to the story of Kilowog's trainer. After this story they run into Green Lantern Laira and Hal Jordon tells the story of her first mission. After this story the Green Lantern Mogo is mentioned, leading Hal Jordon to tell the story of Mogo. As the battle starts Arisia Rrab is told a story of former Green Lantern Abin Sur. 

By virtue of this film's format as a collection of stories about various Green Lanterns, it is able to accomplish what no other Green Lantern movie has been able to. That is to create a feeling of the film taking place in a massive universe. The scale of this movie is larger than life. By exploring so many different facets of this universe, the worldbuilding here is phenomenal. Like in the best sci-fi movies, the universe shown here feels completely real to its audience. After watching this, you will want to watch and read more Green Lantern stories to explore this world even further. At the same time, giving focus on so different many characters, helps us appreciate the Green Lantern Corps as a group of individuals as well as a powerful team. You see how each member brings something different to the table and how each individual is important to the strength of the Corps. 

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Besides just this each of the stories are very effective in their own right. Some of these stories are fun, some add to the lore of the Green Lanterns, and some are quite emotional. Yet each one does exactly what it sets out to do. My favorite of these stories is Laira's story, which mixes a real emotional story with great action. Speaking of great action this whole movie is full of fantastic action scenes. These scenes are larger than life and quite exciting. The connecting story is just as strong as the shorter stories, especially with how much of the threat the villain is. 

The segments The First Lantern and Abin Sur were directed by Christopher Berkeley. Berkeley has worked as a storyboard artist on many of these DC direct to video animated movies as well as some of the direct to video Scooby-Doo films. As a director he worked on such TV series as Godzilla the Series, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Batman and Ben 10: Omniverse. He also directed the direct to video movie, Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword (2009) and co-directed Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham (2023). 

The First Lantern segment is written by Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim. Michael Green is a prolific screenwriter. He has written for such movies as Green Lantern (2011), Logan (2017), Alien: Covenant (2017), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), The Call of the Wild (2020), Jungle Cruise (2021), Death on the Nile (2022) and A Haunting in Venice (2023). Marc Guggenheim has written for many DC comics TV shows including Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Vixen, Supergirl and Justice League Action. He was also a writer on the feature film, Green Lantern (2011). 

The Abin Sur segment was written by prolific and influential comic book writer Geoff Johns. 

The Kilowog segment and the connecting story were directed by Lauren Montgomery, one of my favorite DC animation directors. Lauren has worked as a storyboard artist on most of these DC Comics direct to video movies (and some of the Marvel ones as well) as well as such DC TV shows as Justice League Unlimited, Legion of Superheroes, Young Justice and Batman: Brave and the Bold. She may be the best director of these direct to video movies, having directed such films as Superman: Doomsday (2007), Wonder Woman (2009), Green Lantern: First Flight (2009), Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010), Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), Batman: Year One (2011) and Justice League: Doom (2012). 

The Kilowog segment was written by Peter Tomasi, a prolific comic book editor and writer, who began working at DC in 1993. 

The connecting story was written by Geoff Johns and Alan Burnett. Alan Burnett was a very prolific and influential animation writer and producer who worked on such animated TV shows as The Smurfs, Duck Tales, Batman: The Animated Series, Freakazoid, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Ozzie and Drix, Krypto the Superdog and The Batman as well as many of the direct to video animated DC and Scooby-Doo movies. 

The segments Mogo Doesn't Socialize and Laria were directed by Jay Oliva. He directed many of the direct to video DC and Marvel movies as well as episodes of the great animated TV series Young Justice. He also worked as a storyboard artist on many superhero films, both animated and live action. This even includes such popular movies as Ant-Man (2015), Deadpool (2016) and Wonder Woman (2017). 

The Mogo Doesn't Socialize segment was written by comic book writer Dave Gibbons. Comic book writer Eddie Berganza wrote the Laria segment. 

This is one of my favorite direct to video animated DC movies. 

 

Video Link: This Superhero Was Cancelled Before She Even Got Started! - Causally Comics

 

Video Link: The Justice League DESTROYED Their Teen Mascot! - Causally Comics

 

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Ghost (1977)

 

This is the third segment of the fifteenth (and final) 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 villainous Gentleman Ghost (a real comic book supervillain who is called Gentlemen Jim in this episode) once again rises from the grave. He wants to get revenge on Superman and Wonder Woman who stopped his evil deeds the last time he rose from the grave. All the Super Friends team up together to stop him. 

This is a wonderful episode. There is a real atmospheric feel here that gives the whole segment a great Halloween-y feel. This is especially seen very well in the great gothic background art. This artwork is reminiscent of the best Scooby-Doo episodes. Gentleman Ghost is a wonderful villain here. He is actually kind of creepy for a Super Friends villain. The way he turns people into ghosts makes him especially creepy. He also feels like a real threat to our heroes here, creating a great sense of suspense throughout. The climax is especially exciting and effectively creepy. Though the villain's plan is aimed against Superman and Wonder Woman, this episode makes great use of each Super Friend. 

This is simply a very exciting and atmospheric episode. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Stowaways (1977)

 This is the second segment of the fifteenth (and final) 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 two teenage girls get in trouble when they stowaway on a yacht. The Wonder Twins must save them.

This is one of the better Wonder Twins cartoons. While the dialogue can still feel overly didactic, the action is pretty fun here. This is thanks to some strong artwork, including some great effects animation. The climax is actually kind of exciting. The two teenage girls though are as bland as can be and speak only in forced dialogue that drives the message home further.   

Video Link: When Batgirl & Robin Got Controversial! - Casually Comics

Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

 

This direct to video animated movie marked the first feature film based on the DC Comics character, Green Lantern and predates the characters big screen debut in Green Lantern (2011). 

In this film, test pilot Hal Jordan is chosen by a Green Lantern ring when Green Lantern Abin Sur dies. With this he becomes the first Earth inhabitant to become a Green Lantern. When he is taken to the Green Lantern Corps, the Green Lanterns from other planets are distrustful of him. Yet he is put under the watchful eye of Sinestro (from the planet Korugar), who trains him how to be a Green Lantern. However, Hal learns that Sinestro is planning to overthrow the Corps and 8), Hal must stop the villain. 

This is a delightful sci-fi adventure. The worlds it takes us to are extremely atmospheric and believable. Even the worlds we only see for a short time are very well detailed and fun. The artwork is fantastic. The background art creates a larger than life feel that is perfect for this type of sci-fi story. The designs of the various beings are delightfully creative and fun. The action scenes are exciting and very well paced and animated. Hal is a very likable hero. Though he has a little bit of an ego, he in many ways is exactly what a hero should be. He is brave, smart, knows how to hold himself back and always does whatever he can to help anyone in trouble. 

This movie benefits from a very strong villain. Sinestro is a complex and well written character. We understand where he is coming from and there are many points with which we are inclined to agree with him. Though his reasons are not evil, his methods are deplorable. We at first find ourselves on his side, until he tortures multiple beings in order to get information out of them. He strongly believes that any means are worth the ideals and those means get increasingly disturbing as the film continues. From this we understand how he transitioned from someone who felt disillusioned by the Green Lantern Corps to a full evil supervillain. He also works because he feels like a massive threat to our heroes. 

Like many of these animated DC movies, this film has one major flaw. That is its length. At only 77 minutes, this film is much shorter than it should be. The start of this film is especially rushed. We barely get to see Hal in his civilian life. We also never get to see him get used to his powers. We see him get the ring and next time we see him, he knows how to use it almost perfectly. This short runtime also makes it so the rather large supporting cast remains underdeveloped.   

This film's director was Lauren Montgomery, who has worked as a storyboard artist on most of these DC Comics direct to video movies (and some of the Marvel ones as well) as well as such DC TV shows as Justice League Unlimited, Legion of Superheroes, Young Justice and Batman: Brave and the Bold. She may be the best director of these direct to video movies, having directed such films as Superman: Doomsday (2007), Wonder Woman (2009), Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010), Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011), Batman: Year One (2011) and Justice League: Doom (2012). 

This film was also written by one of the best writers for superhero cartoons, Alan Burrett. He had written for such TV shows as Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, The Batman, Krypto the Superdog and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He was also a writer for such animated superhero movies as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003), Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011), Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015), Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018), Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019). He also served as a producer on many of the Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry direct to video movies.

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Protector (1977)

 

This is the first segment of the fifteenth (and final) 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, Batman, Robin and Aquaman team up to stop a villain named The Shark who steals valuables from various ships with his immobilizer ray. He does this to keep ships from going out to sea and because of this he views himself as a protector of the sea. 

This is an excellent episode. The use of fog out at sea creates a great sense of atmosphere and helps it stand out. Beyond this the background art (especially aboard the ship) is typically excellent. The Shark is a fun villain with a very memorable design and a great voice. His immobilizer ray is a good gimmick and makes him a believable threat to our heroes. The action is quite fun as well. The story is simple, but it is just the kind of simplistic superhero fun that I love. 

  

All-New Super Friends Hour: Cable Car Rescue (1977)

 

This is the final 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, Wonder Woman and the Atom team up to save passengers stranded on a cable car in the Rocky Mountains. 

This is a wonderful cartoon. Taking place at the Rocky Mountains, there is a great sense of atmosphere throughout. The background art of the rugged and snowy terrain is fantastic, with great detail that makes it feel real to us. The effects animation with the lighting also adds to this sense of atmosphere. All this also works together to create a real sense of danger. You really feel the danger all the passengers are in and the episode gets a good amount of suspense out of this basic premise. The superhero action is pretty basic as well. However, it is also quite effective and exciting. 

This episode may be very basic, but it is also Super Friends doing a great job at what it does best. 

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Movie Trailer: Supergirl

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Mummy of Nazca (1977)

 

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. 

All in all, though, this is a delightful episode. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Dangerous Prank (1977)

 

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. 

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who: The Scooby of a Thousand Faces (2019)

 

A really fun episode. 

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. 

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who: What a Night, For a Dark Knight (2019)

 

A really fun episode. 

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. 

This episode was written by Michael Ryan, who has written plenty of episode of both Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who. He also wrote the direct to vide movies Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon (2013), Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (2014) and Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog (2021). His first time writing Scooby was on the Johnny Bravo episode Bravo Dooby-Doo (1997). The director was Chris Bailey who was also a producer for this show. 

This is such a fun episode. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Frozen Peril (1977)

 

This is the first 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 Superman and Aquaman team up to stop the evil Sculpin, when he freezes all the world's oceans. 

This is a fun cartoon. Sculpin has a wonderful design and voice that makes him a fun and memorable villain. With his freeze way and other technology, he truly does feel like a real threat to our heroes. This leads to some very fun action scenes, especially one involving a whale helping Aquaman. The cartoon also very much benefits from great background art, which gives it a great sense of atmosphere and fun. The story itself is simplistic and breezy, which creates just the kind of corny superhero fun I love. 

The only real complaint I have is the obvious didactic dialogue at the end but that was par for the course for a TV cartoon at this time.