Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #260

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with one of my favorite Christmas cartoons of all time, Mickey's Good Deed (1932).  This film was from 1932, at this time, Mickey was at the absolute height of his popularity. He was famous in a way that no cartoon character before had ever been. Critics often compared his popularity to that of Charlie Chaplin's little tramp, and like that character Mickey had fans of all types. He was equally popular with intellectuals and small children. In fact, this same year Walt Disney would receive a special Academy Award for creating Mickey. Renowned Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein (best known for his silent film The Battleship Potemkin (1925)) was a huge fan and even wrote essays on Walt Disney, that discussed the brilliance of Mickey Mouse cartoons (He would remain a huge Disney fan and even later call Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) the single greatest film ever made). Almost every other American cartoon studio was copying what Disney had done with Mickey Mouse. Characters like Foxy (at Warner Brothers) and Cubby Bear (at Van Beuren) were extremely thinly disguised copies of Mickey himself. In fact, in 1931, the Van Beuren studio was sued by Walt for using two mice characters that looked exactly like Mickey and Minnie. There was no doubt, Mickey was movie royalty. Mickey did for animated comedies, exactly what Charlie Chaplin's little tramp had done for live action comedies. Like the comedy films made before Chaplin, the animated comedies before Mickey were often very funny, but you very rarely felt any other emotional response to what was happening on screen. Mickey changed all that and nowhere was it clearer than in Mickey's Good Deed. You may notice that this doesn't sound like your typical cartoon short of the era, and my point is it isn't. This film while not sacrificing the slapstick comedy, also adds a lot of drama to the story itself. However, the Disney studio understood exactly what Chaplin had found out earlier. If the comedy and the drama are both driven by the story and characters, they can both easily co-exist. This idea is done to absolute perfection in this cartoon. This is a beautiful and moving film, while it never forsakes the comedy. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Right up there with the best of these animated cartoons. Subject has a special holiday flavor in that it shows how Mickey and his dog manage to bring cheer into a big family of needy animal folks. Clever and lively as usual." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "Mickey's Good Deed: Mickey Mouse - Christmas cartoon. Kids like Mickey. That's why they come. One Mickey Mouse cartoon on your Saturday's program brings the kiddies out to the matinee. Running time, eight minutes. - Edmund M. Burke. Fort Plain Theatre, Fort Plain, N.Y. General Patronage."  

Next comes Frosty the Snowman (1954). This very short cartoon from the UPA studio (best known for the Mr. Magoo cartoons) was a holiday staple at Chicago's WGN-TV station including airing annually on WGN's The Bozo Show. 

Up next is a truly charming and lovely Christmas film from the Halas and Batchelor animation studio, The Candlemaker (1956). This animation studio was started by husband and wife John Halas and Joy Batchelor and is best known for their classic feature film, Animal Farm (1954). 

Bug Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) is a delightful TV special that featured the Looney Tunes characters (though strangely not Daffy Duck) in three new Christmas themed shorts. In between these shorts there were a few interstitial scenes. You can watch those below. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Up next comes a classic Silly Symphony, The Night Before Christmas (1933). Though the Silly Symphonies were mostly one-off shorts, the occasional sequel could happen (with the Three Little Pigs sequels being the most well-known). The Night Before Christmas is a follow up to the often better remembered Santa's Workshop (1932). Yet as much as I love Santa's Workshop, I love this sequel even more. It could be argued that this movie picks up where the previous one left off, as the last one ends with Santa leaving the North Pole for his trip and this cartoon has him visiting houses. This is a reissue and there is a bit of a difference towards the end. In the original 1933 version, Little Junior is disappointed to get a chamber pot for Christmas. Here he is happy to get a puppy. In this version we do get a bit of Junior getting a blackface appearance from the chimney soot that would be cut out when the film was shown a Disney TV Christmas special in 1983. For all four years of the original Mickey Mouse Club, this would be the Mousekartoon on the last new episode to be aired before Christmas. The following is a brief article from The Film Daily (dated December 28, 1933), "In conjunction with the showing of Walt Disney's Silly Symphony, 'The Night Before Christmas,' The Radio City Music Hall is exhibiting six original Walt Disney drawings used in the production of this picture. The short, a united Artists release, will be held over a second week." A review of the cartoon in The Film Daily called The Night Before Christmas "... one of Walt Disney's best cartoons." Not everyone was so impressed as evidenced by the following exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE: Silly Symphony—These Silly Symphonies arc okay, but not worth difference in rental United Artists asks for them. -P. G. Held, New Strand Theatre, Griswold, Iowa. General patronage." 

Now for another holiday staple of WGN-TV, Hardrock, Coco and Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs (1951). 

My favorite Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon is True Boo (1952). This film puts a lot of delightful Christmas spirit in with its traditional Casper story. The gags where Casper uses everyday objects to make toys, heavily borrows from the Max Fleischer Color Classic, Christmas Comes but Once a Year (1936).

While it is easy to say that the DePatie-Freling cartoons of the mid and late 1970's were not on par with the studio's cartoons of the 1960's and early 70's without any sense of doubt, A Pink Christmas (1978) is a huge exception. This TV special is about as good a cartoon as the studio ever made. This dialogue-less special is somewhat based on O. Henry's The Cop and the Anthem. The Pink Panther has often been compared to Charlie Chaplin, mostly because he is a pantomime character. This though is probably the most Chaplin-esque film the cartoon cat ever stared in. It beautifully combines comedy and pathos, and the idea of a poor tramp like character looking for food of course has roots in Chaplin as well. In fact, this film borrows a gag from Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925) (involving shoveling snow). It succussed very well. It is both very funny and very moving.

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

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

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein. 

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries: A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle (1984)

 

An excellent episode. 

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). 

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo: Scooby’s Trip to Ahz (1981)

 

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.  

The New Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show: Who's Minding the Monster (1983)

 

A strange but fun episode. 

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. 

Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated: All Fear the Freak (2011)

 

An intense and wonderful episode. 

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.

This is truly a wonderful episode. 

The New Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show: Hound of the Scoobyvilles (1983)

 

A really fun episode. 

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. 

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. 

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo: Moonlight Madness (1981)

 

A fun atmospheric cartoon. 

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. 

Shaggy would later turn into a werewolf again in the feature length movie, Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988). 

This is a fun little cartoon.

Scooby-Doo (2002)

 

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. 

Resources Used

https://www.thewrap.com/scooby-doo-was-initially-rated-r-says-james-gunn/

https://www.tangalooma.com/blog-articles/resort-news-blog/2017/spooky-island-the-scooby-doo-movie

The New Scooby-Doo Movies: The Secret of Shark Island (1972)

 

An excellent episode. 

In this episode the Mystery Inc. Gang picks up Sonny and Cher, when the singing couple's car breaks down. The gang drives the couple to the Hideaway Hotel, where the couple plans to have their honeymoon. Here they discover that there is a giant monster shark haunting the area. The gang has yet another mystery on their hands. 

There is a lot of fun to be had with this episode. The monster shark is a great villain with a wonderfully creepy design. The mystery of who is under the mask is a very good one and actually has a real surprise reveal. The action and chase scenes are a lot of fun as well. The background art is absolutely beautiful here and gives the whole episode a wonderful sense of atmosphere. The humor with Sonny and Cher is incredibly corny but in a charming way. I also admit that I even got a few laughs out of this corny humor. 

This is a pure delight. 

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo: Scooby's Fun Zone (1980)

 

An enjoyable but forgettable Scooby cartoon. 

In this cartoon Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy visit an amusement pier and get in trouble when Scooby accidentally hits the strongman with a baseball. 

Like many of the Scooby shorts of this era, there is nothing that will really make this cartoon stand out from similar cartoons from the era, but it is still entertaining in its own right. The amusement pier is a perfect setting for a Scooby adventure and provides some fun set pieces. Two of these fun set pieces that stand out are the house of mirrors and the house of horrors (the later features some delightful old-school Scooby atmosphere and background art). The gags are amusing. However, they are the type of gags that will make you smile rather than actually laugh out loud. I do really like the ending gag though. 

This is nothing fantastic, but it is a fun little cartoon. 

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo: Scooby's Three Ding-a-Ling Circus (1980)

 

An excellent Scooby short. 

In this cartoon, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy get jobs in the circus as vendors. When they eat the food, they are supposed to be selling (or an elephant eats it in Scrappy's case), they must run away and hide from their angry boss. 

This is a superior Scooby short for this era. Even if they aren't solving any spooky mysteries, this plot fits the characters to a tee. Scooby and Shaggy are exactly the type of characters who would absent-mindedly eat all the food they are supposed to be selling before they even realize this. In fact, this almost feels like it could be a subplot in a classic Scooby episode. On top of this the humor is actually great here. There are some true laugh out loud moments here and the slapstick filled climax is delightful. 

This is one of the best Scooby shorts of this era.   

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo: Stuntman Scooby (1980)

 

A familiar but fun cartoon.

In this cartoon Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy believe that they are hired as actors at a movie studio. However, they are really hired as stuntman and have to do some very dangerous stunts.

This storyline is a very familiar one and one that many cartoon characters have done before. However, this doesn't stop this from being a very fun cartoon. While not laugh out loud funny, there are some pretty strong gags here. The characters are just as likable here as always. Scrappy here is especially well utilized. Him seeing through all the special effects and turning them back on the director is a fun little twist on this well-worn formula. Meanwhile Scooby and Shaggy cowardice is also a lot of fun here.   

A fun little cartoon. 

The New Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show: The Fall Dog (1983)

 

A fun little episode. 

In this episode, a major movie stuntman quits, when a set for a film he is working on is haunted by a gremlin. When they accidentally crash into the set, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy become the movie's new stunt people (and dogs). 

Having cartoon characters work as movie stunt people is an old cartoon trope, but it is one I have always liked. This episode does this trope quite well. There are some pretty good slapstick moments and a decent number of thrills. The final gag in this episode is wonderful. Our favorite characters are also as likable as ever and as always it is fun to spend time with him. The supporting characters are also quite a bit of fun. The shorter runtime (this series had each episode broken up into two shorter cartoons, rather than a full half-hour story) works well. The story moves at a fast fun pace, yet never once feels rushed.

However, the gremlin is a rather forgettable monster with nothing to make him stand out from many similar Scooby villains. 

This episode was written by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper, both of whom worked not only for this series but also The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo!

All in all this is a fun episode.

Scooby-Doo and the Gourmet Ghost (2018)

 

A fun little direct to video movie. 

In this film the Mystery Inc. Gang visits Fred's uncle, world-famous chef Bobby Flay at his Rocky Harbor Culinary Resort. They soon find that it is being haunted by a ghost. Before you can say "Jinkies" the gang has another mystery on their hands. 

There is a lot to enjoy about this movie. The mystery is quite well done and has some fun surprises along the war. The end reveal is quite clever, and the twist is very well done. The ghost is excellent here. He has a delightfully creepy design and that he only makes a shushing noise makes him even more creepy. The way he manipulates the technology around him makes the character feel even creepier and ups the suspense.   

The humor in this movie is very hit and miss. There are times when it is laugh out loud funny. Most of the great comedic moments revolve around the gang themselves, who are all at their most funny and likable here. "The sandwich making dog said he'd be here" is one of my favorite comedic lines in these movies. Some of the basic slapstick gags work quite well here as well. Unfortunately, many of the gags involving the special guest stars (mostly famous cooks) fall flat. Though perhaps this is because I never watch cooking shows and don't really know who these people are. 

This film is directed by Doug Murphy. This marks his only time directed a Scooby-Doo movie. His only other credit directing Scooby-Doo was a single episode of Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated (Night on Haunted Mountain (2012)). He did work as a storyboard artist on the movies Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (2011), Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012) and LEGO Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood (2016) as well as episodes of Be Cool Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated. The writer of this film was Tim Sheridan. This and the direct to video movie  Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019) are his only works with Scooby.The majority of his work was on Superhero animation. He worked on such shows as DC Super Hero Girls, Justice League Action and Teen Titians Go as well as the direct to video movies Reign of the Supermen (2019), Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) and Batman: The Long Halloween (2021). 

This may not be the best Scooby movie, but it is really fun. 

The New Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show: The Mark of Scooby (1983)

 

A fun little cartoon. 

I this short cartoon, Scooby, Shaggy, Scrappy and Daphane go to the Old California Festival and see a play featuring the Zorro-like dog El Sabueso. That night excited by the show, Scooby goes to sleep and dreams that he is El Scoobo and Scrappy is Scrappito and the must save Senorita Daphne and Senor Shaggy when they are kidnapped. 

 The New Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show featured our heroes going back to solving mysteries after previously having starred in short that often had nothing to with mysteries or anything spooky. However, this cartoon is almost a step back to our heroes' non-mystery solving days. There is no mystery to be solved here and nothing spooky at all. This is just a silly little cartoon short starring Scooby-Doo. However, like the similar shorts that were made not long before hand, this is a charming little cartoon. It is never laugh out loud funny, but the silliness brings a real charm, and this is a pleasant way to spend 11 minutes. There are some pretty amusing gags here, including the one where our heroes disguise as a mariachi band. Plus, the whole concept of Scooby as a masked Zorro-style hero is a very fun one. Having him and Scrappy imagine themselves as these heroes is perfectly in character for them, while showing a playful side to them we don't see often enough. 

This may not be a cartoon classic, but it is very charming and cute. 

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Menace of the Manticore (2011)

 

An excellent episode. 

In this episode, the Mystery Inc. gang must solve another mystery when a manticore is haunting a theme park. 

There is a whole lot to love about this episode. Creepy Spooky Terror Land is a wonderful setting for a Scooby mystery. It has a wonderfully atmospheric and creepy feel to it. The use of lighting and the darker colors in the backgrounds create a wonderful sense of eerieness to the whole episode. It also feels truly massive with always a new and equally atmospheric area for our heroes to explore. The manticore is a great villain with a delightfully creepy design. The mystery itself is quite good and takes some very unexpected but clever turns. The humor is quite charming. Though it may not be laugh out loud funny, it definitely made me smile, multiple times.  

As many of you may know, this is one of the few Scooby-Doo series to feature an ongoing storyline and for those following this storyline, there are a lot of great twists there as well. This is an important episode to this storyline and features some extremely smart and shocking twists in this way as well. 

This episode is directed by Curt Geda. He directed various episodes of this show as well as the direct to video short Scooby-Doo! Spooky Games (2012). He was also a storyboard artist on the direct to video Scooby movies, Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (2005) and LEGO Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood (2016). Outside of Scooby-Doo! he also directed the popular direct to video movie, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000). The episode is written by Adam Beechen. This series is the only Scooby-Doo! project he worked on. Outside of Scooby-Doo! he worked on such shows as Rugrats and Jackie Chan Adventures.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The New Scooby-Doo Movies: The Mystery of Haunted Island (1973)

 

A very fun episode.

In this episode the Mystery Inc. gang decides to go on a picnic and run into the Harlem Globetrotters. The gang and the famous basketball team are tricked into going to Haunted Island and find they have another mystery on their hands. 

 There is a lot to love about this episode. The Harlem Globetrotters (who had their own animated TV show also by Hanna-Barbera) are wonderful guest stars. They work very well with the Mystery Inc. gang, and they get some real good laughs in this episode. With the sheer number of them, it is also amazing that each one has their own personality. This episode also benefits from a very strong setting. Haunted Island is full of spooky Halloween-y fun. The background art is wonderful here and there is a delightful atmosphere to the whole episode. I also like that after the mystery was solved, we still got to see the Globetrotters play a game, which helps this episode stand out. The game itself is quite funny with some solid slapstick. 

This episode does have a few flaws though. While the various spooks around the island are well designed and fun, the actual main ghosts are kind of bland looking and forgettable. Also, with a lack of suspects, there is no mystery here. 

This episode is simply a lot of fun. 

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder: The Wizard of Ooze (1976)

 

This is the third of three Dynomutt, Dog Wonder episodes to be a crossover with Scooby-Doo. 

In this episode, Dynomutt, Blue Falcon and the Mystery Inc. Gang team up to stop the villainous Swamp Rat and Mudmouth, when they pump half of Bogmeyer Swamp into Big City. 

This is the weakest of three Scooby-Doo crossovers. The reason for this is the weak hillbilly villains. These villains are simply bland hillbilly stereotypes with nothing to make them stand out. They also never feel like they should be actual threats to a pair of superheroes and a group of experienced mystery solvers. 

This does not mean that there is not quite a bit to enjoy about this episode. The Mystery Inc. gang has wonderful chemistry with Blue Falcon and Dynomutt. I especially love Scooby and Dynomutt both being major fans of each other. The episode also benefits from some strong slapstick and some wonderful background art throughout. 

While still fun, this episode does very much suffer from weak villains.