DVD : Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, Vol. 1

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- HILARIOUS Cartoon Fun...
My boys love this show. I think it is one of the best on Saturday mornings right now. Dr. Phibes is HILARIOUS!!! My boys laughed for days when he got the giant wedgie! It is all just good fun and a lot of humour. We give it 4 stars. Not the original, but who cares? Enjoy it with your kids, you won't be sorry!

Rating:

- Good for what it is
Ok to be frank the artwork/colorization is lower than just about every other Scooby franchise piece that has been created. Outside of that It really is not to be judged against the traditional Scooby doo "Mystery" types. It is a cartoon in the scooby doo world, that has characters from Scooby Doo, but that's about it. When my son picked it for his birthday I thought that I would shortly be put through cartoon hell. We have just about every other scooby doo made and the kids love them and I enjoyed them also. After watching it it was a pleasant surprise. The artwork took alot to get used to it still is beneath the usual scooby standards but it is fine in it's own way. The real standouts are the writing and the voice acting which is superb. The secondary characters are interesting and funny and best of all it passed the kids test. It is one of their most requested.

Rating:

- new directions...
I don't watch much TV anymore. I instead prefer to watch DVD's of the cartoons i enjoy. It wasn't until late last year that i found out my cable provider carries the network this cartoon series originates from: The Cin CW. It airs at 8am on Saturday mornings and i'm an all-night worker and am not awake on Saturday morning when the show is on. Anyway, i bought this DVD on a whim because it only contains a few episodes from the series. Having said that, i've seen things i've liked and not liked about the show but i don't feel i could make an in-depth overview of a series with only a few episodes to go by. The reviews on here are 50/50. The character design to my eyes is clearly inspired from the live-action films and i take it the furor is over the characters not looking like the traditional way they've always appeared. The plot of the series i found goofy, but goofy is also funny...it's nonsensical humor. This isn't sophisticated humor with a lot of wit or anything...Scooby cartoons were never meant to be viewed in the same light as something from a Looney Tunes director or the Jay Ward cartoons which were aimed at adults. The plot focuses around Shaggy, Scooby, and the main villain Dr Phibes. I think the portions that focus on the over-the-top Phibes and his underlings are a riot. The vocal for Shaggy is Scott Menville who, ironically, provided the voice of Red Herring on A PUP NAMED SCOOBY-DOO. The vocal takes some getting used to because Casey Kasem as well know has a distinct voice and even though Casey wasn't using his natural voice for Shaggy, you still knew it was Casey and so anyone who takes up the character of Shaggy is fairly or unfairly compared to Casey. I read that Shaggy was going to be written as more of a meat-eater, not a vegetarian, and so Casey didn't want to do the character but instead is heard as Shaggy's uncle. Look for a hilariously dead-pan parody of Ted Knight on the episode entitled "High Society" which spoofs pieces of Knight's movie, Caddyshack. Honestly, the series is not that bad if one doesn't have a hang-up on the character design and i wish there had been more episodes to get an even better viewing of the series and i'm sure there will be a DVD release containing the entire first season and i'll bet this release is a 'test' to see if there's a demand. Admittedly this is not your standard "i would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids" series but i like the silliness of this particular version. The next Scooby series, and i assume there will be one, i predict will be back in the more familiar design.

Rating:

- My Boys Liked This...
My boys, 4 & 6, really thought this DVD was hilarious. They were giggling and rewinding to see some scenes over and over again. They cannot wait for the next DVD with Scooby & Shaggy. My 9 year old thinks it's funny, but not that funny, which is why I gave it 4 stars.

Rating:

- it's a fine show, relax already :)
The show is fine, but it isn't the original full gang. Like the title says it's about Shaggy & Scoob. And yes it is quite different in formula and artwork. There is a standard (and not unfunny) nemisis character rather than ghosts and such and it is way updated, hip-attempt art.

It's like the Tean Titans, fans of the original 60s print versions hated the manga version but the manga tv shows were fine and - for some folks - a lot more fun when taken in their own right. Same deal here.

To say you're outraged by the show is just plain silly, it's not NASA cutbacks, it's a scooby doo series. It's an ok show and given the choice between this and Pup Named Schooby Doo I'd definitely rather my kids watch this (and I prefer it myself for fun too:) )

About the collection... here we go again with the Scooby "best of" mini sets. I'm a bit tired of buying partial sets only to later be able to buy the whole season. I Tivoed these to have the whole set for my young son, when the entire season is released in one box I'll pay but not till then. If you however haven't ever seen these and your kids already have everything else related to scoooby go ahead and pay the ten bucks, ignore the naysayers (sheesh, it's a cartoon for gosh sakes).

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