Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)

From my favorite movies..

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I'm not sure if "Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island" was supposed to create a new Scooby-Doo continuity with the many films being direct sequels. "Zombie Island" isn't alluded to at all here. What matters is that the animation in this film is great. It does seem to be on par with "Zombie Island" which was gorgeous. This was around the time 2D theatrically released films were declining. While these movies aren't as good as the animated DC films, they're still quite good. When you have a film this short, pacing is very important and that was done quite well here.This movie does in fact feature an actual hoax but the way it builds itself after this reveal is quite interesting. While not as dark as the previous entry, it does get adult. It's funny how we get so much more serious and realistic stuff with the characters that aren't Scooby or Shaggy. It seems like all the comedy is focused on them and that works out just fine. I may not be the biggest Scooby-Doo fan, but these movies are enjoyable. Many people don't realize how many of them there are! ***

It's not the one that started it all, but it is the first one I saw, the first one that said: "Look at me, Scooby Doo is relevant again!" And it was.Everything fit beautifully with the late 90s. The Stephen King parody, the Hex Girls quasi-Goth band with an environmentalist twist and a love for Wicca. Even the New England town told the viewers that, hey, Scooby Doo is updated, it is in the 90s, and it is not taking itself too seriously.The one regret is that there are no real masked villains, but even then, when you learn the truth, when the mystery is solved, the lack of a mask works for shock appeal.It is a great entry into the world of Scooby Doo and one that set the stage for the franchise to follow.

Whilst investigating a haunted museum the gang meet horror writer Ben Ravencroft and get invited back to his hometown. When they get to Oakhaven they find the tourist season at full flow – attracted by tales of the ghost of Ben's ancestor who was burnt as a witch. The gang begin to try and unravel the town's mystery despite the many red herrings.This update of Scooby Doo is much better than you'd expect it to be. The plot is just what you expect from Scooby Doo (witch haunting town – but is it real or is someone up to no good etc). However it does have a little added spice by having some modern twists – like the fact that Fred always wants to go off with Daphne when they split, or Fred being tired getting called a `kid', or Thelma's geeky status nicely kept.The plot is good for the most, with plenty of red herrings to make it less than obvious as to who's behind everything. The animation is good – the gang are nearly identical to the original, with the exception maybe of Fred. However the feel of the film is quite like the dark mood of the Batman animated series. The only complaint is that you can that it is modern by the use of car chases, supernatural battles and Batman-type fights. However it is good to see the characters in a well animated adventure – even if some of the ghosts are more scary and less comedy that they are usually.The voice work is good – except Fred doesn't sound quite like he should. Tim Curry is good but really you know that if he's going to do the voice then his character is going have some meat on it. The `ghost' is poor – all `thee' and `thou'. But in the most case the voices are fine.Overall it is a modern telling so we really do have ghosts etc, but apart from this it's actually very enjoyable – the humour, the pop culture references etc all made it much better than I thought it would be, even if some of (The Hex Girls) doesn't work very well. Oh – and did we need to have the Scooby Doo theme song by Billy Ray Cyrus?

The second direct to video Scooby home movie is a pleasant surprise with elements of the old series resurfacing in an updated storyline. Scoob and the gang are in the thick of things as the video opens, solving another mystery, and meeting a new friend in the process. Mystery writer Ben Ravencroft, one of Velma's idols, meets the crew and invites them up to his old country home to see the fall colors. But when the gang gets there, they find the town being haunted by a creepy witch. The legends say the witch is the spirit of Sara Ravencroft, Ben's ancestor who he believes was actually a Wiccan -- a healer, misunderstood by those who persecuted her.The classic Scooby-Doo episodes of the first two seasons had a mix of mystery, musical numbers and silly humor. Much of that mix was absent in the first video, Zombie Island. This video recaptures that formula nicely, with a couple of musical numbers performed by the "Hex Girls", who also figure into the plot. The story is well-done, with the ending not coming where you expect it. Voice talents are a strong point here, with Tim Curry as Ben Ravencroft, Tress McNeill (of Animaniacs fame) as the Witch, and Scott Innes returning as the voices of both Scooby and Shaggy.Overall, a great family movie and a must for any serious Scooby fan... well worth the price of the video.