Like
the preceding SCOOBY-DOO AND THE MONSTER OF MEXICO, SCOOBY-DOO
AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER ($25) proves that the Scooby Gang and the
Mystery Machine still have a few miles left in them. This amusing and fun
direct-to-video animated program finds the members of Mystery Inc.
visiting Daphne’s cousin Shannon in Scotland where the Blake Clan will
be hosting the Highland Games on the grounds of the family’s ancestral
castle near Loch Ness. As the program opens, we discover that there have
been an unusually high number of Nessie sightings in recent days, which
threaten to cancel the games. Of course, faster than you can turn down a
plate of haggis, the Scooby Gang discovers that they have another mystery
on their hands. SCOOBY-DOO AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER features the
vocal talents Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo and Freddy, Casey Kasem as
Shaggy, Mindy Cohn as Velma and Grey DeLisle as Daphne.
.
.
Warner
Home Video has made SCOOBY-DOO AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER available
on DVD in a very nice looking presentation intended for the 4:3 television
broadcast aspect ratio (with hi-def on the horizon, I am stupefied as to
why these direct-to-video programs aren’t being produced in 16:9). The
image appears clean, bright and as well defined as one is likely to get
from this type of 2D animation. Colors appear vibrant and are rendered
with complete stability. Blacks are inky, whites are solid and contrast is
just fine. Digital compression artifacts are well contained throughout.
SCOOBY-DOO
AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER comes with a respectable Dolby Digital 5.1
channel soundtrack. The mix isn’t particularly showy, but it gets the
job done. Sound effects are well placed, but never aggressively
implemented. The track generally creates a nice sense of presence by
spreading music and ambient sounds to the outlying channels. Even with
some thick Scottish accents sprinkled in, dialogue is always completely
understandable. The bass channel supplies a surprising kick, which
enhances the sequence involving Nessie sightings. French and Spanish 5.1
channel tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.
.
.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which allow one access to the
standard scene/episode selection and set up features, as well as a few
nice extras. National Geographic's Inside Scoop is a factoid
laden nine-minute program on Scotland and the Loch Ness monster that has
been wrapped in a kid friendly package. An amusing Blooper reel is also
provided, as well as How to Speak Scottish, a five-minute
introduction to the lingo. The Case Of The Missing Scooby Snacks
is an interactive game for the kiddies, How to Solve a Mystery
and Catch Nessie are two brief programs that revisit
material from the direct-to-video feature.
SCOOBY-DOO
AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER is a rather enjoyable offering that will
tickle long time fans and certainly please the little ones. Thirty-five
years down the road, it is great to see that Scooby-Doo and the gang are
still chugging along in fine form. As for the DVD, it looks and sounds
very good, plus it is certain to outclass the inevitable commercial laden
airings on Cartoon Network.
Like
the preceding SCOOBY-DOO AND THE MONSTER OF MEXICO, SCOOBY-DOO
AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER ($25) proves that the Scooby Gang and the
Mystery Machine still have a few miles left in them. This amusing and fun
direct-to-video animated program finds the members of Mystery Inc.
visiting Daphne’s cousin Shannon in Scotland where the Blake Clan will
be hosting the Highland Games on the grounds of the family’s ancestral
castle near Loch Ness. As the program opens, we discover that there have
been an unusually high number of Nessie sightings in recent days, which
threaten to cancel the games. Of course, faster than you can turn down a
plate of haggis, the Scooby Gang discovers that they have another mystery
on their hands. SCOOBY-DOO AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER features the
vocal talents Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo and Freddy, Casey Kasem as
Shaggy, Mindy Cohn as Velma and Grey DeLisle as Daphne.
.
SCOOBY-DOO
AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER comes with a respectable Dolby Digital 5.1
channel soundtrack. The mix isn’t particularly showy, but it gets the
job done. Sound effects are well placed, but never aggressively
implemented. The track generally creates a nice sense of presence by
spreading music and ambient sounds to the outlying channels. Even with
some thick Scottish accents sprinkled in, dialogue is always completely
understandable. The bass channel supplies a surprising kick, which
enhances the sequence involving Nessie sightings. French and Spanish 5.1
channel tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.
.
SCOOBY-DOO
AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER is a rather enjoyable offering that will
tickle long time fans and certainly please the little ones. Thirty-five
years down the road, it is great to see that Scooby-Doo and the gang are
still chugging along in fine form. As for the DVD, it looks and sounds
very good, plus it is certain to outclass the inevitable commercial laden
airings on Cartoon Network.