Although 2019 was the official anniversary year for Scooby-Doo, fans of the Scoob and the gang have had a lot to appreciate this year. While a certain pandemic may have delayed getting to see a new Scooby-Doo movie in theaters, we were still greeted with the star-studded origin story Scoob! at home earlier this summer. While it may have had some inconsistencies that kept it from being an essential addition to the canon, it was still a fun way to spend time with the characters. If this was not enough for one year, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing fans the thirty-first direct-to-video film, Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! to DVD and Digital just in time for the titular holiday. If any holiday is meant to be celebrated by this franchise, it is definitely Halloween. Things get fun and spooky in this new film which finds our Mystery Inc. gang teaming up with some fun figures while coming face-to-face with some ghoulish entities.
This new film appropriately takes place on Halloween night as the gang attends Elvira’s Halloween of Horrors parade in Crystal Cove. There is a mischievous entity known as The Haunted Scarecrow that is terrorizing the festivities with gas-grenade wielding drones. True to form, Shaggy and Scooby take an opportunity to hide away from the frightening scene while the rest of the gang tries to get a handle on this villain. After Velma successfully incapacitates this Haunted Scarecrow, he is revealed to be Dr. Johnathan Crane, aka Scarecrow from the DC universe, who has recently escaped from Arkham Asylum. In full disclosure, it has been a long while since I have actually seen one of these DTV Scooby films, so it was a wild surprise to get a Batman villain thrust into this story. Although Crane is wheeled back to Arkham, Scooby and Shaggy stumble across a pumpkin patch in the course of trick-or-treating that has fallen victim to a toxic waste leak. Things begin to get a bit too real for the famous friends when pumpkins begin springing to life and coming for them. Has Mystery Inc. finally stumbled across a bonafide supernatural event, or is there a more reasonable explanation at hand?
Sure, you can probably guess as much, but I am not here to ruin every plot point for you. The film eventually turns into a bit of a chase to stop the threat, as the pumpkins are consuming people and spitting them out as “Jackal-Lanterns” themselves. The mystery is actually laid out pretty well, eventually leading up to a reveal that feels logical within the context of the universe. From the information I have gathered, this film serves as something of a conclusion to a trilogy of DTV films, but nothing ever felt unclear as a newcomer. Throughout the story, all of the members of the team are dealing with different personal issues of their own. At the most basic, Shaggy and Scooby are trying to stay out of harm’s way and get to trick-or-treating as quickly as possible. Fred is crestfallen over the Mystery Machine getting damaged during the initial attack, leading to Bill Nye (yes, the scientist) gifting him with a fancy new vehicle that does not quite do it for him. Daphne is looking for a mentor in the form of Elvira, which leads to some wacky moments. And finally, Velma appears to be bottling a lot up throughout the film, which might just lead to some revelations.
Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! serves as a really entertaining entry into the series. While Scoob! suffered somewhat from the separation of the gang from one another for large portions of the film, this story keeps the gang emotionally close even when not in direct proximity of one another. The characters also just happen to be way more engaging as written here. I am not aware of how Daphne has typically been portrayed in recent years, but what we get here is a young lady with some big “kooky aunt” energy that I am here for. Velma likewise gets more nuance than she typically does with this film almost showcasing her more than the titular pup. Those who love the dynamic of Shaggy and Scooby together will be treated to many endearing scenes that you are bound to love. The voice acting present in the film also gets a huge thumbs up on all accounts. Matthew Lillard has been a fantastic Shaggy ever since he took over the role in live action form, so it is great to have him continuing here. This was the first time I heard Kate Micucci voice Velma, but I thought her unique voice suited the character perfectly. With some truly fun guest stars and a solidly hilarious and entertaining narrative, Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! earns the title of best Scooby-Doo movie of the year.
Video Quality
Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo! comes to DVD with a 480p transfer that looks quite good despite the lack of a HD option. This disc lacks the definition that a Blu-Ray would provide, but it does avoid an abundance of digital anomalies such as artifacting and digital noise. The film features a lively color palette throughout most of the runtime, but it lacks a visual pop off the screen due to format limitations. The disc provides fairly deep black levels for a clean viewing experience free of crush. The animation style of the film is quite gorgeous, and line detail remains appropriately strong throughout with only occasional instances of blurring along edges. The DVD presentation is an enjoyable experience, but I would have loved to have seen this one on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This release boasts a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that more than gets the job done where it needs to. There is a good amount of activity in the low-end which brings the chaos of monster attacks to life in a fun way.. Dialogue is consistently crystal clear with no issues of clipping during more active moments. This usually stays in the center channel, but there are some fun moments where characters are calling from off screen that are rendered well.. The track engages all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of destruction that really make you feel like you are in the thick of the action. Warner Bros. has done a pretty excellent job with this audio track. There are optional subtitles including English SDH, French and Portugese included on the disc for those who desire them.
Special Features
- Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! – “Halloween”: Season 2, Episode 7 of the 2015 series that aired on Boomerang. This is a charming incarnation of the series that offers up some solid chuckles. It also appears that this episode has never been released on DVD, so this is a nice inclusion.
- What’s New, Scooby-Doo? – “A Scooby-Doo Halloween”: Season 2, Episode 6 of the 2002 series is included here. The content is funny, but this particular episode includes a laugh track that proves to be too distracting.
- A Pup Named Scooby-Doo – “Ghost Who’s Coming To Dinner”: Season 1, Episode 10 of the 1988 series is included here. Arguably the most charming of the three episodes, and the one most likely to appeal to throwback fans.
Final Thoughts
This newest DTV effort is a great entry into the Scooby-Doo franchise with its entertaining story and fun vocal performances. Longtime fans of the series are likely to respond more positively to this effort over some other Scooby stories that appeared this year. This DVD offers up a pretty decent A/V presentation and a fun assortment of bonus episodes that provides a nice added value to the package. If you want a lighthearted tale to get you into the Halloween spirit, take a chance on this one. Recommended
Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo! will be available to purchase on DVD and Digital on October 6, 2020.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
