Cheap Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (DVD) (Scott Jeralds) Price

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Customer Reviews of Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire

Doesn't quite become a "legend"
The term classic is over used. When Disney can claim that such poorly produced product as Return of Jafar is a classic Disney cartoon, well, the term is being used loosely. Scooby Doo fits right in that category. Hey, I grew up watching the original series and, while it was fun then, it hasn't aged all that well. I suppose it could be referred to as a cheesy classic. Nevertheless, the characters and characterizations by the original voice cast always made the series entertaining if not groundbreaking.

When Warner Home Video and Turner began turning out new Scooby adventures I was dubious. I'm happy to report that all the latest cartoons benefit from better production values, witty writing and fairly well developed plots. Zombie Island and Witches Ghost both played with the conventions of the series introducing real ghosts for a change (this was prior to the feature film I might add). Additionally, many of the in jokes (such as Shaggy unpacking a suitcase full of identical clothes)made me chuckle. Alien Invaders managed to reintroduce the flower power element that made the original soooo bad it was good. The directors and writers managed to do with affection and a touch of satire.

This profitable series is on its fifth original movie for television and video. While Legend of the Vampire doesn't have the immediate wit of the previous installments, the loving satire of the cartoon and the genre as a whole is still there.

It's still fun for kids, too. I actually can sit through the latest sophisticated Scooby installments and chuckle to myself along with my kids. There's no coarse humor and no offensive language or situations. It's an example of the lost art in television animation--good clean fun that still manages to be witty and fun for adults.

The animation is clean and, although limited, an improvement over some of the previous movies. Scooby has clearly benefited from the use of computers in coloring and detailing these type of films. The fact that the original voice cast is back almost intact makes this one a trip down memory lane.

While Scooby continues to be a cottage industry for Warner, Turner and Cartoon Network, it's at least one that has improved over time. Although Scooby never reached the heights of the best Hanna-Barbera productions (and those heights never came near those of the Tom & Jerry cartoons H & B did for MGM much less the Warner shorts of Chuck Jones, Tex Avery and othrs), Scooby has managed to move into the 21st Century without losing his sense of style and fun.

It's not a classic but it's not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon.

A disappointment
I was very unhappy with this film and my two boys were too. It was not cute and clever; rather, it was geared toward hard rock and sexual inuendo. It appeared to be created by goofy teenagers. I would definitely not recommend this. It's not as good as, say, the Witch's Ghost, the Wolfman or Cyberchase. Do yourself a favor, and consider skipping this one or getting it from the library. (...).