Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster Blu-ray Movie Review

Scooby Who?

Reviewed by Michael Reuben September 30, 2011

When it comes to a Scooby-Doo film, there are two kinds of ideal reviewers. The first is a dyed-in-the-wool fan who knows every cartoon, comic and novelty item and picks up every tiny reference stitched into the fabric of the story by the fans who made it. The second is your proverbial tabula rasa who's managed to miss the whole phenomenon and can evaluate the enterprise as a standalone movie -- in other words, me. About the only qualification required of the latter is the ability to switch quickly into the juvenile mindset that allows you to enjoy a talking dog and the silly behavior of his master, Shaggy, and their quirky friends. My wife will assure you, without even being asked, that I'm eminently qualified.

Curse of the Lake Monster is the second of two made-for-TV movies that Warner co-produced with The Cartoon Network after two feature films. (A third TV outing is expected in 2012.) The TV movies required a new, younger (and, no doubt, cheaper) cast, because they are set in the gang's high school years, when Mystery, Incorporated was first founded.

It's summer vacation, and the gang has summer jobs at a country club in Erie Pointe newly built by Thornton Blake V (Ted McGinley), the uncle of Daphne (Kate Melton). The gang needs the money to pay for a barn they burned down while solving a prior mystery (seen briefly in flashback). The only hitch is that Daphne and Fred (Robbie Arnell) have become romantically involved, much to the dismay of Velma (Hayley Kiyoko) and Shaggy (Nick Palatas).

Is the country club under supernatural attack? Is this a Scooby-Doo story? In a classic opening that looks almost like animation, we see a strange house from outside at night as shadows chase each other against window shades. Inside, members of the gang tackle a robed figure and pull of its hood, unmasking the perpetrator. "It can't be!" everyone gasps. And then we wind back to see how they got there.

It seems there's this Lake Monster. The gang hears dire warnings from the wild old proprietress (Marion Ross) of a country store called Trowburg's on their initial drive to the club. They dismiss it as local legend until a huge menacing frog monster attacks Uncle Thorny's opening night party, sending guests flying and causing massive membership cancellations. (One of the guests is a senator played with dignity and good humor by the former Lt. Uhura, Nichelle Nichols.)

Meanwhile, Velma has begun acting strangely, and it seems to have something to do with glowing moon rocks she's been finding scattered about the property. Shaggy should pick up on the signs, but he's too busy mooning (sorry!) over the lady in question. Having watched Daphne and Fred pair off, Shaggy has developed a massive crush on Velma, and even his beloved pooch feels shut out. How could a mere clue get Shaggy's attention? The sequence where Shaggy imagines himself serenading Velma with "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (one of her favorites) is both hilarious and an impressive production number. And it even turns out to be a plot point. Zoinks!

Eventually we manage to work our way forward to that opening scene, and the film never stalls en route. The director, Brian Levant, has a long history with Hanna-Barbera (he directed the Flintstones film, among others), and he understands exactly how to pace live action so that it mimics the rhythms of comic animation. And he's not above borrowing from classic cartoons. At one point during a chase scene, our favorite talking dog pauses to quickly paint a realistic three- dimensional continuation of his path on a wall, after which he blithely continues down that path (because, after all, he's animated). His pursuer runs smack into the wall. Even if you're brand new to the franchise, anyone who's ever seen a Roadrunner cartoon will recognize the gag.

Once the gang has cracked the case, a grateful benefactor hands them a huge check for ten grand. Why huge? No doubt so we can all see that it's drawn on the Bank of Hanna Barbera. But then comes my favorite part of the film, a gratuitous but utterly joyful music video that's sufficiently silly and colorful to please even the youngest fans but whose real appeal is to a demographic roughly the age of the director (who, according to IMDb, was born in 1952). It's an elaborate music video, shot to the song "Scared with You", that apes, parodies and references video styles from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties. I caught bits of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, some ABBA, Bee Gees, various soul groups -- and that was on a single viewing. I'm sure there's a lot more tucked in there.

Jinkies!

Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The great Dean Cundey did the cinematography, and the man who shot the first Jurassic Park, the Back to the Future trilogy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (among others) could do this kind of effects work in his sleep. The requirements of a cartoon/comic book style and a TV presentation dictate a clean, simple look with no noise, colors that are strong but not overly saturated and good detail that isn't too realistic -- and Cundey delivers just that. Black levels are solid, but the production design is such that we're somehow never so entirely in the dark that deep shades of black are called for, even when the Lake Monster is chasing our heroes through a tunnel. (Where's the light coming from? Who knows and who cares?) There's no DNR, no compression artifacts, nothing to interfere with your viewing pleasure.

Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 track, presented in DTS lossless, was obviously engineered with more than just TV broadcast in mind, because it's an active mix with plenty of sound effects that bounce back and forth around and behind the listening environment. This is a live-action cartoon, after all, and the sounds of roaring monster frogs, running dogs, stumbling Shaggy and a certain villain with an oddly echoing voice (to list just a few examples) take full advantage of modern sound technology to enliven the experience. The extremely silly dialogue is always audible, even when you wish Shaggy's warbling were less so, and David Newman's score provides the right note of mock seriousness.

Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Scooby-Doo: Rock, Rap and Rollerskates (HD; 1.78:1; 8:15): This short featurette describes the intensive work that went into filming the musical interludes. The rehearsal footage is especially interesting.



• Jeepers! Jinkies! Zoinks! A Tribute to the Classic Gags of Scooby-Doo! (HD; 1.78:1; 8:23): Both Levant and screenwriters Steven and Daniel Altiere discuss their determination to fold into the story every element that they, as fans, would expect to find in a Scooby-Doo story. For a novice like me, this is "Scooby-Doo! for Dummies".



• Ruh-Ruh! Gag Reel (SD; 1.78:1; 5:16): The usual collection of flubs, goofs and blown lines.



• Trailers (SD): Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Incorporated; Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare; Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp; Zoinks Points Promo; The Looney Tunes Show. Also, at startup, the disc plays trailers for Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (in SD) and Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (in HD); these can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads.



• DVD and Digital Copy: A separate DVD contains a standard-definition version of the film, without any features. A code and instructions are included for obtaining a digital copy. The code expires on March 13, 2012.

Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I can't speak for the hardcore fan, but this neophyte enjoyed watching Curse of the Lake Monster. The disc is technically without fault and is recommended.