6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
On vacation in Australia, Scooby and the gang attend a music contest held at Vampire Rock---where the 'Yowie Yahoo' Vampire is kidnapping the musical acts, including the Hex Girls. Masquerading as heavy-metal band 'Those Meddling Kids,' Scooby and the others must discover the identity of the Vampire's minions.
Starring: Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Nicole Jaffe, Heather North, Jeff Bennett (I)Animation | 100% |
Family | 92% |
Comedy | 68% |
Mystery | 1% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Swedish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish, Swedish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Wandering deep into the catacombs, Warner Bros. digs up four less than classic direct-to-video Scooby-Doo! movies; none of which are all that special (or very good frankly), hint at a multi-release Complete Collection master plan, or offer junior mystery junkies what they're really after: early Hanna-Barbera Scooby-Doo, meticulously restored and presented in high definition. Instead comes the 5th, 6th, 7th and, leaping forward five years, 13th Mystery Inc. misadventures from Warner Animation. The oldest hails from 2003 -- subsequently the oldest animated Scooby release available on Blu-ray -- and the youngest is still a pup, born in 2009. Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003) and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico (2003) at least have the distinction of reuniting the original series' voice cast (Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Heather North and Nicole Jaffe) for the first time in more than thirty years, even though the ends fail to justify the means (or the potential). While Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster (2004) and Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) are decent but lesser efforts altogether, two small evolutionary steps between the earliest DTV releases as yet unavailable on Blu-ray and some of the more flashy or clever Scooby-Doo! movies released in recent months, namely Legend of the Phantosaur and Mask of the Blue Falcon. Ah well, completists can't be choosers.
It's a bit difficult to determine where The Legend of the Vampire's animation woes stop and its 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation's troubles begin. Shortcuts and pitfalls abound in the source -- pixelated line art, static artifacts in the backgrounds and other oddities, though largely easy to overlook, still distract -- and a few sporadic issues (primarily banding and minor ringing) will give videophiles pause. Even so, there's a lot here to love, particularly when comparing the high definition image to its long-since outmoded DVD counterpart. Colors are bright and bold, primaries pop, black levels are nice and inky, contrast is spot on, and crispness and clarity are quite good all things considered. While the line art and color fills aren't always seamless or free from anomalies, most of the movie's eyesores trace back to the source. It doesn't make any of it prettier -- older kids will bemoan the downgrade from the newer Scooby-Doo animated productions -- but it's proficient enough to make the upgrade a solid one.
The same goes with Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The inclusion of a lossless mix is very much appreciated, but the movie's original sound design doesn't take advantage in any way. Voices are clean, clear and intelligible, effects are punchy and playful, and the LFE channel and rear speakers have enough fun with the Yowie Yahoo attacks to keep things relatively exciting. So I could stop there and call it a day. But it's worth mentioning that the soundfield doesn't amount to much (certainly not anything immersive), directionality is a crapshoot, pans are merely decent and low-end output doesn't exhibit much in the way of nuance. Still, I didn't expect more. The track does well with what it's given. Nothing more, nothing less.
As bargain-priced Scooby-Doo! fare goes, you could do worse than Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire. Not much worse, at least at the moment, but worse all the same. The gang's 2003 direct-to-video Down Under mystery doesn't have much to offer (other than a reunion between members of the series' original voice cast) and the animation is so-so at best. Warner's Blu-ray release is slightly better thanks to a technically sound AV presentation, although it isn't impressive enough to overcome the animation and sound design's inherent faults. A slim supplemental package is just sour icing on a moldy cake. Scooby-Doo diehards will chow down without thinking twice, but more discerning fans should listen to stave off hunger and hold out for tastier series releases.
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