Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie Review

Longing for classic Doo. Hoping for something fresh. Disappointed on both counts...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 12, 2013

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.

After the Mystery Inc. gang unmasks a high seas villain, they travel Down Under for, you guessed it, a little rest and relaxation. Vacations never seem to go as planned, though. It isn't long before Fred (Frank Welker), Dapne (Heather North Kenney), Velma (Nicole Jaffe), Shaggy (Casey Kasem) and Scooby (Welker) encounter a beast of Australian myth that has the local attendees of the Vampire Rock Musical Festival running scared: the Yowie Yahoo, a vicious creature that rose from Vampire Rock with blood-sucking minions in tow and kidnapped festival contestant Matt Marvelous (Michael Neill). Now it's up to the festival's newest band, the incognito "Those Meddling Kids," to track down the monstrosity, rescue the kidnapped rockers and get to the bottom of yet another baffling mystery. But who, or what, is behind the attacks? Contest manager Daniel Illiwara (Phil LaMarr)? His grandfather Malcolm (Kevin Michael Richardson)? Competing band Wildwind? Former Wildwind manager Jasper Ridgeway (Jeff Bennett)? Rival bands Bad Omens or The Hex Girls? Mystery Inc. is on the case.

The Legend of the Vampire is notable for its voice cast reunion above all, but it's also something of a milestone in Scooby-Doo animation, establishing the "new" animation style of the franchise, which has become increasingly expressive and dynamic. Unfortunately, that style was still very much in its infancy in 2003. Mashed up with the classic voice cast, there's a jarring disconnect between the nostalgia being flamed and the changes underway, making Legend something of an abomination; not quite smart or sharp enough to lead the way into the future, not quite comfy enough to grant older fans that warm, cozy feeling of visiting with a childhood favorite. The mystery is a bit too obvious too, as is the humor, which bumbles between slapstick setups and pop culture riffs. Even the voice actors don't sound all that excited to be back in the Mystery Machine driver's seat, evoking the '60s and '70s without giving the Scooby-Doo! DTV producers good reason to keep the band together for years to come (North would later be replaced by Grey DeLisle and Jaffe by Mindy Cohn, and Kasem, the last to lay up his hat, by Matthew Lillard). All told, The Legend of the Vampire is a middle-of-the-road trek that doesn't go much of anywhere. Younger kids will enjoy it, of course. So it's not a complete loss.

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary: Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and Fred (Daphne and Velma were "at the mall shopping") joke their way through this throwaway in-character comedy. A track featuring the voice actors rather than their on-screen incarnations would have been much more valuable.
• Music Videos: Get the Beat (SD, 8 minutes): Scooby and Shaggy host a series of animated music videos.

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.