Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray Movie Review

One out of two ain't bad, right?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 3, 2024

A double feature of Scooby-Doo's first direct-to-video movie and its flat 2019 sequel, Zombie Island and Return to Zombie Island will keep Hanna-Barbera fans happy once they've finished Superstars 10 released back in February. Warner Archive presents both films on one dual-layered disc with decent A/V specs and minimal extras.

The original Zombie Island is fondly remembered by S-D fans of a certain age and still stands out for its surprising commitment to gross-out horror gags; it also claims to be the first time Fred, Daphne, and the gang face off against real monsters, which of course isn't true by a long shot. (Did no one see 1985's The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby-Doo or most of the original series?) No matter -- its lightly self-aware script and colorful animation make the first Zombie Island at least a solid outing for our heroes, even if it's not a flat-out masterpiece like nostalgic fans insist.

This 1998 movie -- which, believe it or not, is now almost closer in time to the original 1969 series than the present -- feels "old school" enough to satisfy die-hard fans, but naturally the formula's been updated a bit. It's been a year since the Mystery Inc. gang last worked together, and as such everyone's gone their separate ways: Daphne (voiced by Mary Kay Bergman) has her own successful "ghost hunter" show with Fred (Frank Welker) as her faithful man-servant, Velma (B. J. Ward) now owns a bookshop, and Shaggy (Billy West) and Scooby (Scott Innes) work for U.S. Customs and pilfer imported food at security checkpoints. Daphne's idea to finally search for actual ghosts prompts a reunion, and soon enough they're off to Moonscar Island in New Orleans, allegedly haunted by a long-dead pirate captain.

Zombie Island doesn't take long to bring in the creep factor, and at times gets gross enough that it's probably not recommended for younger audiences. Those of a certain mindset will love it, however: after we're introduced to the usual group of supporting characters -- in this case, it's estate owner Simone Lenoir (Adrienne Barbeau), lovely Lena Dupree (Tara Strong), grumpy gardener Beau Neville (Cam Clarke), and local weirdo Snakebite Scruggs (Mark Hamill) -- things pick up quickly, and a chance discovery by Scooby and Shaggy soon uncovers the truth that zombies are, well, on the island. It takes a little while for the rest of them to come around, but literal writing on the wall finally convinces Fred, Daphne, and Velma that there's more to the area than hot peppers, catfish, and pirate legends.

This 77-minute film moves along at a good clip with a lightweight mystery that playfully pokes fun at the franchise's formula, but it still unravels in a similar way as your average episode of the original show. The voice acting, despite boasting a pretty solid lineup of names, isn't all that great either. (I love Billy West as much as the next guy, but he's just plain wrong for Shaggy.) Yet the all-in gross-out factor gives Zombie Island a much-needed shot in the arm, and its colorful but appropriately moody atmosphere and fairly dynamic visuals mop the floor with Hanna-Barbera's usual stiff-as-a-board compositions. Those benefits alone at least propel the original Zombie Island to modest heights, making it an adventure worth (re)visiting as the obvious draw of this Blu-ray double feature. Rating: 3.75/5.

The less said about 2019's Return to Zombie Island, the better. It starts off OK but, like the following year's terribly disappointing Scoob!, begins to fall apart almost immediately and never really recovers. Like its predecessors, Return finds the team broken up before their eventual reunion, which comes in the form of a vacation after a contest hosted by none other than Elvira (Cassandra Peterson, naturally) announces Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) as the winner of a tropical getaway. Unfortunately, their destination ends up looking an awful lot like Moonscar Island of yesteryear...

Where to start with this one? The uninspired story seems almost resentful of the 1998 film while still riding its coattails, the voice acting is again questionable at best (Kate Micucci's Velma is the worst Velma except for, well, Velma), and the supernatural spirit that supported the original Zombie Island is basically nowhere to be found. The snarky dialogue is annoying, the animation looks comparatively bargain-bin despite its sleeker and more dynamic 16x9 HD format, and as a whole it just feels like everyone phoned this one in. Return has its moments and a few lightweight laughs... but like the Speed: Dual Action Pack, no one is buying this double feature just for the sequel. Rating: 1.5/5.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although the 1.33:1 Zombie Island undoubtedly looks better than ever on Blu-ray, it's not quite what I'd consider a top-tier effort. First, the positives: the film's analog animation has made a fairly successful jump to HD with its moody colors and throwback appearance that looks good in-motion. It's got more than few surprisingly dynamic compositions that help contribute to the spookily cinematic atmosphere, and the slightly thick but nicely-rendered line work comes through mostly unscathed. It's in overall clean condition with some cel dust remaining as well as few stray bits of dirt and debris, which is perfectly fine by me. Casual fans will find very little to complain about on the surface.

One nagging issue is that obviously a fairly moderate amount of noise reduction (or is it "grain management" now?) has been applied here; not enough to wipe out every bit of texture, but it's fairly noticeable and takes away some of the charm. It's not as obvious as what Warner Home Video did to the original series (linked above)... but I'm almost certain that Warner Archive's parent company is probably responsible for this meddling, based on the boutique label's near-perfect tract record for purity. This isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but it obviously drops my overall judgment of this solidly-encoded and otherwise impressive presentation by a point. On its own, it gets a 3.5/5.

The 1.78:1 Return to Zombie Island looks more accurate to the digital source, with a suitably slick appearance and good color saturation. Its DCTomorrowverse-style animation features bold outlines and notably stiff movement, but no major imperfections could be spotted along the way aside for a few compression artifacts such as very light banding and macro blocking. This one earns closer to a 4/5, so all 12 of its fans should be pretty happy.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both films feature similar enough fundamentals for a group rating, as both the straight DTS-HD 2.0 MA mix of Zombie Island and the more immersive 5.1 weight of Return to Zombie Island sound very good within their respective formats. Dialogue is clean and intelligible throughout, the stray music breaks sound lively, and spooky background effects and supernatural elements -- real or otherwise -- are mixed nicely with a supportive presence. Obviously the 5.1 gets a slight edge for its sporadic use of the background channels, but both mixes are great with no reservations.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during both main features only.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with split cover artwork and no inserts. Bonus features are minimal.

• Zombie Island Promo Trailer (3:26) - This surprisingly long trailer can also be seen here.

• Return to Zombie Island Promo Trailer (1:39) - Also available here.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Had Warner Archive made the original Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island the main feature and dropped in the bland 2019 sequel in as an extra (rather than a double feature), this Blu-ray would have earned higher overall marks. That's my roundabout way of saying that star ratings aren't always indicative of a release's overall appeal, as the 1998 film stands as a solid direct-to-video effort and its Blu-ray treatment will likely satisfy those who have been patiently waiting for its release on HD home video. The sequel is, well, filler material. A/V merits are pretty good with a few reservations (see above)... but even without any real extras, this one's clearly recommended to the right audience.