Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo: The Complete Season 1 (DVD Review)
The nostalgia Gods have smiled upon us and have finally released Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo: The Complete Season 1 on DVD! The gang is back to solve mysteries and this season introduces the fiery little Scrappy-Doo, Scooby’s nephew, as he joins in the caper fun. Season 1 collects 16 episodes on two DVDs. Let the games begin!
The Series 
Oh nothing, it’s only been 35-36 years since Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo: The Complete Season 1 premiered on television to save the fledgling canine from low ratings. The idea was to introduce Scrappy-Doo, Scooby’ s tough no-nonsense nephew to the fold to help with the crime solving shenanigans the kids and Shaggy were getting into. For some it worked but not for others. I’m sort of stuck in the middle.
If you can successfully avoid focusing too much on Scrappy-Doo then you’re fine. The conundrum is that the adventures seem to focus more on Scooby, Scrappy, and Shaggy, with a bit of a wrap up from Velma, Fred, and Daphne. In fact, they’re actually mutes most of the time. Personally, I was a bigger fan of the original Scooby-Doo show as opposed to the adventures with Scrappy. Granted, both series seemed to be broadcast at the same time whether they were re-runs or not. I watched them all.
The other neat factor of the show is how many puns and tributes the series paid to many features films. You have one episode that is a take on Westworld and several others that are play on words. Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo ran for several season from 1979 – 1983. It rant out of steam after the first 16-episodes I think. The show had already been in decline in terms of ratings and the studios felt that if Scrappy was injected into the fun this would help boost the ratings. It didn’t quite work out like that and the inclusion of Scrappy has put Scooby-Doo on several “jump the shark” lists. Ouch.
In any event if you want to relive your childhood then Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo: The Complete Season 1 is more than enough to get the nostalgia juices flowing but try not to expect too much from it. All things considered – Season 1 is the strongest of all the seasons involving Scrappy-Doo. The price is right, so it may be time to revisit the adventures of Scooby and Scrappy-Doo once again on DVD!
Episodes
The Scarab Lives!
The Night Ghoul of Wonderworld
Strange Encounters of a Scooby Kind
The Neon Phantom of the Roller Disco!
Shiver and Shake, That Demon’s a Snake
The Scary Sky Skeleton
The Demon in the Dugout
The Hairy Scare of the Devil Bear
Twenty Thousand Screams Under the Sea
I Left My Neck in San Francisco
When You Wish Upon a Star Creature
The Ghoul, The Bat and The Ugly
Rocky Mountain Yiiiiii!
The Sorcerer’s a Menace
Lock the Door, it’s a Minotaur!
The Ransom of Scooby Chief
Video
Encoding: AVC/MPEG-4
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Clarity/Detail: I was expecting a hot mess but when I popped the DVDs in I was actually blown away and doubted that the show was from the 1970’s – and it was! Contrast and sharpness levels were fine and didn’t seem to have been tampered with. The show is a tad grainy but I like that – it gives the show some nice texture almost like a scratchboard in some scenes.
Depth: I would say the background art looks stellar and really gives the overall show some added depth that the main moving cels may not. This is how it used to be done, folks!
Black Levels: Black levels are dark but can look faded out depending on what episode you’re watching. It is what it is.
Color Reproduction: Color levels are a bit on the garish side but this was the 1970’s, so that can be forgiven. The colors used on some of the characters and background art look great and it’s neat to see actual hand drawn/painted artwork for a change.
Flesh Tones: N/A
Noise/Artifacts: The cel animation is quite pleasant to look at and is free from noise, artifacts, grit, etc. There are a few specs here and there but the overall prints look pretty good.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 1.0, Spanish DTS-HD MA 1.0
Subtitles: English
Dynamics: The 1.0 monaural channel does what it can but outside of turning the volume way up on your receiver – it doesn’t sound very good. Granted, I know a restoration isn’t in the cards, but I never knew the source material was this weak. Everything is crammed into the center channel; so don’t expect much depth in terms of audio dynamics.
Low Frequency Extension: N/A
Surround Sound Presentation: N/A
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue levels are very low. They can be heard if you turn the volume up but the separation is quite weak. You get what you get.
Extras 
N/A.
Summary 
Some folks would argue that as soon as Scrappy-Doo was introduced the show had officially jumped the shark. I wouldn’t go that far but will say that Scrappy-Doo was a weak addition to the show. In any event Warner Bros. has finally released the first season of this mighty team-up and I don’t doubt that more adventures are on their way. The video and audio specifications are rather weak, with the video being the highlight, but the lack of extras drags the overall rating down. If you’re nostalgic childhood is getting the better of you then this DVD set is actually worth getting.
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo The Complete Season 1 is released on DVD April 28th!
ORDER NOW!
Comments are currently closed.