Kids' Favorite: Scooby Doo! (DVD)

From the Manufacturer: 4 Kid Favorites: Scooby-Doo! Scooby-doo Where's My Mummy, Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire, Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword, and Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur

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.

What a difference five years makes. With an uptick in animation and a reduction in the number of issues inherent to its source, Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword and its 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation are more in line with recent Scooby Doo direct-to-video Blu-ray releases than its predecessors. Colors are strong and vibrant, primaries pack a punch, black levels are fresh from the animators' pen, and contrast is bright and satisfying. Detail is quite good too, with fewer instances of the rampant pixelation and other anomalies that plague The Legend of the Vampire, The Monster of Mexico and The Loch Ness Monster. (Key word: fewer.) Lines are crisp and largely clean (although frame zooms still distort overall clarity), backgrounds are striking, and the usual suspects -- noticeable banding, exceedingly minor macroblocking and negligible intermittent ringing -- are really the only things that threaten the integrity of the presentation. All in all, The Samurai Sword delivers.

The Samurai Sword's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track benefits from the five-year gap between it and its Loch Ness Monster cousin. Rear speaker activity is more playful and aggressive, LFE output is fiercer and more nuanced, and dynamics are more refined. A prevailing, two-dimensional cartoon soundstage still dominates the proceedings, but it doesn't take much of a toll, especially since it's par for the animated DTV movie course. Voices are clean, crystal clear and grounded in the soundscape, effects are bolstered by noteworthy power and weight, and the entire experience, flat as it can be at times, is a bright, bombastic blast overall.

Phantosaur takes a bite out of Blu-ray with a sharp, none too scary 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation. Crisp, vibrant and oh-so-colorful, Warner's efforts are appreciated and render the animator's eye-popping primaries, inky blacks and exacting lineart with the utmost care. Every last detail is intact and well-represented, every red burns and every blue soothes, and every scene represents a step up from the studio's animated release M.O. Occasional banding still haunts the proceedings and static, presumably source-inherent macroblocking creeps in from time to time (the skies that frame Tex and Shaggy's motorcycle showdown and the Phantosaur's town assault bear the brunt of the anomalies). Even so, neither issue is as severe or prevailing as they often are in other Scooby-Doo!, Tom & Jerry and DCU Original Movie Blu-ray releases, so here's hoping the recent rash of average animated presentations are becoming a thing of the past.

Scooby-Doo's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is bright, beefy and primed for audiophiles of all ages. Voices are clean, clear and perfectly prioritized (even if, in true traditional animation fashion, they tend to hover just above the rest of the soundscape) and sound effects are suitably aggressive, punchy and spooky. The LFE channel puts its back into every Phantosaur roar, raptor snarl and billowing tower of flame as well, and rear speaker activity is fairly ferocious, despite some front-heavy stretches when the Mystery Inc. gang are gathering clues or wandering through underground caverns. Music and ambience come and go at will but impress all the same, and unexpectedly arresting dynamics make short work of whatever idling engines, splintering roadhouse tables, collapsing caves, wriggling snakes and deadly mountain races Legend of the Phantosaur tosses at Scooby and his pals. Fans will be pleased.

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