All Rise...

Judge Lacey Worrell once had a pup named Scooby-Doo, too. Thirteen years of defending against the lawsuits brought by Hanna-Barbera taught her not to make that mistake again.

The Charge

Little kids spark big laughs in this delightful Scooby-Doo spinoff!

Opening Statement

The late '80s and early '90s featured pint-sized versions of just about every well-known cartoon franchise, including The Flintstones, Disney Babies, and Baby Looney Tunes. With the exception of The Flintstones, they were huge commercial and merchandising hits. It makes sense, then, that the creators of Scooby Doo would follow suit with A Pup Named Scooby Doo. As far as this spin on cartoon characters go, A Pup Named Scooby Doo Vol. 2 may pale in comparison to the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You? mysteries, but it is still great fun.

Facts of the Case

This collection of four episodes from the A Pup Named Scooby Doo television series feature young Freddie, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby growing up in Coolsville, USA. The theme song has been made over into a doo-wop tune, and, befitting their younger status, the gang runs the Scooby Doo Detective Agency out of a tree house. Shaggy even has a paper route.

The children are true to their later personalities as teens: Freddie is full of bluster and bravado, Daphne is girly and vain, and Velma is nerdy. Shaggy and Scooby are prone to taking a break in the action to devour a late-night meal, and they both retain their cowardly streak. Like the original Scooby Doo episodes, there are musical interludes where the gang is chasing or being chased by the ghost, followed by a big unmasking at the end.

The episodes included on this release are:

• "For Letter or Worse"
The gang visits their favorite game show only to find it is being haunted by a long-haired ghost in a pinstriped suit. Scooby and Shaggy compete on the show against an obnoxious pair of fraternal twins, and manage to help uncover a plot by a disgruntled employee to frame potential suspects in order to avoid detection.

• "Babysitter From Beyond"
Shaggy's parents are going out for the evening, and it is up to Shaggy to deliver his baby sister to her new babysitter. The rest of the gang joins Shaggy on the way; they find, to their surprise, that the babysitter resembles the Bride of Frankenstein.

• "Snow Place Like Home"
The gang travels on a ski vacation to the spooky Snowy Mountain Chalet, which is run by a creepy-looking couple who make Shaggy and Scooby nervous. They find out that the couple is being pressured into selling their resort by a slick businessman.

• "Now Museum Now You Don't"
The gang visits the Coolsonian museum, where bully Red Herring is also present. Scooby and Shaggy find that an oversized samurai ghost has stolen priceless swords from the museum.

The Evidence

While the actual picture and sound quality of this DVD is good, I am not a fan of the caricature-like animation of this show. The kids' heads are too big, and the pint-sized character of Velma looks almost identical to Marcie in the "Peanuts" comic strips. Her character's mannerisms are even more bizarre than usual; she is constantly looking through a magnifying glass, and rarely communicates with the others, unless it is about a clue or another detail of the mystery. This affects the character of Daphne, who in her grown form is always quite meek, pleasant, and passive, but who on this show is bossy and superior, like Velma is on Scooby Doo, Where Are You?. The focus of this show, however, is on Shaggy and Scooby, who are cute as their child alter-egos and maintain the genuine mutual affection that has carried the Scooby franchise for over three decades.

Listen closely to Daphne, and you will recognize the voice of prolific television actress Kellie Martin (Life Goes On, ER). Also joining in are voice actors Frank Welker, who for once is not the voice of Freddie, Don Messick (Scooby), and Casey Kasem (Shaggy), major contributors to this series' seemingly endless appeal to kids of all ages. Their presence gives the series a comfortable familiarity and a rare continuity. Other voices you might recognize are those of the late, great Isabel Sanford (The Jeffersons), Dorian Harewood (Assault on Precinct 13), and Della Reese (Touched by an Angel), as well as Jerry Houser, whom Brady Bunch fans will remember as Marcia's husband "Wally."

The stories included on this disc are surprisingly appropriate for the change in the characters' ages. Everything is very kid-oriented, from having to deal with Red Herring, the bully with the clever name, to visiting museums, to participating in a game show aimed at kids. The storylines are also complex for a cartoon show from the late 1980s, and do not borrow too heavily from earlier versions of Scooby Doo. It is clear the creators were going for a completely fresh take on the show, and while they do not always succeed, it is an admirable effort.

It is heartening to see French and Spanish language tracks, as well as Spanish and French subtitles, given Scooby's worldwide appeal. Too often, releases of television shows—children's shows in particular—offer only an English language track and no subtitles. This DVD comes with no extras, which is a shame; it would be interesting to hear the voice actors' take on this relatively short-lived but well-received series.

Closing Statement

Do you suppose Scrappy wasn't included because he was already supposed to be a kid when he made his first appearance? Whatever the reason, his absence is welcome. Keeping in mind that this DVD clocks in at 93 minutes, which is a generous amount of time for a release of a TV cartoon on DVD, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Vol. 2 is a great addition to your kids' DVD library, especially if they are 8 or under. Adults may not find this DVD as absorbing as the Scooby cartoons they remember watching as children themselves, but this collection will be a hit with the little ones.

The Verdict

Pint-sized judges everywhere will rule in favor of this disc—and after all, theirs are the opinions that really count, aren't they?

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