Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost isn’t bad, but it’s just not as spirited as Scooby Doo's first real 'movie' outing, Scooby Doo On Zombie Island. Sadly, there's no reference to the events in Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, which is disappointing since besides being a very good animated movie for kids it was also an excellent jump start for the Scooby Doo franchise. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d have sworn Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost came before Scooby Doo on Zombie Island instead of the other way around. The animation in Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost, though still slightly better then in the television cartoon, is sadly not as good as Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. The soundtrack is pretty catchy thanks to a couple of songs by the rock group Hex Girls who also appear as themselves, more or less, in the film. The script itself is not what it could have been, there are a few funny lines, but it also has plot holes large enough for a witch to rider her broom through; not to mention that the supporting characters are very inconsistant in terms of personality.As for the main characters they’ve all regressed back to their television personas or, as with Scooby Doo and Shaggy’s increasingly obnoxious table manners, have developed unpleasant characteristics. For example, Velma gave all the orders and did all the talking in this outing while Fred, the group’s unofficial leader, is oddly subdued which was so out of character for these two that it was jarring. Daphne’s reverted to being just another pretty face with no mention made of her television show Coast to Coast or the judo skills she showed in Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. Velma’s back to being a teenage nerd, though now a bossy one, and her mystery bookstore and the interest in guys she began to show in Scooby Doo on Zombie Island has been forgotten. Fred has returned to acting like a virgin Boy Scout while he and Daphne are back hemming and hawing around their attraction to each other. The only good news, character wise, is that Scrappy Doo is still, thankfully, missing in action.
The history of the Scooby Doo series and the popularity of Scooby Doo on Zombie Island proves that Warner Brothers has the opportunity to expand upon the Scooby Doo franchise and, with a little nurturing, make it even more popular then it already is. But if they continue to try to make a quick buck off Scooby and the gang with videos such as Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost or, gag, Scooby Doo's Arabian Night they could run it into the ground and miss their chance.
Sigh, I guess Scoob can have a couple of scooby snacks this time, but that’s all. If he wants more then he’ll just have to do better in the future.
Average Grade: B
