Search - Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost on DVD

Scooby Doo - updated but still the same fun stuff

happydogpotatohead | New Orleans, LA USA | 03/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Scooby and the Gang are updated a bit in this one; Fred and Daphne's relationship is not as stereotypical as before, the bellbottoms and ascots are gone, and as other reviewers note, the video makes gentle fun of the whole Scooby-Doo genre. But otherwise, I find that this is classic Scooby-Doo. I didn't find this video to be excessively violent or too scary for kids, especially considering that a lot of kids' animation such as Dragonball Z and Pokemon is a lot more violent and scary than this. I was pleasantly surprised at the positive, though somewhat inaccurate, depiction of Wicca; for example, one need not be an hereditary witch to be Wiccan. However, the overall positive view of Wicca far outweighs the occasional goof on the writers' part. I note that some parents were disturbed by the fact that the movie even mentioned Wicca or witchcraft, which is sad, because it shows we still have a long way to go before true tolerance of non-Christian religion happens in American society. It's sad to think that there are still grown adults who haven't learned the lesson of tolerance that an animated dog already knows. Other than the fact that Tim Curry makes a great villain (like we didn't already know that!) and the fact that some of the monsters are "real," the remainder of the movie is very much like your typical Scooby-Doo episode, with Shaggy and Scooby goofing around, Velma figuring things out, Fred being the action guy and Daphne pretty much standing around being The Cute Girl. The animation is very fluid and fun to watch, and the supernatural scenes were spooky but not excessively frightening, especially by comparison to the other animated stuff that's out there that's allegedly for "kids." Scooby-Doo and the Gang are still among the most popular cartoon characters ever, and this video, in spite of the undeservedly negative reviews elsewhere, will please any Scooby fan of any age."

Engaging & Entertaining

Skye Austin | Illinois | 05/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My four year old son loves this movie. It is both engaging and entertaining. He sings along with the songs from the movie. As noted in other reviews, this movie does touch upon the religion of Wicca. As a practicing Wiccan Priestess, I find it refreshing for a movie to approach the faith as a positive thing. However, there are many inaccuracies in the movie regarding the religion. Many websites exist to find accurate information if you should choose to research the topic before purchasing or allowing your child to watch this movie. Wicca is a life-affirming, nature-worshiping and peace-loving faith -- parents worried by the presence of religion in a mainstream child's movie need not fear that their child will be affected by the references to this particular religion. The "spells" cast by Thorn (the Wiccan in the movie) is merely her mixing up an herbal drink to soothe her sore throat. The plot is entertaining, with there being several "bad guys" and a sub-plot leading up to the bigger "bad guy". There are no demons or such in this movie. If your child is sensitive to scary creatures such as a pumpkin coming to life with the vines as arms and legs that chase the Scooby Doo gang... or a turkey that grows to a huge size and runs after Scooby and Shaggy... then this movie is not for them until they are older. There is very little actual violence in the movie (there is more violence in many other cartoons found on cable). Ben Ravencroft tricks the crime-fighting Scooby gang into helping him uncover a spellbook to bring his dead ancestor back to life. She is an intimidating white-clad ghost that flies through the air and chases the kids around the fairsite. There is nothing malevolent or malicious about this movie, and I'd recommend it for children four and up. There is enough humor to keep adults mildly entertained while watching this with their children (like Shaggy & Scooby dressing as pilgrims with a turkey baster and bowl of stuffing to face off with the gigantic turkey). As in all Scooby movies, it comes full circle with the bad guys getting their just desserts and the Scooby doo gang saving the day again."

Nice "Scooby Doo" sequel

08/19/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost" is better than the TV series, with a fun soundtrack, kooky characters, and the same, though slightly different formula.Scooby and the gang catches two archaelogists and coincidentally meet Ben Ravencroft, a horror novelist, a la Stephen King, who is one of Velma's famous horror novelists. Ben invites the gang over to spend a weekend with him at his hometown in Salem, Massachusetts. There, they meet a local group, the shapely trio Hex Girls, who insert two cool new music numbers in the movie. They are connected with the mystery about Sarah Ravencroft, Ben's descendant, who he claims that her name is wrongly accused of witchcraft, that she was a Wiccan healer, leading to funny and unpredictable results."The Witch's Ghost" is considerably a little more darker and scarier than it's 1998 predessor "Scooby Doo on Zombie Island," and contains the same formulaic plot that comes with the 1970s series, though it's different, and is a must have for any Scooby-Doo collector.The voices for the characters considerably match the ones to the '70s show, though they could have used Scott Innes as Scooby only (he's going to be the voice of the animated Scooby in the real-live movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar "Buffy" and her fiance, Freddie Prinze Jr., as Daphne and Freddy).But Scott Innes does a terrific job of doing both roles. Tim Curry does a teriffic job as Ben Ravencroft, while Frank Welker more or less fits the voice for Freddy and Mary Kay Bergman (died last year, due to suicide) as Daphne and B.J. Ward fit the role as Velma perfectly.All in all, a pretty good Scooby Doo movie, and worth a look."

Good movie, a bit scary for little ones

06/27/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't have a problem with this movie. True it is not like the classic Scooby-Doo cartoons but it does include all the characters unlike the Boo Brothers. The only thing that I really did not like about this movie and Zombie Island is that is is kind of scary for very young children. My three year-old son is a big fan of Scooby-Doo and when he sees this movie and Zombie Island he keeps repeating the phrase "monsters aren't real they're just pretend". So it is a little bit scary but like all the others they have good endings and are lots of fun."