Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! – The Complete Third Season

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Episodes: C+

 

 

Let’s get this straight before we start.  This series was originally released as ‘The Scooby-Doo Show’ on ‘Scooby-Doo All-Stars’ in the 1976-1978 series.  The studio has however decided to change the title on the DVD release here to Scooby-Doo, Where are you! – The Complete Third Season because according to the creators these are the last true episodes of the series.  Viewers will not find on this set any of the yet to be released Scooby-Doo films or the Scooby-Doo Olympics/All Star Show.  The episodes on this series also DO NOT use the original Scooby-Doo opening and the title screen reads ‘The Scooby-Doo Show.’  So the only thing that makes this like the original 1969 series is that the creators said it was intended to be a third season on Scooby-Doo, Where are you!  Overall, the episodes are not quite as entertaining as Seasons 1 and 2, but hold the same heart and flare as the 1969 series.  No one could truly tell the difference in the series unless you already knew or recognized the opening change.

 

16 episodes in total are included on this set.  On this 2 disc set are the following episodes:

 

1. Watch Out! The Willawaw
2. A Creepy Tangle in the Bermuda Triangle
3. A Scary Night With a Snow Beast Fright
4. To Switch a Witch
5. The Tar Monster
6. A Highland Fling With a Monstrous Thing
7. The Creepy Case Of Old Iron Face
8. Jeepers, It's the Jaguaro
9.  Who Was That Cat Creature I Saw You With Last Night? (a.k.a. Make A Beeline Away From That Feline)
10. The Creepy Creature of Vulture's Claws
11. The Diabolical Disc Demon
12. Scooby's Chinese Fortune Kooky Caper
13. A Menace in Venice
14. Don't Go Near the Fortress of Fear
15. The Warlock of Wimbledon
16. The Beast is Awake in Bottomless Lake

 

 

The technical features on this DVD set are as nice as the other sets and fans will be happy.  The picture is presented in a simple 1.33 X 1 Full Screen that has bright colors but there is quite a bit of debris and light/dark issues.  The sound is adequate but not amazing in its Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono format.  At times the sound is distant, but overall ok.  The extras on this set are very lax only including a featurette entitled ‘Hanna Barbera: From H to B – Uncover How the Studio’s Artists and Animators Collaborate Internally and Connect with the Fans Externally.’

 

The set is a nice cap to any fans Scooby-Doo, Where are you! collection.  Let’s just how they release the Scooby-Doo All-Stars Collection separately now.

 

 

-   Michael P Dougherty II