Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island/Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Oct 03, 2024
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Jim Stenstrum/Cecilia Aranovich Hamilton & Ethan SpauldingRelease Date(s)
1998/2019 (May 7, 2024)Studio(s)
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Warner Bros. Animation (Warner Archive Collection)- Film/Program Grade: See Below
- Video Grade: See Below
- Audio Grade: See Below
- Extras Grade: D+
- Overall Grade: B
Review
In the late 1990s, new Hanna-Barbera projects were fewer and fewer, a far cry from their massive output in the 1970s and 1980s. Arguably their most popular and longest-lasting property due to its long-term appeal was Scooby-Doo, and its many iterations for film and television. By 1998, it was so popular that the company partnered with Warner Bros. Animation and Mook Animation in Japan for Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. Its success on home video, as well as its subsequent airing on Cartoon Network later that same year, led to a series of Scooby-Doo direct-to-video movies that continue to this day.
After their many adventures, the Mystery Inc. gang have grown tired of chasing ghosts and monsters after they all turn out to be fakes, deciding amicably to go their separate ways. Daphne and Fred create a TV show in the hopes of tracking down real supernatural beings, Velma opens her own bookstore, and Shaggy and Scooby get jobs as customs agents at an airport. Hearing that Daphne’s birthday is forthcoming, they all reunite and head off in search of what they hope will be real monsters. Their journey leads them to New Orleans and they’re invited to Moonscar Island, where an ancient Southern plantation sits that is supposedly haunted. They’re welcomed with open arms, but they soon discover that this time around, the monsters are actually real.
The biggest takeaway from Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is its change in style from the earlier TV shows. Hanna-Barbera were limited by their weekly budgets in those days, so much so that character movements were often limited. This is apparent in Zombie Island, where characters are overly-animated at times, which takes some getting used to if you’re mostly familiar with the earlier shows and specials. Seeing the gang come back together for a real supernatural threat with a somewhat darker tone is refreshing. They’re still the same characters of the past, although Daphne has been updated to be less of a prissy, clumsy teenager who’s more worried about her hair. Now she’s a self-driven, outspoken individual with actual goals. It’s a progressive and necessary change since Shaggy and Scooby are more than capable of taking up the slack for traditional goofiness and slapstick.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a fun horror comedy romp that manages to successfully bring the characters behind the wheel of the Mystery Machine into the future without fundamentally altering them to the point where the initial concept is lost. Today it’s considered a classic fans and by those who saw it when they were young at the time, and it manages to hold up.
Though sequels and other direct-to-video projects came in its wake, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island didn’t see an official sequel until 2019 with Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island. This time, Shaggy and Scooby are calling the shots, forcing the rest of the gang to promise not to solve any more mysteries so that they can all go on a relaxing vacation together. After winning a contest, courtesy of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark herself, the five head to what they believe is Moonstar Island Resort, but is actually Moonscar Island under a different name. As Fred, Daphne, and Velma struggle to keep their promises to Shaggy and Scooby, the mysteries begin to pile up in front of them, and it’s not long before Mystery Inc. is back in business.
Most fans generally hate Return to Zombie Island and declare it one of the worst entries in the franchise, which feels like an extreme exaggeration. For one, many who make that claim saw the original when they were small children, and therefore, have a strong nostalgic tie to it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that can make you a little snowblind if you let it. That said, Return to Zombie Island is certainly not above criticism, but is it the excremental pile that most of the internet would lead you to believe it is? Like the majority of late franchise sequels, of course not.
One of the biggest hurdles to get over is introducing the idea that maybe the monsters in the original film were not actually real at all, which has led Velma into a completely obsessive downward spiral of sorts. It goes a bit too far, and unfortunately, the voice actress, Kate Micucci (a treasure elsewhere), is not suited for the character at all. The rest of the voice cast is fairly typical, though it’s nice to hear Matthew Lillard step in to voice Shaggy after appearing on screen as the character in the live action Scooby-Doo from 2002. Daphne is back to her classic outfit, and her and Fred no longer seem to be working in television. Oddest of all is that Shaggy and Scooby can somehow dictate the direction of the gang and prevent them from solving mysteries. Those two are always along for the ride, not in the driver’s seat, making them feel off model.
On the other hand, you have it to give it to the filmmakers for trying to make a 21-years-later sequel work since the original storyline was wrapped up pretty tight. The gang seems to find themselves in a series of mysteries once they hit the island, and even if some of those outcomes are predictable, there always seems to be a new corner to turn to keep things moving. Other than Velma’s characterization, one of the film’s biggest flaws is its attempts to do throwback moments to the original TV series, specifically the music montage sequences when the gang would be on the run from monsters with generic rock and roll tunes laid over them. It stands out here, and not in a good way.
Return to Zombie Island is a bumpy ride, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t tarnish the original at all, and I personally feel that there are far less interesting and entertaining Scooby-Doo programs out there other than this one. It’s very flawed, but watchable, and even enjoyable at times.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was animated on 35 mm film using traditional cel animation, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island was digitally animated, likely finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Warner Archive’s Double Feature release of both films on a single BD-50 disc is quite a welcome upgrade. For both features, bitrates primarily sit between 35 and 40Mbps, with a lovely boost in color and high levels of detail, as well as perfect contrast with deep blacks. The first film is obviously the more hands-on with very minor, though built-in, instability. Scratches, speckling, and cel dirt are all accounted for, with some mild grain management. However, none of it tampers with line art or fine detail. In the second film, the line art is much thicker around the characters and there’s more even layers of color, with some CGI additions here and there. All of it comes through with wonderful clarity, and if there are any issues with macroblocking, they’re extremely minor and hard to spot.
For Zombie Island, audio is included in English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, and for Return to Zombie Island, audio is included in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Both films feature optional subtitles in English SDH. Zombie Island was recorded in Dolby SR, which this track takes full advantage off with good surround support. The 5.1 track for Return to Zombie Island is the more muscular experience with frequent uses of panning and atmospherics, as well as wider staging. Dialogue, score, and music all come through well, with added low frequency activity where needed. However, both tracks are excellent.
SCOOBY-DOO ON ZOMBIE ISLAND (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): B/B+/A
SCOOBY-DOO! RETURN TO ZOMBIE ISLAND (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): C/B+/A
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island are presented as a Double Feature by the Warner Archive Collection, sharing the same 1080p Blu-ray, which also contains the following extras:
- Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island Promo Trailer (Upscaled SD – 3:27)
- Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island Promo Trailer (Upscaled SD – 1:42)
The first trailer is interesting as it shows a combination of finished animation and storyboards, and acts more as a preview for the film while still in development. The latter is a much more traditional trailer.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a fan favorite, and while many will bemoan the inclusion of its sequel on the same disc, both films receiving their first Blu-ray releases in one package makes plenty of sense. For fans new and old, this release comes highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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