Scooby Doo And The Alien Invaders (2000)
Warner Home Video
Cast: Jeff Glen Bennett, Mary Kay Bergman, Jennifer Hale, Mark Hamill, Scott Innes, Candi Milo, Kevin Mich
Extras: Making Of Special, 10 Trailers, Scooby’s Steps to Solving a Mystery, Mystery Inc. Bios, Making of a Scooby Doo Video Game, Snack Tracks Jukebox, Inter
Rating:

Everyone loves Scooby Doo and his friends, the Mystery, Inc. gang, when they solve mysterious cases and visit eerie places. Warner Home Video has created a new feature length adventure that sends Scooby on a collision course with alien invaders. "Scooby Doo And The Alien Invaders" is the title and it has also been brought to DVD through Warner Home Video on a DVD that shows, just how well Scooby Doo has been rejuvenated.

Although the drawing style of the film is mostly resembling the original TV series, it is obvious that technology has also left its marks on these classic cartoon characters. The opening scene of the film looks absolutely beautiful and rich with dimensional paintings that could easily come out of the most sophisticated contemporary feature animation. Once entering the world of Scooby Doo, the drawing style changes to the original style, but still improved line detail is evident and the rich colors give this film an unmistakable modern quality.

In his latest adventure, Scooby Doo and the gang from the Mystery, Inc. are facing a completely new set of opponents – extraterrestrial aliens. When they are stranded in a remote desert town, the gang finds out that the town is filled with weird scientists and flying saucers. When suddenly a number of aliens appear on the surface things go haywire. A full-scale invasion seems to be under way and only the Mystery, Inc. gang can save the world. Chased by green aliens they try to discover the truth, which takes them from UFOs to creepy caves. All the while, Scooby and Shaggy find their soul mates and fall hopelessly in love!

Colorful and imaginative, "Scooby Doo And The Alien Invaders" is another great entry in this long standing series of mystery animation. With a new spin and interesting plot twists, the movie is exciting and always stays true to the original series.
The animation is well done and has an updated feel when compared to the original series. Some of the backgrounds are highly detailed and wonderfully colored, also giving the film a very sophisticated feel, yet never straying too far from the original look of the series. In short, this is a brand new Scooby Doo adventure with all the hoopla, chasing, scenery and characters that made the series such a long-standing success, and it brings back the characters we have come to love over so many years.

Since it is a direct-to-video production, it is hardly surprising that Warner Home Video is presenting "Scooby Doo And The Alien Invaders" in a <$PS,fullscreen> transfer only on this disc, which is the film’s original aspect ratio and certainly most appealing to the series’ main audience. The transfer is beautifully clean and crisp, immediately indicating that even Scooby Doo has entered the 21st century. Without any blemishes in the print, the transfer is beautifully clean and sharp. There are no speckles or dust marks anywhere in the presentation. The colors are vibrant and strong, bringing out the best of this colorful cartoon. Blacks are solid and deep, while highlights are well balanced. The compression on the disc is good and the presentation is coming to life quite beautifully on this disc without distracting compression artifacts, such as <$pixelation,pixelation> or banding.

The DVD features a <$DS,Dolby Surround> audio track that nicely complements the film. The frequency response of the track is wide and natural, and the good dynamics help to give the track some good kicks. Dialogues are produced very well and are nicely integrated in the mix. The dialogues is never drowned out by the music and is free of distortion.

The disc contains a 6-minute "Making Of" featurette that features interviews with many of the cast members. It is not really a making-of, as it spends most of its time outlined the plot, creating expectations for the film, and have the cast talk briefly about their characters. It is a promotional piece that should not be mistaken for a real "making of" production.

Next up is a 3-minute "Making of the Scooby Doo Computer Game" featurette. You get a quick glimpse at the team that is doing the computer game at the Learning Company. Once again, it is more a promotional featurette to create interest in the computer game rather than providing significant information.

Then there is a textual supplement called "Scooby’s Steps To Solving A Mystery," which offers some information how Scooby usually proceeds to untangle the mysteries he is getting caught up in.

You will also find a series of trailers for other Scooby Doo videos, as well as other family films from Warner on the DVD. One of the nicest features are the Mystery, Inc. biographies. All the main characters of the beloved series have been supplied with fine biographies that are fun to read and explore.

This release of "Scooby Doo And The Alien Invaders" is clearly targeted at younger viewers and succeeds at delivering an outstanding presentation and supplements that are fun to watch and explore. While these bonus materials may not quench the thirst of a real film fan who is looking for in-depth information on the real creation of the film, I found that the supplements are entertaining and informative enough to keep young viewers excited. All in all, this is a great release from Warner Home Video and especially the fantastically vivid presentation of the feature film is well worth the admission!