Scooby-Doo! Meets the Boo Brothers

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I still love it now. It is hilarious, fun and the best cartoon movie of all time. Our three heroes, the Three-Stooges-esqe Boo Brothers and the rest of the cartoon cast adds to the fun. A must see for everyone!

This entry suffers from the presence of Scrappy. It was made in the mid-eighties when Scrappy was at the height (!) of his fame (?). He doesn't do much in this so it's not that bad. The story is about Shaggy (minus the rest of Mystery Inc.) being left a spooky mansion house in his uncles will. Conveniently said mansion is in the middle of a creepy swampland in the Deep South. The kind of place where there are always eyes watching from the trees.

As soon as he arrives, Shaggy has to deal with an annoying southern stereotype sheriff, a weirdo butler who wants to get his hands on the old uncle's hidden treasure, hickabilly neighbors and the ghost of his uncle telling to leave (then why did he give him the house?). There is also an escaped ape on the loose but even though only Scooby sees him (Shaggy doesn't believe it) he's just a big, cuddly monkey who wants to play.

The Boo Brothers are basically ghost versions of the Three Stooges. They're listed in the phone book as being experts in the busting of ghosts. This isn't a job they do well though, so Shaggy's payment at the end is a bit too generous.

There are some laughs to be had and the plot is mildly interesting but too many running jokes are just plain bad. The hillbilly neighbor joke becomes very boring and could have been done without. The animation is a bit dated, though it has enough modern touches (lens flares in car lights) to distract you from it. And I like the dark, decaying atmosphere of the swampland. The color pallet is mostly made up of dark blues and purples (the story takes place all in one night) and the backgrounds are not as generic as the earlier, cheaper TV shows.

For the average fan this is a worthy effort though I would just catch it on the Cartoon Network instead of forking over the cash, unless you're a Scooby completist.

The DVD is in 1.33:1 full frame, as drawn, with a Dolby Mono soundtrack that is unsophisticated but workable. The Region 2 release comes in a sturdy Keep Case but the Region 1 is still in a cruddy snapper. Extras are minimal childish fluff.

The atmosphere in this film is amazing and pure original Scooby Doo that just doesn't exist anymore. Something about the colors and backgrounds just feels like Halloween. Based on the themeing and atmosphere alone the film is a lot of fun and an extremely immersive setting!

Scooby Doo Meets The Brothers is certainly not Scooby's best, neither is it his worst. It is very entertaining, and I do think it is an improvement over Ghoul School, and this is coming from a biased Scooby Doo fan. In Boo Brothers the animation is quite good, though there is nothing particularly special visually. The characters are in general well animated, and there are some nice dark colours. I liked most of the jokes, anything Shaggy says does crack me up, and the voice cast are fine with what they have- I love Don Messick as Scooby I do miss him, but Casey Kasem never fails to bring a smile to my face. While I usually find Scrappy a little irritating, I didn't mind him as much here, sometimes his Puppy Power catchphrase wears thin, but somehow he seemed more serious here than usual. I will say I loved the Boo Brothers, I especially loved the part when Shrieko plays Chopin's Revolutionary on the piano and gets whammed into the ceiling. If anything, the Boo Brothers could have had more screen time, as there was a long time when nothing particular of interest happened before they appeared. In fact, the only characters I didn't like were Billy Bob and his sister, I just didn't feel they served any real purpose to the plot, and the villain was a little obvious at times. Speaking of the plot, it was very interesting about a deceased relative, a family fortune and someone wanting to steal it. The music was good too. While kids will enjoy it at best, adults may find the beginning a little slow, and not as entertaining as the TV show, which is a childhood favourite of mine. Overall, entertaining, but not the best our favourite canine has to offer. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox.

This is very much a very spoofy, rather badly made, and rather "bloopery" film. However, I really like it! It is probably my favourite "Scooby Doo". Things I like about it are the brilliant and entertaining Scrappy, the riddles and, of course, the Boo Brothers - who along with Scrappy, practically make the film. Scooby and Shaggy are pretty usual and their jokes are surprisingly mediocre compared with some other Scooby Doo films. Usually Scooby and Shaggy are the Comic Reliefs, but Shaggy is pretty much the serious hero of the film. Scooby does supply jokes, but these do not add to the film very much.

Here is the basic plot: Shaggy, Scrappy and Scooby are going to Shaggy's deceased uncle's plantation, as Shaggy is inheriting it. It turns out that the huge house has a number of creepy ghosts and a rather scary butler. Shaggy hears of the "family jewels" and, due to Scrappy's enthusiasm, they go looking for them. The group soon find a jewel - and a riddle clue to the next jewels! They go on some sort of treasure hunt to find the family jewels. Alongside are the entertaining Boo Brothers and some other side characters who do not make the hunt easy...

I recommend this film to people who enjoy crazy cartoon films - and particularly for people who like Scrappy. If you do not like Scrappy then you should not watch this film, as he has quite a big role. Also, this film is mainly for people around the age of 7-15. Enjoy "Scooby- Doo Meets the Boo Brothers"! :-)

7 and a half out of ten.