Customer Reviews

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

I wish I'd read a few reviews before I watched the movie with my kids. The original Scooby Doo series showed kids that when the lights come on, you see there was really nothing to be afraid of. This movie was a betrayal of that ethos with the inclusion of "real" monsters and magic. The movie starts out great with hip, witty writing and dialogue that riffs on the Scooby legacy in a way that keeps it interesting and humorous for adults. In act two, "Witch's Ghost" flames-out as a kids' movie as it morphs into an animated equivalent of a teen horror flick.

The part of the movie that played like a religious tract/promo for the Wicca was just weird. Adult Scooby fans should watch this so you know I'm not making it up or exaggerating. What's going on over there at Time Warner? It's like Wicca licensed the Scooby Doo characters from them to burnish its image. No matter what your religious beliefs are, it's weird to see a religion endorsed in a major studio commercial kids' movie. If this movie played in theaters it would get a PG-13. It's not for the under 12 crowd. My kids (under 7) didn't really lock in on the Wicca thing, but they were freaked out by the monster turning out to be "real" and deadly--a fairly central guest character gets sucked screaming into the underworld by supernatural forces of evil. I think our pluralistic society would remain more harmonious if Warner Bros. would adhere to the separation of church and Scooby from now on.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

My 2- and 5-year-old kids love Scooby Doo. I'm not a big fan, but will sit through it for their sakes; however, I was very unhappy with "Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost".

The first half of the show was just fine, as it was the typical Scooby formula (ie, the culprit is revealed as a regular person and the world is safe again). Unfortunately, the problem arose in the second half. You think the movie is over, but then the horror author character suddenly proclaims himself a real warlock and conjures up his witch ancestor to presumably take over the world. The next several minutes have the real witch and warlock chasing after and threatening Scooby and the Gang. This change eliminated the typical, formulaic Scooby "safety" of knowing that there is a real person and a logical explanation behind the scary effects. It made me quite uncomfortable and frightened my children.

The other problem I had with this movie was its pro-Wiccan message. Some people may not be bothered by that, but I take serious exception when the Hollywood crowd use a kid's cartoon to try and push their personal beliefs and agenda onto young, impressionable children. I think it is totally inappropriate and it actually makes me quite angry. Frankly, this Scooby has put me off of getting any more of the newer Scooby Doo movies for my kids, since I don't like the direction they have taken. Fortunately for me, I bought this thing at the thrift store and so didn't spend too much money on it. As soon as I realized the nature and intent of the movie, it was out of our home and right back at the thrift store. And, even without the "real" witch stuff and the pro-Wiccan message, I though it was a lousy story and my kids didn't enjoy it at all.

Anyway, if like me, you don't appreciate Hollywood's attempts to brainwash your kids into accepting things with which you disagree, then avoid this movie.

I am honestly STUNNED by the shocking narrow-mindedness displayed by God-fearing, puritan Christians in other reviews of this DVD. There ARE other religions out there, exposing your children to them is no big deal, shielding them from it is both fascist and dangerous. And to dismiss them as evil is pure insanity. Especially Wicca. This is not a 'satanic' or 'devil-worshipping' religion and saying so only promotes further ignorance. Surely something was learned from the Dark Ages and the Salem Witch hunts. But reading other reviews here...I'm having second thoughts.

I'm actually quite glad Warner had the balls to have a plot involving Wicca and witches in a Scooby Doo cartoon. Okay, so ONE of them ultimately turns to be evil but there are evil people of all religions. Witch's Ghost is NOT pure Wiccan propaganda, it merely educates and enlightens on what is a highly misunderstood way of life. I would definitely prefer children to watch this.

The movie itself was one of the earlier efforts in the Scooby Doo revivals. Meaning that the monster is real and the writing is stronger and the gang have updated outfits. Tim Curry has a role as whacko writer Ben Ravencroft, a sort cross between HP Lovecraft and Sutter Cane, plus there is a Goth Girl Group called The Hex Girls who have a couple of cool songs. Billy Ray Cyrus sings the theme tune this time around.

There's a decent amount of mystery and humor, obviously nothing too sophisticated, to keep anyone, not just the kids, entertained. It's perfect family fun and I suggest you give it a ago and pay no attention to the insane reviews of Christian fundamentalists.

The DVD is in 1.33:1 fullscreen, as drawn, with Dolby 2.0 sound. However, my Region 2 release has a Dolby 5.1 track that was surprisingly loud and forceful with plenty of surround effects and deep bass. Sorry, but this ain't on the Region 1 version. A small amount of okay extras are included too. This DVD is an awful snap case but my Region 2 is a sturdy keepcase. If you can play multi-region DVDs get the UK version.

I first saw this movie as a little girl in the 90's and I love it! It is fun, entertaining, and enjoyable. I love the music and Scooby-Doo is as always his cute loveable self! :)

My daughter really likes this particular show. However, this is not a fully classic Scooby Doo episode, but there is a mystery. They solve it. However, there is a supernatural ending and it is not a mystery. There is a real witch ghost and they narrowly escape world destruction. Also, Freddy remarks "We aren't kids," which seems very odd for a Scooby episode. I personally don't appreciate breaking from the classic, but my five year old daughter enjoys the show. I think the animation is good, the music is better than most, and there are some funny scenes. Therefore, I can give it four stars, but that is rounding up from 3.5 stars.

When I was about 8 years old (Im about to turn 21) they started coming out with new Scooby Doo movies and Scooby Doo and the Witches Ghost was my absolute favorite.
I've noticed that a LOT of people have given this movie 1 star because they feel that the wiccan aspects of this film are too much for their children.
I would just like to say this: If you have a child that is very curious and willing to do leg work to gain further information pertaining to wicca and that would bother you as their parent, then I dont suggest letting your kid watch this. I was that type of child but my mother didnt prescreen anything I watched plus the first time I saw this film it was on Cartoon Network.
On the other hand if you have a child that you think will take the movie for what it is and not think a thing of it after its over then I wouldnt worry too much about the wiccan influences.
The thing is, while there are mentions of Wicca, its not totally accurate and kind of sugar coats it. When Velma defines what a Wiccan is she says something to the effect of "Wiccans were healers who used the power of nature". Yes, Wiccans are all about nature and can be into herbal healing but to say that Wiccans are HEALERS and not participants in the RELIGION of Wicca is really sugar coating it for their viewing audience. Also the movie insinuates that to be Wiccan is like being Italian or British or Polish ect. Seriously, Thorn, the lead singer of the Hex Girls, claims to be 1/16 Wiccan. What??
I cant even begin to guess why they decided to throw Wicca into this story. But is it offensive? No. Is it damaging to traditional Christian, Jewish, ect beliefs? No. Is it even accurate and educating its viewers on the religion of Wicca? No! To be honest I truly feel that all the people who gave it 1 star because of the wiccan influences (who I can only assume are serious Christians or Jews or ect) should be glad... this movie actually makes a total mockery of the religion and down plays it to look like something that should be lumped in with mummies, zombies and vampires.
Its a cute movie and fun to watch but if you are concerned that your overly ambitious child is going to research and learn about Wicca, then avoid this movie at all costs!