DVD Review: TRICK OR TREAT SCOOBY-DOO!

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Oct 16, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Scooby-Doo and the rest of his mystery-solving crew return for another fun-filled adventure in the all-new animated movie Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!. Mystery Inc. has finally tracked down the evil criminal mastermind behind all of those costumes worn by the villains they’ve captured over the years, Coco Diablo (Myrna Velasco). But with Diablo Costumes out of business, everything is a lot quieter. Fred (Frank Welker) and the others are bored—for the past year, Mystery Inc. has just been getting calls for mundane cases like a lost sock or misfiled taxes. As the gang sets up a booth at the Coolsville Halloween Festival, hoping drum up business, Fred notices a wishing well, and asks for a creepy caper. He soon gets his wish when a group of menacing ghosts appear, looking like doppelgängers of Scooby and the gang. Now the Mystery Inc. crew is back at work to unmask the ghouls before they can stop these “meddling kids” once and for all.

Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! has a fun, throwback look and feel. While it’s presented in widescreen format, everything else about the animation style looks like a classic Scooby-Doo! episode, with hand-drawn static backgrounds and classic character design, rather than the more modern look of Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!. The film has all the classic beats and lines you’d expect in Scooby adventure, from ghosts and ghouls, puns, comical chase scenes that seem to go nowhere, and fun music montages. The writing is fast-paced, sharp and witty, with lots of hilarious self-referential humor. I found myself constantly laughing out loud while watching this.

Fred is the leader of the group, while Scooby and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) are of course obsessing over food and possibly missing trick-or-treating. The film has a fun running joke of Daphne (Grey DeLisle) trying to figure out her actual role on the team. Meanwhile, tech expert Velma (Kate Micucci) finds herself obsessed with and attracted to Coco Diablo, which leads to her losing her glasses at one point (gotta have that classic line!). The movie is also filled with some hilarious side characters, my favorite of which is easily Coco’s goth, top hat-obsessed apprentice Trevor Glume (Anthony Carrigan), who is constantly sent into a fit of tears.

Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! has some excellent music, including a fun new take on the classic theme song given Mystery Inc.’s lack of cases—“Scooby-Doo, I’m So Blue” performed by Zach Kibbe—as well as the iconic “Ballroom Blitz” by Sweet, and a really catchy ode to ’80s alternative rock, “Change” by Joseph Holiday. (I would definitely add this last one to my Spotify playlist!)

Warner Bros. has released the film on physical media only on DVD, but it is also available in Digital format in HD. While the DVD’s picture is very good, and captures the classic look and feel of the franchise, the SD picture is lacking that slight extra level of clarity that you get with an HD presentation. However, the picture is more than sufficient to fully enjoy the movie. The disc’s audio track sounds great, with dialogue primarily coming from the center channel, and the surround and stereo channels nicely-utilized for the excellent score/soundtrack, and to provide ambiance and a more immersive experience. The DVD disc is packed in a standard-size DVD keepcase with a glossy slipcover. There is no digital copy included, but the disc does offer three additional episodes from various Scooby-Doo! series as bonus material.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:17:34)

480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:
The bonus material consists of three Scooby-Doo TV show episodes.

El Bandito (22:30)
- Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! — Season 1, Episode 23
- Originally Aired: June 20, 2017
- 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround
- Subtitles: None
Mystery Incl heads to Mercado during the Día de Muertos celebration to investigate a sighting of the spirit El Bandito, one of the greatest criminals in history. Fred is an expert in the El Bandito lore, and is eager to solve the mystery of Ureno’s missing treasure, and become part of the legend himself. (Features a more modern look/animation style.)
To Switch a Witch (22:39)
- The Scooby-Doo Show — Season 3, Episode 4
- Originally Aired: September 30, 1978
- 480i / Full Frame 1.33:1
- Audio: English 2.0 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: None
The Mystery Inc. crew heads to Salem, MA on Halloween night to visit friend Arlene Wilcox. However, they discover that the townsfolk have accused her of being possessed by her descendent, a witch who was burned at the stake 200 years ago, and has now returned to exact her revenge. It’s up to Scooby and the gang to prove their friend’s innocence. (Includes a laugh track.)
Headless Horseman of Halloween (24:20)
- The Scooby-Doo Show — Season 1, Episode 5
- Originally Aired: October 9, 1976
- 480i / Full Frame 1.33:1
- Audio: English 2.0 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: None
The gang heads to Sleepy Hollow for a Halloween costume party at Crane Manor, but soon discover the legendary Headless Horseman has come back to haunt the Cranes, whose ancestor was Ichabod Crane. (Includes a laugh track, plus an appearance by Scooby-Dum.)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, which is a fun throwback to the classic series. I highly recommend picking this up in either DVD or Digital format. Any fan of the franchise should have a great time with this new animated feature. It was previously-announced that Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! will also be available on Cartoon Network and HBO Max during this year’s annual Scoobtober celebration, so check your listings if you want to check out the movie before making a blind buy.