Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost

Scooby-Doo!
and the Witch's Ghost
DVD cover
Directed byJim Stenstrum
Written by
Based onScooby-Doo
by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
Produced byCos Anzilotti
Starring
Edited byRob DeSales
Music byLouis Febre
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Home Video
Release date
  • October 5, 1999 (1999-10-05)
Running time
66 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish

Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated supernatural horror comedy film, and the second of the direct-to-video films based upon Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and Warner Bros. Animation. The film was released on VHS on October 5, 1999, then on DVD on March 6, 2001.

The plot involves Mystery Inc. travelling to the New England town of Oakhaven after being invited by horror writer Ben Ravencroft. Like a number of direct-to-video Scooby-Doo animated films released in the late-1990s and early-2000s, The Witch's Ghost features real supernatural elements instead of the traditionally fabricated ones the franchise is associated with, giving the film a darker tone. The film has been adapted into a book.[3]

It is the second of the first four Scooby-Doo direct-to-video films to be animated overseas by Japanese animation studio Mook Animation. The film marks the first time voice actor and radio-personality Scott Innes voiced Shaggy, as Billy West (who voiced Shaggy in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island) needed time for his voice work on Futurama. This was also the final film starring Mary Kay Bergman that was released during her lifetime.

Plot

[edit]

After Ben Ravencroft, a famous horror writer of whom Velma Dinkley is a fan, assists her and Mystery Inc. in solving a case at a museum in San Francisco, he invites them to his hometown of Oakhaven, Massachusetts. When they arrive, they find the town's Mayor Corey has converted it into a tourist attraction based on the ghost of Sarah Ravencroft, Ben's ancestor who was persecuted as a witch and executed by the Puritan townspeople in 1657. Ben disputes this, claiming that Sarah was a Wiccan who used herbal remedies to heal the less fortunate and that he has spent years searching for her medical journal to prove her innocence.

While Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers are chased by Sarah's ghost, the gang is drawn to the Hex Girls, an all-female gothic rock band led by Sally "Thorn" McKnight, during one of their rehearsals. Fred Jones and Daphne Blake follow Thorn and, upon discovering her seemingly performing a ritual, believe the Hex Girls are witches.

Upon capturing Sarah's ghost, Velma reveals her to be Mr. McKnight, Thorn's father and Oakhaven's pharmacist who dressed up as the ghost as part of a town-wide publicity stunt meant to stimulate Oakhaven's failing tourist economy and that they did so after digging up Sarah's grave despite not finding her body. Additionally, Thorn reveals the "ritual" she was performing was actually an herbal remedy for soothing her vocal cords and that she is 1/16th Wiccan.

Upon realizing that a buckle Scooby found earlier is actually the lock from Sarah's journal, he returns to where he found the lock and digs up Sarah's journal. To the gang's horror the book is revealed to be a witch's spellbook. Ben reveals he is a warlock, the stories of Sarah being a witch are true, and she had been imprisoned in her book by the Wiccans of her time. Furthermore, he engineered the museum mystery to manipulate Mystery Inc. into helping him, and though he did not account for Oakhaven's publicity stunt, used it to his advantage nonetheless. He subsequently awakens his magical powers and releases Sarah in the hopes that she will help him rule the world. However, she chooses to destroy it in retaliation for her imprisonment instead.

Disillusioned, Ben attempts to re-imprison Sarah, but she reveals only a Wiccan can do so and traps him in a magical sphere. Mystery Inc. attempts to get the book back, but Sarah brings several pumpkins and trees to life and enlarges a turkey to stop them. Amidst the chaos, Velma convinces Thorn to re-imprison Sarah. As the plan succeeds, the trees and pumpkins are restored, the turkey is freed from her control, and she is pulled back into her book, taking Ben with her. A burning branch falls onto the book, incinerating it. Afterwards, Mystery Inc., the townsfolk, and the turkey celebrate with a concert held by the Hex Girls to raise money to repair the village.

Voice cast

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Production

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After the success of Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, which received better sales than Warner Bros. had expected, the team were tasked with creating a second Scooby-Doo direct-to-video film. Its predecessor was considered a one-off experiment and, as such, the crew producing it worked with little oversight from executives. For Witch's Ghost, this creative freedom was scaled back considerably. Warner Bros. suggested screenwriters Rick Copp and David A. Goodman, which insulted the team that had produced the first film in total autonomy. In addition, the studio requested the filmmakers "tone down" their content, as they feared Zombie Island had proved too scary for its intended audience.[4]

Copp and Goodman's script concluded with the revelation that the townspeople were using the witch as a publicity stunt. The original team found this unsatisfactory and Glenn Leopold re-wrote the last third of the film, introducing the concept that the ghost is real.[4]

Soundtrack

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To coincide with the release of Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Warner Bros. decided to release the album Scooby-Doo's Snack Tracks: The Ultimate Collection. It went on to peak at number 5 on Billboard's Kid Albums chart and stayed in the top 25 for over 26-weeks.[5] [6] This popularity inspired Warner Bros. to release a full length soundtrack for their next film, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost.

Kid Rhino partnered with Warner Home Video and Cartoon Network to release the soundtrack for the film. According to Rhino VP Carol Lee, "We [worked] closely with Warner Home Video so that we're part of everything they do." She added the soundtrack to the film was, "treated like that of a theatrical release. We created a Music Video which appeared on the home video."[7] On September 14, 1999, the soundtrack was released on CD and Audio Cassette, featuring songs by The Hex Girls, and Billy Ray Cyrus performing "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?".[8]

Track listing
No.TitleRecording artist(s)Length
1."Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?"Billy Ray Cyrus1:02
2."Hex Girl"The Hex Girls1:43
3."Earth, Wind, Fire and Air"The Hex Girls1:55
4."The Witch's Ghost"The Hex Girls3:10
5."It's a Mystery"The Hex Girls3:08
6."Scooby Snacks"The Hex Girls3:19
7."Zoinks!"The Hex Girls3:10
8."Those Meddlin' Kids"The Hex Girls3:17
9."Ghost Story"Louis Febre3:13
10."The Ghost Is Here[a]"Joe Pizzulo, Gary Falcone2:21
11."Terror Time[a]"Joe Pizzulo, Gary Falcone2:55
12."Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" (Instrumental Mix)David Mook, Ben Raleigh2:43
Total length:31:55

Notes

  • ^[a] From Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.

Release and reception

[edit]

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost was released on VHS on October 5, 1999, then on DVD on March 6, 2001. The VHS included the pilot episode for Courage the Cowardly Dog entitled The Chicken From Outer Space shown at the end. In 2024, it was released on Blu-ray for the first time through the Warner Archive Collection, packaged with Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders.[9]

The film earned a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[10] David Parkinson of Radio Times, gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "This full-length cartoon featuring the ghost-hunting teenage detectives is something of a mixed bag."[11] Joe Neumaier from Entertainment Weekly said, "Though slyly written, it doesn't have the punch of last year's Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island – but it's still scarier than The Blair Witch Project."[12]

The film was criticized by religious groups upon its release, who claimed The Hex Girls were "of the Devil, luring young girls into Wicca witchcraft."[13]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Result Ref.
2000 Annie Awards Outstanding Animated Home Video Production Nominated [14]

References

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  1. ^ "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost". WB Official YouTube Channel. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999)". Allmovie. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  3. ^ Herman, Gail; Copp, Rick; Goodman, David (9 June 1999). Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost. Scholastic. ISBN 9780439087865 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b Jozic, Mike (interviewer); Falk, Lance (interviewee) (February 7, 2017). APNSD! Episode 03: Interview With Lance Falk (Podcast). Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "Scooby-Doo's Snack Tracks: The Ultimate Collection - Original TV Soundtrack". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
  6. ^ "Top Kid Audio Chart". Billboard. May 22, 1999.
  7. ^ McCormick, Moira (February 19, 2000). "The Sound of Children's Music: Labels and Artists Committed to Family Fare". Billboard Magazine. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. ^ "Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost". Amazon. 1999. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  9. ^ "Warner Archive Announces July Releases". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  10. ^ "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  11. ^ "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (2000)". Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  12. ^ Neumaier, Joe (Oct 8, 1999). "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  13. ^ Stewart, David J. "'Scooby-Doo' Promotes Wicca Witchcraft!". Jesus-Is-Savior. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "28th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2000)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
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