Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Scooby, Shaggey and the gang get invited to Oakhaven by a famous horror writer. This town is famous for having the ghost of an old witch who was burnt at the stake years earlier. The gang ends up solving this mystery quiet easily but then a bigger case pops up. SCOOBY-DOO AND THE WITCH'S GHOST isn't a complete success but I think fans of the dog will find enough in it to make it worth viewing. What I enjoyed most about this film is the animation. That's not something I usually say but I thought the look of the film was absolutely the best thing going for it. This is especially true during the opening scenes when we first get to Oakhaven. The fall is in full bloom and I really loved how the orange and yellows colors are used so well. The actual mystery here isn't the greatest but I thought it was interesting enough to keep the viewer entertained in what was going on. The design of the witch was effective enough as were the other monsters that popped up at times. The comedy in the film isn't the best I've seen but there were a few good moments including a sequence where Scooby and Shaggy get to eat all they want in a restaurant.

I will start by confessing that I have not seen all of the animated Direct-to-Video Scooby Doo movies. The ones I have seen, on cartoon network years ago, were the early ones and in my opinion the better ones. I have seen Zombie Island, Witch's Ghost, some of Alien Invaders, and The Cyber Chase.Zombie Island and Witches Ghost are by far my absolute favorites because their plots deviate far from the original series plot. It allowed for the Scooby Doo franchise to explore real horror elements and show events with supernatural elements.Note: Don't get me wrong. The Original Series is still one of the greatest shows ever.Now Witch's Ghost.It pulls off the supernatural-under-the-illusion-of-petty-masked-crime beautifully just like in Zombie Island. It gives the audience the same feeling like they are investigating another simple crime but realize that there really is a supernatural force at work without it being too far fetched.Tim Curry, one of my favorite creepy actors, gives an excellent performance as Ben Ravencroft a horror writer whose family name has some dark history that he wants to clear up. He delivers his role quite well and gives fruitful character development. The additional Hex Girls, a Gothic Metal band, are another very nice addition, if a bit darker and mature for very young minds. Led by Thorn, voiced by the veteran video game voice actress Jennifer Hale, The Hex Girls provide some additional metal music for their introduction and for the credits.These new characters as well the original gang provided an excellent cast for another grand supernatural adventure. This movie provides plenty of laughs, light scares, and a simple yet solid plot that anyone can appreciate.As Tim Curry, Jennifer Hale, Metal and Scooby Doo-fan My opinion may seem biased. But realize that this is a kid's family movie, a genre that has now degenerated into blatantly unintelligent works of absurd fiction without a shred of cleverness or brilliance. This and other Scooby Doo movies (not the live action ones) have stayed true to what can be called proper Family Film values. It has comedy without being a straight-up comedy, it has peril without being traumatic, it has horror without being nightmarish, and it has dialog (one very important key element) that is simple enough that children can understand it easily, but not so lame and dumb that anyone else would find it irritating. It is a film for all ages and a very good one at that. A must watch for fans of the original series, fans of the "What's New Scooby Doo" series, and anyone else who has kids for that matter.

Well I have seen this movie a number of times and every time I watch my opinion has always been the same and that is this movie is great and I will always love it. The storyline this movie follows is very well written, well plotted, and very interesting. The animation in this is very well done all of the characters are very well designed and very well drawn. The voice over actors are really amazing such as Scott Innes as Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, Frank Welker as Fred, Mary Kay Bergman as Daphne, B.J. Ward as Velma, and they even have Tim Curry as Ben Ravencroft. The way the voice actors act with there voices is really good. So All I can say to you is that this movie is really good and I am sure that you well not be disappointed with it. So make sure that you rent or buy Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost.Overall Rating: ********* out of ********** ****1/2 out of ***** Some may consider this a spoiler so that is why I saved it for last. I have to say how I liked the fact that the main ghost is real and not somebody in a mask similar to Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island which is another great Scooby-Doo movie.

In this follow up to "Zombie Island", Velma finally gets a shot at romance when she and the gang meet Ben Ravencroft, a horror author with a shady family history - was his great, great, great grandma a witch of a wiccan? Well, someone's terrorizing his home town - is it a genuine witch or are the towns people trying to pull a scam? Do those creepy Vampire Singer girls have anything to do with it? The usual gags and calamity ensue.In addition to Velma's love story, another innocent observation is made about Fred & Daphne - namely that Fred is always pairing himself with Daphne when the gang splits up. Shaggy finally shows interest in women, which later becomes a big factor in "Alien Invaders". Shaggy also appears to be shorter here than he used to be; he was always the tallest of the bunch but now appears to be hunched over. Must be the new animation.But this is really about Velma and her long ignored need for love and affection (hinted at when she got all giggly around the rugged detective gardener at the end of "Zombie Island"). Never before has Velma ever had this kind of treatment in an animated Scooby feature, and odds are she won't get it again. And backing her up is the usual gang and good animation. Probably not for little kids though.