Barnes & Noble

The first Scooby-Doo feature film went against the spirit of the cartoon franchise by giving us a dysfunctional Mysteries, Inc. But in the much better sequel, Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardinelli), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), and the computer-generated Scooby are reunited as Coolsville's hottest detectives, busting ghosts and supernatural beasts and unmasking villains, just like in their Hanna-Barbera heyday. This sequel also smartly resurrects some fondly remembered poltergeists from the original cartoons, including Captain Cutler's Ghost, the Pterodactyl Ghost, and the Black Knight Ghost. Why have they risen to transform Coolsville into Ghoulsville? That's the mystery for the gang to solve. Hounding them and sullying the reputation of the "once-great gang" is a TV reporter (Alicia Silvertone), while the craggy old Mr. Wickles (a brilliantly cast Peter Boyle) lurks in the shadows. Monsters Unleashed tweaks Scooby-Doo mythology while honoring its set-in-stone conventions, such as when Shaggy and Scooby realize, after 35 years, that every time the gang makes a plan, they do "something to screw it up somehow." Shaggy vows to "prove we belong in the gang" and "no longer be our goofy selves." The formerly "don't ask, don't tell" Velma is given a suspect love interest in a museum curator (Seth Green) and, in one amusing scene, a way-extreme makeover courtesy of Daphne. There is also a hangout for all the old criminals foiled by Mysteries, Inc. in the past. It all ends with the requisite unmasking, followed by the apprehended villain's denunciation of "those meddling kids." Supernatural special effects make this eye-popping film a Scooby snack for the eyes. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

America's favorite teenage canine-led crime fighters earn a second shot at the big screen in this sequel to the hit comedy Scooby-Doo. The reunited Mystery Inc. team -- Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), and Scooby-Doo (voice of Neil Fanning) -- return to their hometown of Coolsville as heroes when a local criminology museum offers an exhibition of the many ghostly disguises used by villains they've subdued over the years. However, their warm welcome is not long-lived; mean-spirited television reporter Heather Jasper-Howe (Alicia Silverstone) has aired a series of stories calling the team's intelligence and bravery into question, and even worse, a number of the weird creature costumes on display in the museum are coming to life and wrecking havoc on the people of Coolsville. Some of the clues seem to point to Old Man Wickles (Peter Boyle), whose attempts to pose as the Black Knight Ghost were foiled by the Mystery Machinists in the past, but is he looking for revenge or just a red herring? And what is Velma supposed to do about Patrick Wisely (Seth Green), a curator at the museum who's warm for her helmet-haired form? Scooby-Doo 2 also co-stars Tim Blake Nelson and features a cameo appearance from American Idol star Ruben Studdard. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 085392839926
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Language: Français
• Time: 1:33:00
• Sales Rank: 25,025

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Scooby-Doo/Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
• Scooby Doo/Scooby Doo 2

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