4/17/2011

The Scooby-Doo Dynomutt Hour - The Complete Series (2005) Review

The Scooby-Doo Dynomutt Hour - The Complete Series (2005)
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The 1976-1977 Saturday morning TV season saw the premiere of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour. This show was composed of a half-hour Scooby-Doo episode and a half-hour Dynomutt episode. These were the first new Scooby-Doo episodes produced in 3 years, and the very first episodes ever of Dynomutt. In total, 16 episodes of Scooby-Doo and 16 episodes of Dynomutt were produced for this season. After only 13 airings of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, the show proved popular enough that it was expanded to 90 minutes and renamed The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show, adding repeats of the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episodes for the extra half-hour. The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show aired the final 3 new episodes of each, and then repeated all 16 episodes of each for the remainder of the season. This is the ONLY season of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour/Show, and so, YES, this DVD is complete with all 16 episodes produced for both Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt that aired under that title.
The 1977-1978 Saturday morning TV season saw the premiere of Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics, a 2-hour show composed of the half-hour debut of the Laff-a-Lympics, the half-hour debut of Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, plus a half-hour of Scooby-Doo, and a half-hour of Dynomutt. The half-hour of Scooby-Doo aired repeats from The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour/Show, PLUS 8 new episodes. Similarly, the half-hour of Dynomutt aired repeats PLUS 4 new episodes as well. It's these new episodes of Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt that aired during Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics this season that some folks refer to as the "2nd season".
The 1978-1979 Saturday morning TV season gets even more confusing. 16 more new Scooby-Doo episodes were produced for this season. No new Dynomutt episodes were produced. The first 9 of these new episodes were first aired under the half-hour Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! show, complete with the original show's opening credits, just with new episodes. The remaining 7 new episodes (plus repeats of all 16) aired as part of the renamed Scooby's All-Stars, a 90-minute show composed of new and repeat half-hour episodes of the Laff-a-Lympics, new and repeat half-hour episodes of Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, and new and repeat half-hour episodes of Scooby-Doo. It's these 16 new episodes of Scooby-Doo that some folks refer to as the "3rd season".
Now to add even more confusion, all Scooby-Doo episodes from these past three seasons, 40 episodes in total (16 + 8 + 16), were re-packaged together as The Scooby-Doo Show for syndication reruns. All Dynomutt episodes, 20 in total, were re-packaged together for both network and syndication reruns as Dynomutt, Dog Wonder. So most folks only know these episodes from the syndication repeats airing on cable networks like Cartoon Network, and not from their original airings.
As for the DVD, the GOOD news is that, YES, this DVD is complete with all 16 episodes produced for both Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt that aired under The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour/Show, from the ONLY season that the show aired. The video and audio are both great for a 30-year old show, with the Dynomutt episodes just a bit under par compared to the Scooby episodes. The bonus features are the best of any Scooby-Doo DVD set released thus far, particularly with the interviews with the voice cast: Casey Kasem, Nicole Jaffe, Heather North, etc.

But, there is BAD news and REALLY BAD news. The BAD news is that the 2006 Hanna-Barbera DVD releases so far for this year, for both this DVD set, and for The Flintstones Season 5 DVD set, show the "cheapening" in production for the product packaging. Gone are the plastic outer covering transparent slip covers that were on all the 2004 and 2005 Hanna-Barbera animated DVD sets. The DVD discs themselves are now stored two to a page, with one on top of the other, overlaying half of the one underneath it. More likely to scratch one while trying to get to the one below it, especially with the two-sided discs. It does make for a thinner boxed set.

And the REALLY BAD news: I was fully expecting to see The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour episodes as they originally aired back in 1976 when I first watched them on Saturday mornings. That means with the original opening credits with the original Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt theme song, and with the original closing credits. Heck, even the back of the DVD box listed partial lyrics from the original theme song. I was even hoping to see the modified opening credits when the show changed from Hour to Show, which was also noted on the back of the box. Whoever did the text for the back of the DVD box certainly did his homework and knew his stuff. But, boy was I surprised when I watched my first episode, and each episode thereafter. What you get is the opening credits for the syndicated re-packaged The Scooby-Doo Show followed by the Scooby-Doo episode, followed by the closing credits of The Scooby-Doo Show, followed by the opening credits of the re-packaged Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, followed by the Dynomutt episode, followed by the closing credits of Dynomutt, Dog Wonder. This is NOT how these shows originally aired in 1976.

Overall, if you are a fan of either Scooby-Doo or Dynomutt, and want to add these episodes and bonus material to your DVD collection, you will greatly enjoy this collection. However, if you are a completist, and want the episodes as they aired on their original network airing, or want every episode that aired in the re-packaged syndication reruns, you will be disappointed.

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The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour chronicles the outlandish animated union of man and beast to solve crimes - and brings comic relief to the kid in everyone! As the catchy theme song celebrates: "...while Scooby is haunted by a spooky ghost, Dynomutt is doin' what he does most!" That means becoming a mechanical menace to the bad guys, faithfully assisting his action-hero comrade The Blue Falcon. Watch Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Dum (a dim-witted cousin first introduced here) & the Mystery Inc. crew and Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon whenever you feel like watching the dogs! DVD Features:Featurette:Eerie Mystery of Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt?s History: A look at fascinating history of Scooby Doo as well as Dynomutt, dog wonder.Interviews:IN THEIR OWN WORDS: The original Scooby Doo and Dynomutt voice actors share memories and voices from their days on these two popular shows.Photo gallery:The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Files: Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt stills gallery with previously unseen treasures from the Hanna Barbera vault including original character sketches and more!


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