Scooby-Doo Meets Batman

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Scooby-Doo Meets Batman
Release Date: August 20, 2002
Format: DVD
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Synopsis: Protecting the innocent, thwarting injustice and stuffing themselves with Scooby snacks! That's right - the most legendary names in crime-fighting history join forces as Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang team up with Batman and Robin.

The action begins as The Joker and The Penguin try to cash in on a crooked counterfeiting scheme only to be foiled by the crime-fighting trio of Batman, Robin and Scooby-Doo! But, The Joker and The Penguin return to try and steal a flying suit until Scooby-Doo and the gang prove that with a little help, they have what it takes to bring the sky-high scoundrels back to earth!

Special Features:
-"It's No Joke!" game
-"Velma Dinkley" music video
-"Mystery Inc. Yearbook" featurette
-"Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo" featurette
-"Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo and Shaggy" featurette
-"Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase" music video
-Trailers of other Scooby-Doo and Family Favorites

Scooby-Doo Meets Batman DVD Review
by James Harvey

A fun blast to the past, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman revisits the first team-ups between Batman and Robin and the Scooby Gang from over 30 years ago for this neat little collection. While the story and animation don't break any new ground, what we get here is still a worthwhile animated release for fans of either the Caped Crusaders or Mystery Inc., even if the bonus features are a little slim. Still, for the nearly 90-minutes of entertainment within, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman ultimately makes for an amusing watch!

The Joker and The Penguin do their best to confound Mystery Inc. and the Dynamic Duo, but it's not as easy as they think in Scooby-Doo Meets Batman! First, the foes attempt to cash in on a counterfeiting scheme which brings them face to face with Scooby and friends! But The Joker and The Penguin hatch another plot, this time to steal a flying suit! It'll take the combined powers of Batman, Scooby and their friends to overcome these foes!

Just to immediately note, this isn't a movie called Scooby-Doo Meets Batman but actually two episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies presented back-to-back. Titled "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper," respectively, these "mini-movie"-length episodes run roughly 40-ish minutes each and are featured together here. Oddly, Warner Bros. bafflingly presents these two episodes in the reverse order, with the Duo's first appearance on The New Scooby-Doo Movies ("The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair") listed after their second ("The Caped Crusader Caper").

The two team-up adventures which make up Scooby-Doo Meets Batman is pretty standard Scooby-Doo fare. There's the mystery to solve, hijinks ensue, the true culprit is revealed, everyone laughs and the credits roll. No mold is broken, but at least what's here is an ultimately enjoyable diversion for Scooby and, to an varying extent, Batman fans.

Up first is "The Caped Crusader Caper," where the Scooby Gang stumble upon The Joker and The Penguin (and a mysterious third party) while out camping. Batman and Robin soon arrive on the scene and get the kids up to speed on what's happening and from there head out to search for the two crooks. This episode essentially plunks Scooby and the crew in the middle of one of caped heroes' light-hearted adventures. It's a fun affair that has a few solid gags and a pretty solid plot, even if the means of getting both sides onto the same page is thinner than most other Scooby-Doo outings.

From there this release moves on to "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair," which is a bit more of a Scooby story compared to "Caper." For this one, Mystery Inc. teams up with Batman and Robin to uncover a counterfeiting ring run by a strange hooded figure who has been sending counterfeit money to The Joker and The Penguin. The episode's got a good premise and even a pretty nifty hook, making it arguably the stronger of the two offerings found in Scooby-Doo Meets Batman. Even with the differing premises, both episodes basically follow the standard Scooby blueprint and play out as expected.

Granted, picking up a Scooby-Doo release like this one does come with something of an expectation. A formula that viewers anticipate, basically, and it's one that's worked for decades. While the quality hits highs and lows like any other series, Scooby-Doo tends to be smartly written and endearingly silly overall. The animation is good, considering the time, and can look really striking on occasion (seriously, the background paintings in this show can be legitimately gorgeous). Scooby-Doo Meets Batman hits all the marks that fans of the great dog detective expect, no question, and the same can be said for Batman fans accepting of the character's eclectic history.

When it comes to the expectations of this DVD release, Warner Home Video has unfortunately leaned more toward the kids than the collectors. The bonus features gear more toward the younger set and there's been no apparent restoration or cleaning up of the two The New Scooby-Doo Movies episodes found here. The biggest blemish? Warner has packaged this DVD in a snapper case.

Bonus features are all quick and breezy little extras, ranging from quick featurettes on how to draw some of the Scooby gang, a couple trivia games, a couple music videos and a selection of trailers for other Scooby-Doo home video releases. There's nothing of any real substance here, though they're amusing enough for a quick watch and not much else. A featurette about the iconic pairing of Scooby-Doo and Batman, and why it was actually a significant deal for the time, might've been worth adding in, though.

The audio and video quality is fine, though it doesn't look like much effort has been made to spruce up the imagery. It does look clean and relatively free of most blemishes, save for any issues found with the source material itself. The audio sounds crisp without any real issues, though it's a Dolby Mono track of an old 1970s cartoon so it was never going to blow the speakers off the shelf.

Scooby-Doo Meets Batman is a nice collection of some of the earliest animated adventures of Batman, and one of his first big media crossovers. The episodes stick to the usual Scooby formula for the most part and it works just fine here. Fans will likely find plenty of enjoyment with the main attraction, but might find the skimp extras on this Warner Home Video release a little disappointing. Still, those looking to own these episodes or just looking for some safe entertainment for the young ones, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman does the job just fine.

Review written in 2002, page updated in 2023