Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!

It's anything but smooth sailing for the Mystery, Inc. gang when they embark on a Bermuda Triangle birthday cruise for Fred. Shaggy, for one, is looking forward to a mystery-free trip "without monsters, ghosts, aliens, mummies, and haunted tikis." Cue the "eerie lights in the fog" and Ghost Pirates (or is that Pirate Ghosts?) with "green, glowing eyes, and a terrifying laugh." Before you can say "Scooby snacks," it looks like they have a mystery on their hands. Onboard for this produced-for-video excursion is a particularly star-studded crew of guest voices, including Kathy Najimy (King of the Hill) as very perky cruise director Sunny St. Cloud; Tim Conway and Edie McClurg as Fred's Midwest-accented parents; Arsenio Hall as Captain Crothers; Ron Perlman as eccentric billionaire Biff Wellington; and Dan "Homer Simpson" Castellaneta, channeling Vincent Price as shipboard entertainer and "little scary dude" Mr. Mysterio. Director Chuck Sheetz, whose estimable credits include The Simpsons, The Critic, King of the Hill, and Recess, expertly blends the Scooby slapstick with some genuine Scooby-boos, courtesy of computer enhancements to the old-school Hanna-Barbera-style animation. Pirates Ahoy—no doubt hitching a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest's sails (and sales)—will appeal to Scooby-Doo fans old and new. DVD extras include “The Bermuda Maneuver Challenge” game. Recommended. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)