Episodes of 'The New Scooby Doo Movies' were better than others, likewise with the guest stars, making it an interesting, entertaining but inconsistent show where the flaws are more noticeable. A few of the lesser episodes still had enough to make them watchable.
That cannot be said for "Mystery in Persia", where one doesn't find it easy to come up with much good about it. The music still has its typical energy and haunting atmosphere, and the theme tune is catchy and infectious at least. Shaggy and Scooby have moments of amusement and charm, and are the only characters to stand out, their friendship brings some heart to the episode and their chemistry is as ever very likable. The voice acting is good, Don Messick and Casey Kasem being the standouts.
"Mystery in Persia" on the other hand does have more cons than it has pros. The main problem is that it is one of the few episodes of 'The New Scooby Doo Movies' to not feel like Scooby Doo at all. Instead it feels like a very over-stretched Jeannie episode, with a story that drags badly often and doesn't have enough material to sustain even 20-25 minutes let alone nearly an hour.
Atmosphere and mystery is missing here, and Jeannie and her friends don't work here. There is too much of them, and even more of a problem is that they are not very compelling characters, Jeannie herself is bland and the others annoying with material that's cheesy, tired and leaden. Another problem is that they do not gel with the gang, with the supernatural/magic element going completely against the basic concept of Scooby Doo. Only Shaggy and Scooby's material is amusing, if not more, but come too sporadically. Mystery Inc feel like supporting/guest characters in their own show, with Fred, Velma and Daphne having so little to do that there was no real point to them. The villain is one of the show's dullest and most forgettable, also feeling as out of place as Jeannie and her friends.
Regarding the animation, it was never a strength in 'The New Scooby Doo Movies', in fact it was always one of the show's biggest flaws even in the best episodes. At least though some of them had some nice colours and atmosphere and a suitably creepy setting, even if crude drawings and goofs galore were far more noticeable. "Mystery in Persia" this said has to be one of the worst-looking episodes, and doesn't even have either nice colour and atmosphere, instead having some of the most painful of the cheaper animation style of Season 2, looking stiff, choppy and flat. As said, the writing has moments with Shaggy and Scooby but generally it's poorly written, a far cry from the writing of the likes of "Wednesday is Missing" and "The Caped Crusader Caper" which saw the writers having a ball.
In conclusion, quite poor and a contender for the worst episode of 'The New Scooby Doo Movies'. 3/10 Bethany Cox
That cannot be said for "Mystery in Persia", where one doesn't find it easy to come up with much good about it. The music still has its typical energy and haunting atmosphere, and the theme tune is catchy and infectious at least. Shaggy and Scooby have moments of amusement and charm, and are the only characters to stand out, their friendship brings some heart to the episode and their chemistry is as ever very likable. The voice acting is good, Don Messick and Casey Kasem being the standouts.
"Mystery in Persia" on the other hand does have more cons than it has pros. The main problem is that it is one of the few episodes of 'The New Scooby Doo Movies' to not feel like Scooby Doo at all. Instead it feels like a very over-stretched Jeannie episode, with a story that drags badly often and doesn't have enough material to sustain even 20-25 minutes let alone nearly an hour.
Atmosphere and mystery is missing here, and Jeannie and her friends don't work here. There is too much of them, and even more of a problem is that they are not very compelling characters, Jeannie herself is bland and the others annoying with material that's cheesy, tired and leaden. Another problem is that they do not gel with the gang, with the supernatural/magic element going completely against the basic concept of Scooby Doo. Only Shaggy and Scooby's material is amusing, if not more, but come too sporadically. Mystery Inc feel like supporting/guest characters in their own show, with Fred, Velma and Daphne having so little to do that there was no real point to them. The villain is one of the show's dullest and most forgettable, also feeling as out of place as Jeannie and her friends.
Regarding the animation, it was never a strength in 'The New Scooby Doo Movies', in fact it was always one of the show's biggest flaws even in the best episodes. At least though some of them had some nice colours and atmosphere and a suitably creepy setting, even if crude drawings and goofs galore were far more noticeable. "Mystery in Persia" this said has to be one of the worst-looking episodes, and doesn't even have either nice colour and atmosphere, instead having some of the most painful of the cheaper animation style of Season 2, looking stiff, choppy and flat. As said, the writing has moments with Shaggy and Scooby but generally it's poorly written, a far cry from the writing of the likes of "Wednesday is Missing" and "The Caped Crusader Caper" which saw the writers having a ball.
In conclusion, quite poor and a contender for the worst episode of 'The New Scooby Doo Movies'. 3/10 Bethany Cox
