‘Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island’ Blu-ray Gets Spring Release Date

When it comes to Scooby-Doo, one of the most beloved films in the franchise’s 55-year history is Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. The 1998 direct-to-video darling ushered in the Warner Brothers era for Mystery Incorporated and, for the last 25 plus years, has become a cult classic. Now, for the first time ever, Zombie Island is coming to Blu-ray this spring.

Announced by WB this past week, Zombie Island will be included in the Warner Archive Collection Scooby themed double-pack that will also feature the horror comedy’s 2019 sequel Return to Zombie Island. The latter of which will be on Blu-ray for the first time as well. The exciting remastered HD edition will be released on April 30, 2024.

‘Zombie Island’ Remains a Scooby-Dooby-Masterpiece

While Scooby-Doo has been a household name since its debut series in 1969, this crime solving Great Dane’s following series that littered the 70s and 80s, regardless of their quality, diluted the brand of its spooky charm. Hanna-Barbera did everything imaginable with this franchise, from teaming up with Batman to Scooby and Shaggy becoming teachers at a Ghoul School. However, once WB bought the iconic animation company, the tone of the franchise was reset with Zombie Island. To say this film took Scooby’s formula to the next level would be a grave understatement. This animated film stands toe-to-toe with the best that the genre has to offer on the big screen. The story was full of satisfying twists and turns, the character development for Mystery Inc. remains the best in the series, and this was the first time you could call anything Scooby-Doo legitimately scary. The hand drawn animation style and muted, more mature, color palette lent itself to some brilliantly moody atmosphere. This mystery is the darkest in Scooby’s history, but that doesn’t mean it was lacking in the goofy charm the series has been known for. In between your screams, you’ll be laughing your tail off with Daphne and Fred’s romantic banter and Shaggy trying to keep Scooby in check in a house full of cats.

However, what put this film over the top was its soundtrack. Scooby-Doo has always been a series known for its great music choices, but Zombie Island is the point of that, with “The Ghost is Here” and “It’s Terror Time Again” being timeless earworms. That’s why fans have been waiting anxiously for years for this announcement. Zombie Island started a string of 38 animated direct-to-video films that spanned 25 years and recently came to an end with Scooby-Doo and Krypto, Too! in late 2023. Return to Zombie Island is a part of that legacy, but as a sequel to the greatest Scooby mystery, it left a lot to be desired in both its story and atmosphere.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island’s ghost pirate caper can currently be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, but the film has been available on DVD for years as well. WB hasn’t been kind to Scooby lately, like many of their treasured franchises, as they recently canceled the completed holiday-themed Scoob! Sequel and a Hex Girls-centric film. That has left the future of the series a bit murky. However, at least fans can take solace in the fact that WB is putting these Scooby gems on Blu-ray for the first time. Zombie Island and its sequel now join Boo Brothers, Ghoul School, and the Reluctant Werewolf in their Archive Collection. Hopefully, this also means Witch’s Ghost and Alien Invaders will get the same treatment soon.

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