What's New Scooby-Doo?: Season 1
Mystery, suspense, and crazy chases abound as Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo renew their commitment to solving mysteries in this 2002 sequel to the original 1969Scooby Dootelevision series.  Marking a return to the mystery gang's initial five members after several seasons that included additional characters like Scooby-Dum and Scrappy, theWhat's New, Scooby-Dooseries plays much like the original series despite being animated by Warner Brothers Television Animation rather than Hanna-Barbera.   Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo show some signs of maturation and growth since their inception, but the mystery gang is essentially still the same quirky, tight-knit group that stumbles inadvertently into one mystery after another and plunges in to investigate and unmask the villain(s) behind each strange happening.  What's new in this 2002 series is the gang's utilization of high-tech gadgets like global positioning devices and laptop computers (though they still drive the same old mystery van) and their foes' crafty use of technological innovations like wireless remote controls and virtual reality gear.  Add in updated popular music and guest stars like baseball great Mike Piazza and teen pop singer Lindsay Pagano andWhat's New, Scooby-Doobecomes attractive to a whole new generation of fans. The thirteen episodes in season one span the globe from icy snowboarding slopes to the jungles of Costa Rica, glitzy hotels of Las Vegas, and a game preserve in Africa.  Bonus features include bloopers and a bonus 2005 episode "A Scooby-Doo Valentine" that stars NSYNC's J.C. Chasez. (Ages 5 and older)--Tami Horiuchi