They say it’s never too late to make amends or say you’re sorry. And Cartoon Network clearly agrees. This year the company has apologized to an entire generation of fans for something it did way back in 1999. What could be so egregious that nearly 23 years later Cartoon Network would still feel bad? It apologized to ’90s kids for an old Scooby-Doo/Blair-Witch parody. And to show how sorry they are they re-released the special.
Cartoon Network wants traumatized children of the ’90s to know it’s sorry–=or at least “sorry”—for a hilarious The Blair Witch special that aired way back on October 31, 1999. The Scooby-Doo Project turned that summer’s surprise blockbuster horror film into a hybrid live-action/animated nightmare for kids tuning in for a Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! marathon.
The idea for the crossover was (obviously) fantastic. As was the execution. The short captures all the fun we’d expect from the gang, as well as the creepy vibe of the film. And it was all done with a clear abundance of love for both.
The only “issue” is that it wasn’t really aimed at young kids who tuned in for an entertaining cartoon. Because no matter how much we love this now, imagine what this was like for any child under 10. It would have been genuinely unsettling. How could it not be when it ends with the apparent murders of all the teenagers and Scooby-Doo himself? Zoinks. Zoinks, indeed.
We’re forever grateful to the writing and directing trio of Chris Kelly, Larry Morris, Steve Patrick for giving us this perfect mashup. But for any traumatized ’90s kids we’re glad they got their apology.
Of course, Cartoon Network owes us one more after 23 years: where’s the sequel? We’re not exactly kids anymore. We can handle it.
