Big Top Scooby-Doo!

Scooby-Doo movies are like blue cheese -- just when you think it stinks, you take a bite and realize it's much better than you ever expected. If you're not already a fan, give them a try, because there's some surprisingly clever dialogue and funny bits in these videos. At one point, Daphne -- who has signed on to be the motorcycle stunt performer for the Brancusi Circus -- engages a snobby and curmudgeonly Eastern European clown named Schmatko (Jeff Dunham) in a hilarious conversation about low versus high art. They even discuss Chekhov, Turgenev, and other Russian writers.

As easy as it would be to dismiss the 18th Scooby-Doo special as just another ploy to draw kids into the world of Mystery Inc. merchandise, this is a funny take on circus and werewolf stories without too many distracting subplots to confuse younger viewers. And who doesn't love working up to the climactic moment when the gang figures everything out once and for all? By the time the famous "I would've gotten away with it -- if it had been for those kids and their dog" line is said, you've been notably entertained, if not necessarily blown away. For a straight-to-video special, that's a pretty good accomplishment.