"When You Wish Upon a Star Creature" was in the "didn't care for it" category as a kid, when talking about my thoughts on the sixteen Season 1 episodes way back in primary school. Have found over-time that my opinion on quite a lot of the episodes are different now, in both in a better or worse way. Very like my overall thoughts on the season, although my indifferent thoughts of 'Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo' as a show on the whole hasn't changed.
My feelings on "When You Wish Upon a Star Creature" are different now. In a good way. Always did like the villain and the opening scene and Scrappy on the whole still grates, but it is more interesting now and has a lot more to appreciate. While the pace is still far from perfect, "When You Wish Upon a Star Creature" isn't as bland or as forgettable as it felt when younger. It may not be a great episode, but it is a good one and is one of the most improved experiences from an older perspective when talking about the season's individual episodes.
The good things far outweigh the not so good and a few of the good things are actually great. The animation has fluidity, atmospheric colour and is well detailed. The character animation on the Star Creature especially stands out as do the colours for late at night outside. The music also adds to the atmosphere, while the motifs are familiar from being used in other episodes they are memorable and don't feel too repetitive (certainly more varied than how Scrappy is made to behave throughout 'Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo'). The theme song is pretty much the same.
Nothing forgettable whatsoever about the Star Creature, the opposite and one of the main reasons as to why the episode has gone up in my estimations. The Star Creature is one of the creepiest 'Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo' villains and quite an underrated one, there was never a creature design quite like his before or since in the franchise (one that is both hypnotisingly beautiful and frightening). Good too that he was actually a villain that had a personality that lived up to his design. Unforgettable too is the opening, which is one of the season and show's best and most unnverving and contains the most visually striking entrances of the show's villains.
Furthermore, the mystery is more diverting now than when younger, it doesn't feel as dull and the creepy (and unique for the time for the franchise) astronomy setting and that the villain is so good really helps that. The humour also works, with Scrappy's bear encounter being one of his better moments and even better is his interrogation of Spaulding, this is one of his least bad appearances. The dialogue is fun and Shaggy and Scooby are delightful.
It is a shame though that the denouement is predictable and too early. The identity of the perpetrator wasn't that much of a surprise (again with suspects being too few, with only two really having easy access), the episode did try to indicate that it was one character but actually personally ruled them out early on when taking into account how too little time they had to get into the costume. The how it was done nature of the plan too was a derivative one, similar to the one in 'The Scooby Doo Show's' "High Rise Hair Raiser".
Did think too that the episode drags a little in the middle when the story was noticeably thinner. While this is one of Scrappy's least problematic episodes, generally his humour feels very well worn.
Concluding, good but not great. 7/10.
My feelings on "When You Wish Upon a Star Creature" are different now. In a good way. Always did like the villain and the opening scene and Scrappy on the whole still grates, but it is more interesting now and has a lot more to appreciate. While the pace is still far from perfect, "When You Wish Upon a Star Creature" isn't as bland or as forgettable as it felt when younger. It may not be a great episode, but it is a good one and is one of the most improved experiences from an older perspective when talking about the season's individual episodes.
The good things far outweigh the not so good and a few of the good things are actually great. The animation has fluidity, atmospheric colour and is well detailed. The character animation on the Star Creature especially stands out as do the colours for late at night outside. The music also adds to the atmosphere, while the motifs are familiar from being used in other episodes they are memorable and don't feel too repetitive (certainly more varied than how Scrappy is made to behave throughout 'Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo'). The theme song is pretty much the same.
Nothing forgettable whatsoever about the Star Creature, the opposite and one of the main reasons as to why the episode has gone up in my estimations. The Star Creature is one of the creepiest 'Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo' villains and quite an underrated one, there was never a creature design quite like his before or since in the franchise (one that is both hypnotisingly beautiful and frightening). Good too that he was actually a villain that had a personality that lived up to his design. Unforgettable too is the opening, which is one of the season and show's best and most unnverving and contains the most visually striking entrances of the show's villains.
Furthermore, the mystery is more diverting now than when younger, it doesn't feel as dull and the creepy (and unique for the time for the franchise) astronomy setting and that the villain is so good really helps that. The humour also works, with Scrappy's bear encounter being one of his better moments and even better is his interrogation of Spaulding, this is one of his least bad appearances. The dialogue is fun and Shaggy and Scooby are delightful.
It is a shame though that the denouement is predictable and too early. The identity of the perpetrator wasn't that much of a surprise (again with suspects being too few, with only two really having easy access), the episode did try to indicate that it was one character but actually personally ruled them out early on when taking into account how too little time they had to get into the costume. The how it was done nature of the plan too was a derivative one, similar to the one in 'The Scooby Doo Show's' "High Rise Hair Raiser".
Did think too that the episode drags a little in the middle when the story was noticeably thinner. While this is one of Scrappy's least problematic episodes, generally his humour feels very well worn.
Concluding, good but not great. 7/10.
