Vanessa Bender has received a rude welcome to Bayport High -- her car tires have been slashed in the school parking lot. But the Hardys learn that vandalism is the least of the new girl's worries. Vanessa's mother has just opened an animation studio, and her plan to unleash a collection of crazy cartoon canines on prime-time television has set off a deadly chain of events.

A fire at the studio and the death of one of the show's creators may send the entire production up in smoke. But Frank and Joe soon bring the big picture into focus: it's a clear case of arson...and murder. Using the art of illusion, the boys hope to draw the culprit out of hiding. The plan has only one flaw -- the killer has already drawn a bead on them!