Warner Bros. Pictures
Growing up I watched a lot of Scooby-Doo. A Pup Named Scooby-Doo was by far my favorite series that I watched in the 90s. It was a good time to be a fan of Scooby-Doo in the late 90s since Warner Bros. was releasing a lot of straight to home-video films such as Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase.
The newest animated Scooby-Doo film, Scoob!, which is another victim of losing its theatrical release due to Coronavirus, hit VOD this weekend. With this new Scoob! film, Warner Bros. incorporated many classic Hanna-Barbera characters such as Blue Falcon, Captain Caveman, Dynomutt, and Dick Dastardly into the movie. This is intended to be the first film set in the Hanna-Barbera shared universe.
I will be completely honest with you, the plot for Scoob! is weird. It focuses on the gang learning that Scooby-Doo is the prime target of Dick Dastardly, who wants Scooby to unleash the Great Cerberus from the underworld. Shaggy and Scooby team up with Blue Falcon, Dynomutt, and Dee Dee Sykes to stop a ‘dogpocalypse’. I know, weird right? Plus, Simon Cowell is in it.
Scoob! had a hard task. It had to please fans of the original series who have loved the characters for decades and entertain a new generation of fans. If you are someone, like me, who has loved Scooby-Doo and the gang for years, there is plenty to appreciate. The quirks of the Mystery Inc. gang are all there. The characteristics of Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby that everyone fell in love with are strong in the movie. The opening of the film shows how Shaggy and Scooby met, which was adorable by the way, and then they eventually ran into Daphne, Fred, and Velma and started solving mysteries together. Before we saw them as an established team, the movie gave us a nostalgic trip which featured classic Scooby-Doo villains. As the movie transitioned into our main plot, that is when it started to please a younger audience. Kids love superheroes. With Marvel and DC pumping out superhero films left and right, Scooby-Doo gave the kids a superhero to root for in the form of Blue Falcon. The movie had an adventure feel with a quick pace that a younger audience will love.
Warner Bros. Pictures
I was surprised to see the talent Warner Bros. brought in to voice the characters in Scoob!. All the voice actors did a great job in the role, but one standout was Will Forte as Shaggy. He nailed the voice of Shaggy. Not to be overlooked is Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon. Mark Wahlberg’s quick natural delivery matched the personality of Blue Falcon. With Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Gina Rodriquez, Ken Jeong, Kiersey Clemons, and Tracy Morgan rounding out the voice cast, this is one of best voice casts for an animated film in a while.
I was also surprised with how they handled the villain, Dick Dastardly. Known for Wacky Races, the villain had an endearing story once we understood his motives. Jason Isaacs voices Dastardly, who already knows how to handle being a bad guy since he played Lucius Malfoy in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. He handled all the crazy, over the top moments that we are used to from Dastardly and even gave us his signature catch phrase, ‘Drat, and Double Drat’.
I would love to see more films like this. There are so many classic Hanna-Barbera characters that would benefit from an animated movie such as Yogi Bear, the Jetsons, and Flintstones. Scoob! set up something that could work in the future with mixing Hanna-Barbera characters and telling an exciting story. There are so many possibilities and many different storylines that could work in this shared universe, but I would love to see Yogi Bear and the Jetsons get their own films next!
Shop for Scooby-Doo merchandise at Entertainment Earth!
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