Hello guys and welcome to yet another new 2020 movie review! This time I’ll be looking at yet another animated feature that came out last year one that was also supposed to be a big theatrical release before everything went to heck. Scoob! was initially supposed to be the first big theatrical animated outing for the iconic property but went to VOD after Trolls World Tour did so well on there (I’m sure there were other factors but that was most likely the biggest). This was actually one of my most anticipated movies of last year due to the fact that I really like Scooby-Doo, and did watch the shows, and animated movies a lot when I was younger, an fully animated movie has a lot of potential (especially since the live action ones have garnered a less than favorable reception, even if there are some things I do like about them), and the fact that it was set to be the first movie in a planned Hanna Barbera cinematic universe which I thought sounded really neat and was curious to see how WAG would pull it off (granted I don’t know if it’s still happening due to Scoob! being released on VOD and Warner Bros. not saying whether it was a success or not). So I was very much looking forward to watching it even though it did get a shockingly divisive reaction from critics, and fans with some finding it fun, and others treating it like it’s a disaster with a whole lot of mixed responses in between. As for me well every year it seems there’s one family movie that I end up enjoying more than the majority of people and Scoob! easily takes the cake for 2020 as I had quite a bit of fun with it! Now let’s join the Mystery Inc. Gang on their latest, and most super heroic journey yet to see why I found more enjoyment out of it than others.
The film starts out with a cute little prologue detailing how the Mystery Gang came together as kids to become the mystery solvers that they are. We see a young, and lonely Shaggy meet his life long best friend in a stray dog he names Scooby-Doo. They both meet up with their soon to be partners in mystery solving in Velma, Fred, and Daphne and end up solving their first mystery together during trick or treating. From then on they went on solve many more as an unbreakable team. Cut to the present tense and they are now trying to seal a deal with Simon Cowell (yes that Simon Cowell… it’s bizarre I know, but Scooby-Doo is a property that has done so many different crossovers that it wasn’t that bothersome) as they would love for him to invest in their business but Cowell refuses as he does not want Shaggy, and Scooby to be involved as he finds them useless members of the team who don’t serve any real purpose other than to goof around and make mistakes. Heartbroken by this the two head on down to a Bowling alley to distract themselves when suddenly they are attacked by these strange scorpion robots and are transported by a beam from the sky into the ship of their number 1 hero, Blue Falcon… or actually his son who is taking on the mantle. Him along with his sidekicks, Dynomutt, and Dee Dee Sykes recruit the two to help them take on the evil Dick Dastardly who is keen on enacting an evil plan, which involves Scooby’s ancient ancestry, to unleash total destruction on the world. So with the stakes higher than ever, and the rest of the gang also trying to find out what is going on, this will prove to be the team’s most daring adventure yet!
As I mentioned before this is not your typical Scooby-Doo type story as it’s less of a mystery involving a guy in a mask up to no good but rather a super hero adventure film that just so happens to have Scooby and a lot of Hanna Barbera characters and going in with that mindset definitely helped as I know a majority of the people who were disappointed in that movie due to it not being like what Scooby-Doo usually is. While I can understand that sentiment (even if I’d argue the marketing did not really hide the type of movie it is) I still think for what the movie actually sets out to be (a Hanna Barbera team up flick) I think it does it well and is a lot of fun to watch. It’s briskly paced, never overstaying it’s welcome, and has a nice sense of energy to it that reminds me a lot of some WAG’s previous films with Storks coming to mind. It may be a bit too frenetic at times but it never felt exhausting and it helps that I found it consistently funny as there are a number of jokes that did have me laughing, and characters and the dialogue was often witty. Yes there are plenty that won’t quite land and I will admit some of the pop culture references felt a little forced (Warner Bros. sure love to advertise their other IP’s in this movie) but I don’t think their nearly as bad or as constant as they are in other animated features. Another thing I really appreciated was how despite being the launching pad for a cinematic universe this movie stands on it’s own really well, and tells a complete story without feeling like its always trying to set up other movies. Does it leave the door open for future adventures? Yes, but it makes sure that the focus is the adventure at hand which is important and a reason why I feel this movie succeeds where others don’t. The movie also does have a fair amount emotion to it with the prologue depicting how Scooby and Shaggy met pulling on the nostalgia strings while also being really cute. It’s always great to watch their friendship unfold and it makes the finale all the more heartwarming. That does lead to my biggest problem with the movie though (bit of a spoiler warning here) and that’s in the middle of the movie where Scooby and Shaggy have the typical best friend argument that separates them for a good chunk of the movie and my frustration of it comes from how I don’t necessarily feel the story really demanded it, and it does kind of kill the momentum for a bit. It’s a shame because I actually do think the idea of the conflict the two are facing (whether they are useful or not) is actually an interesting one and I felt there could’ve been a better direction in taking it. Still though the movie does pick up in time for the climax and I do like the pay off quite a bit. That’s really the big issues that hold it back for me but other than that I was entertained from beginning to end and it makes for a very solid franchise starter.
Like I said earlier I was excited about the idea of a fully animated theatrical (or in this case intended for theatrical) Scooby-Doo movie and I was not disappointed by how this movie looked. For me the best part concerning the movie visually were easily the character designs for all of the major characters. For the Mystery Inc. gang each one’s design stays true to the classic designs with a couple little touches to make them a little different though not so much as to change things up completely and Scooby-Doo himself especially makes the transition to CGI wonderfully. Then there are other classic Hanna Barbera characters and I was really impressed by how the designers were able to update these established characters yet still stay true to the characters themselves. In particular I really dug Dynomutt’s new robotic style body, while Dastardly and Captain Caveman as well stand out but in general they all are great examples of updated designs of established characters done right. As for the movements well keeping in line with the tone of the movie and even some of WAG’s other features, they are appropriately energetic, and lively which some in handy in the action sequences which are also a ton of fun to watch. The director, Tony Cervone, prior to these actually did helm a number of the straight to DVD Scooby-Doo films and he transitions to helming a feature film very nicely and directs the action with a lot of energy and is able to craft some fun set pieces like a chase throughout an abandoned Romanian amusement park, and the final battle in Greece (backgrounds are all nicely realized throughout). Another nice touch I appreciated were the many Hanna Barbera related Easter eggs, and references throughout the film and even in the credits which were really fun to spot and showed how much the filmmakers wanted to go all out in terms of the cinematic universe aspect. Some have pointed out that the background characters look out of place but I didn’t really notice anything wrong with them personally. People have also complained about the film’s choice of songs throughout and that I can see why. It’s another case where the filmmakers decided to put in popular songs just to try and appeal to young children and while that’s not a deal breaker it can be distracting at times, though once again I don’t think it’s as constant or as bad as some have made it out to be and at the very least their not played during any of the more important moments. On the whole though this movie did prove to be another visually fun movie from WAG and it keeps in line with the cartoony aesthetic that they’ve done so well in their other works.
When the cast for this movie was first announced there was a good bit of outrage over the fact that big name celebrities would be voicing the characters instead of actors who had made their marks on the characters like Matthew Lillard (Shaggy), Grey Delisle (Daphne), or even Frank Welker (Fred) despite the ladder still returning to voice Scooby (and as always does a great job as the character unsurprisingly). A lot of fans and even the actors themselves were disappointed about that and I myself do wonder why they could’ve just hired them to voice the characters again since they did so well initially. Still though putting all of that aside the new voices still do a pretty solid job here. Will Forte does his best to emulate Lillard’s perfect performance and is pretty good as Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez, and Amanda Seyfried capture Velma, and Daphne’s characters respectively while Zac Efron I thought was the best of the bunch as he made for a really good Fred personality wise (plus all of the kids who voiced them in the prologue did fine work as well). It is Scooby, and Shaggy who are the focus of the movie though and as always I really enjoyed seeing their lovable chemistry and I found their friendship to be genuinely moving, and sweet with a number of effective scenes show casing their relationship. This does mean though that the rest of the gang is put to the sidelines a bit as they don’t get nearly as much focus as the aforementioned duo. I do wish we got to see more of them as a team solving mysteries other than that prologue even if each one does get their moment to shine as Velma gets some funny lines, Daphne forms a cute little friendship with a robot, and Fred has his moments (including an oddly amusing gag where he grows has this deep love for the Mystery Machine). Still though the other Hanna Barbera characters are able to make up for some of that as I did really enjoy that aspect of the movie. Mark Wahlberg is enjoyable as the new Blue Falcon, a hero who’s mainly in it for the fame and well isn’t exactly the bravest or the strongest. While there were times where he threatened to become downright unlikable, and annoying he is called out by others concerning his attitude, and cockiness and he does get better as the film goes along and he does get a number of laughs. Ken Jeong is also great as Dynomutt with his sarcastic wit as he serves a nice contrast to Blue Falcon and he too gets some great witty lines of dialogue, Tracy Morgan gets a very amusing cameo as Captain Caveman, while Kiersey Clemons unfortunately gets the short end of the stick as she doesn’t get a whole lot to do as Dee Dee Sykes except provide exposition, and motivation. The stand out for me though is Jason Isaac as Dick Dastardly who is definitely among my favorite parts of the whole movie. As someone who did watch quite a bit of Wacky Races when I was very little it was neat seeing him here as the big bad and everything from his demeanor, to his expressions, to Isaac’s performance just brings him to life perfectly. He’s just a great over the top cartoon villain whose motivation, involving his longtime partner in crime, Muttley (Billy West), is really funny and kind of adorable in a weird way. In all though I thought the cast did strong work across the board and there were a number of characters that I really enjoyed watching.
In the end Scoob! will more than likely end up being my most underrated movie of last year. True it’s got a number of issues that do hold it back from being as great as I feel it could’ve been like a forced mid movie breakup, a couple of uneven areas, questionable music choices, not enough screen time for the rest of the Mystery Gang, and those expecting a true Scooby-Doo type story will be disappointed. Yet I don’t think it’s even close to the disaster some have claimed it to be and what it does well it does really well. It nails the chemistry between Scooby, and Shaggy, the dialogue is witty, there are a number of funny jokes, it’s got a lot of energy to it without feeling exhausting, the animation is very good, some emotional beats land, the action is a lot of fun, the cast does good work, Dick Dastardly is a great villain, and as a Hanna Barbera team up movie I think it works well in that regard. I think going in with that in mind is useful and may make the experience more enjoyable and I just felt it was a nice love letter to everything HB. While I still think this would’ve been a solid hit had it released under normal circumstances (although the reception and the whole HB focus make me wonder if it would’ve had strong staying power) I am curious if it did good enough on VOD to perhaps warrant any further installments in this specific universe because I still feel that an HB cinematic universe has a lot of potential to pass up. Still at least the movie we got works well as a it’s own movie and it’s definitely one of those movies that I enjoy more than most and will defend as a solid adventure with those meddling kids and their talking dog.
Rating: B
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