Scoob!

Scoob! finds itself at a unique point in history, both for releasing a little after the franchise’s 50th anniversary and for having its release affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This third big screen outing for Scooby-Doo was originally slated for a May 15, 2020 theatrical release, only to get delayed indefinitely by the pandemic, but then revert back to its original date as a Premium VOD release due in part to the success of Trolls: World Tour. Out of curiosity, and to fulfill the purpose of Scooby-Doo Month on this blog, we bought the film at $25 (as opposed to a $20 rental) and watched it on “opening day”. While we went in with uncertain expectations, especially with the knowledge this was meant to kickstart a Hanna-Berbera Cinematic Universe, we thought it ultimately fell flat, both in its intended goal and as a Scooby-Doo film.

Years after Mystery Inc. – consisting of Shaggy Rogers (Will Forte), Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker), Fred Jones (Zac Efron), Daphne Blake (Amanda Seyfried) and Velma Dinkley (Gina Rodriguez) – is formed for the first time, they’re approached by Simon Cowell (Simon Cowell), a prospective investor in the group. Unfortunately, he doesn’t want Scooby or Shaggy on the team, so the two of them leave and bowl away their troubles. However, they’re attacked by bowling-themed robots. Just when it seems they’ve met their end, Shaggy and Scooby are beamed aboard the Falcon Fury, the ship of Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) and his sidekicks, Dynomutt the Dog Wonder (Ken Jeong) and Dee Dee Sykes (Kiersey Clemons). Blue Falcon’s team reveals that they’re hot on the trail of Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs), who seeks to collect the three skulls of Cerberus and open the gates of the underworld, and that they’ve rescued Shaggy and Scooby under the belief that Scooby is somehow the key to everything.

Mystery Inc. are in for the biggest mystery of their lives;
L-R: Daphne Blake (Amanda Seyfried), Velma Dinkley (Gina Rodriguez, foreground),
Shaggy Rogers (Will Forte, background), Fred Jones (Zac Efron), Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker)

While a crossover between multiple Hanna-Barbera properties does have precedent, including made-for-TV films and Laff-A-Lympics, the execution of the concept in a 90-minute film is lacking. There’s no inherent synergy between Scooby-Doo, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Wacky Races, so the writing operates on a “square peg in round hole” situation to try and make them all click. Despite giving Scooby-Doo the top billing and putting the most focus on that property, there’s never any point past the first 10-15 minutes where the film truly feels like a Scooby-Doo film, since the mystery angle is diluted in favor of action-adventure elements.

It doesn’t help that the plot moves at a breakneck pace with little to no room for individual moments to breathe. Things do happen to lead to some sort of resolution, but it’s mostly a collage of action set pieces with transitions so quick that between my viewing of the film and writing this review, I remembered the “why” more than the “how”. This not only results in major actions occurring completely offscreen, but also a shoehorned segment where the main characters interact with Captain Caveman (Tracy Morgan), who disappears pretty much as quickly as he arrived.

Buried beneath the flurry of action and bright colors, there is a semblance of an emotional core to the story, with themes of friendship and inheriting a legacy, but it’s explored at only the surface level. I figured out that the only real reason for these three properties to interact is because Shaggy, Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly have dogs, but this flimsy connection never factors in, leading to plenty of missed opportunities. Off the top of my head, I remember a scene where Shaggy and Blue Falcon have a heart-to-heart that could’ve shown them diving into this connection, but nothing comes of it.

Of course, it’s also hard to ignore the moments when the film feels obviously calculated or out of touch. Dick Dastardly’s army of bowling-themed robots are designed in a way to capitalize on the Minions craze born from Despicable Me, but so many animated films have attempted this that by now it feels very old hat. Then there’s the times the film dates itself in an attempt to look hip with the kids, like references to Tinder, Netflix, meme culture, dabbing and Millennials.

The most baffling decision, however, was the inclusion of Simon Cowell in the story, complete with a dated American Idol reference that lasts maybe 30 seconds but feels like an eternity. I’m not really sure that kids would know who Simon Cowell is by now, but considering films aimed at kids like to include references for the adults watching, I couldn’t help wondering if now I’m supposed to be one of the adults they’re trying to cater to. Either way, this is the type of reference you’d expect from an early-2000s Dreamworks film, like Shrek 2 (where Simon Cowell appeared in an American Idol-themed DVD extra).

Simon Cowell (Simon Cowell) feels out of place, both narratively and visually.

Honestly, the animation is the only saving grace of the film. The stylized CG perfectly captures the feeling of 2D animation, even going so far as to have cartoony physics and movements. It’s clear that the animators were passionate about Scooby-Doo, the to point where an early sequence is a loving recreation of the opening from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The character and mechanical designs are also pretty good, with special mention to Dynomutt and the Falcon Fury. The only thing I didn’t like about the animation again involves Simon Cowell, who is explicitly designed to look exactly like the real Simon Cowell, resulting in an uncanny immersion-breaker.

By comparison, I have mixed feelings on the voice acting. It’s not necessarily bad, but since almost the entire cast was replaced, some of the decisions feel questionable, like having Zac Efron voice Fred despite Frank Welker, who has voiced the character in nearly every single appearance since 1969, still voicing Scooby-Doo. While Will Forte isn’t a bad voice actor, his take on Shaggy isn’t nearly as good as Matthew Lillard, who I still consider the best voice for that role. Then there’s Mark Wahlberg, who sounds a bit old to play someone as young as Blue Falcon is implied to be. Out of the entire cast, however, I thought Ken Jeong was a perfect fit for Dynomutt, who quickly became my favorite character in the film.

While not the worst film out there, and certainly better than Return to Zombie Island, Scoob! isn’t a good Scooby-Doo movie. It’s not even really much of a Scooby-Doo movie anyway, as it’s really a failed attempt at starting yet another Cinematic Universe without understanding why the MCU worked. If you’re a Scooby-Doo fan of any capacity or someone who wants to entertain their children for 90 minutes, there are better choices out there than Scoob! Within the realm of Scooby-Doo alone, there’s always Zombie Island, Witch’s Ghost and the Mystery Incorporated series.