Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders

After having finally seen Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, we decided to watch Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, at least partly since the first four direct-to-video animated films, produced by Hanna-Barbera, form their own tetralogy of sorts. As I was watching the movie, I realized I had vague memories of seeing at least part of it somehow, though I had only recalled part of a minor subplot involving a jackalope. After seeing the whole thing in its proper context, I didn’t think it was quite as good as Witch’s Ghost, however it held up pretty well on its own merits.

At a SALF (Search for Alien Life Forms) facility in the desert, a trio of workers are monitoring activity when they come across a potential alien reading. Meanwhile, Shaggy (Scott Innes) and Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes) pilot the Mystery Machine through the desert, while Fred (Frank Welker), Daphne (Mary Kay Bergman) and Velma (B.J. Ward) sleep in the back. While intending to find a rest stop, despite having just eaten dinner, Shaggy gets them lost in a sandstorm. Soon after, the five of them have a close encounter with an alien ship shortly before their car breaks down. Fred, Daphne and Velma set out for a small town nearby to look for help, meanwhile Shaggy and Scooby volunteer to guard the van, only to run away after meeting a group of aliens.

Shaggy and Scooby have a run-in with aliens.

The story, though lighter in tone than Witch’s Ghost, is written well and in such a way as to be coherent. Compared to the preceding Scooby-Doo direct-to-video films, this one generally gives more of the spotlight to Shaggy and Scooby (the former even gets to drive the Mystery Machine!), allowing them more character development. This especially comes into play when they meet a nature photographer named Crystal (Candi Milo) and her dog Amber, whom the duo fall madly in love with at first sight to the point where food is no longer their first priority.

The main story is also written well, with a lot of well-placed foreshadowing as to the aliens’ true identities. Though there are fake aliens, as is tradition with Scooby-Doo, the movie is also clever in how it incorporates real aliens into the narrative, allowing it to fit more in line with Zombie Island and Witch’s Ghost in their usage of real monsters. The villains’ motivations are also handled such that it all makes sense in the end, especially in the way multiple subplots converge in the third act.

Though the tone may be lighter, the animation retains the same level of detail as the preceding two movies, in addition to their darker color palette and beautifully-rendered backdrops. The animation, again provided by Japanese studio Mook, is also very fluid and expressive while still retaining some of the more comedic aspects of the Hanna-Barbera art style. Some of the mechanical designs in the movie are particularly impressive to look at, especially as it pertains to alien technology.

The animation and backgrounds are extremely good.
From left: Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes), Amber, Crystal (Candi Milo),
Shaggy (Scott Innes)

The voice acting in this movie is overall really good. The returning Mystery Inc. voice actors deliver strong performances, though the increased focus on Shaggy and Scooby allows Scott Innes to display a greater range with those characters, especially Shaggy. Jennifer Hale, Mark Hamill and Neil Ross return from across Zombie Island and Witch’s Ghost, playing side characters with different personalities than they previously voiced, with performances to match. Candi Milo plays an interesting foil to Shaggy as Crystal, sharing some of his mannerisms while giving her own character a different personality.

Notably, this movie is the last time Mary Kay Bergman got to voice Daphne, in one of her final roles prior to her passing. Fortunately, though Daphne doesn’t get as much screen time as Shaggy, Bergman delivers in the role with what screen time she has, playing off of Frank Welker (Fred) and B.J. Ward (Velma) very naturally. Beginning with the following direct-to-video movie, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, the role of Daphne would go to her current voice actress, Grey DeLisle.

One thing about the music, that’s even highlighted on the back of the DVD box, is that Jennifer Love Hewitt performs the Scooby-Doo theme. Hewitt’s cover of the song is faithful to the original, though her take on it is still different enough to stand out from other covers. Aside from this, there are two original songs, “How Groovy” and “The Aliens Are Here”. The first, “How Groovy”, is interesting in that it plays out as a fantasy sequence sung by Shaggy, which both contributes to his character development in the movie and shows off that Scott Innes is actually a pretty good singer even with Shaggy’s voice. “The Aliens Are Here”, which plays during a chase sequence in the third act, isn’t a bad song, however it’s not quite as catchy as the songs from the two movies preceding this one.

"How Groovy" adds to Shaggy's character.

Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders is an enjoyable movie, even if it’s not quite as strong as its predecessor. The animation is strong, as is the voice acting, while the writing delivers on the alien premise in interesting ways. It has more of a lighter tone and edges more towards the standard Scooby-Doo hoax, even with that last point, however the clever writing makes up for this. This is an easier Scooby-Doo movie to recommend, even for a first-timer, though it’s even better when viewed alongside Zombie Island, Witch’s Ghost and Cyber Chase.