By Shane Conto
What does everyone love about Scooby Doo? Is it the fun interactions between the Scooby Gang? Is it the mystery of the who-done-it set up? Is it the kid-friendly creep show scares around the corner? Well too bad because Scoob! has none of those things. A new adaptation of Scooby Doo takes the Trolls route to arrive straight to VOD and you can check it out now. But should you? What would justify the creation of a new adaptation of this classic cartoon? A new mystery perhaps? A new vehicle to bring fun and a strong message to the whole family?
Or maybe it is the greedier attempt at creating a shared universe of Hanna Barbera characters through their most famous franchise? Yes…definitely that last one.
Scoob! centers around the origins of the Scooby Gang…for all of 10 minutes before jumping into an adventure that splits up the group (because Shaggy and Scooby are not helpful). Then comes the crazy crossover event that no one said they wanted with the likes of Blue Falcon, Dick Dastardly, Dynomutt, and Captain Caveman take center stage. Is this even a Scooby Doo movie? That is probably the most interesting question that came to my mind during viewing this film on VOD. The screenplay put together by a team of four people centers around a lazy retread of so many famous blockbusters. You have a sky beam and everything! But we sure haven’t seen that one before. Not to mention the randomness of the plot that does not flesh out any of the classic characters or provide anything unique to replace it. The dialogue and actions of characters feel so lazy. Did we really need to see a character dab? Did we really need Velma to bring up toxic masculinity and not go anywhere with it? The story feels so thrown together and focuses on a future cinematic universe instead of delivering a satisfying tale.
You know you are in trouble when one of the biggest gags in your film is Dick Dastardly yelling “Dick” over and over again.
Tony Cervone is the man “behind the camera” as his crew delivers a lackluster ordeal. The biggest issue of the film as a whole would be the complete lack of soul. There is no spark or energy about this film leading to a disconnected feeling in the audience. The cartoon had so much fun and mystery to be had for the whole family. This film is unable to recreate the zany energy and sense of fun of the original series. The soul seems to be missing from this flick. Honestly, the film feels like a computer through it together with the very basics of a big blockbuster and Scooby Doo show. Something else that is also strange about this film is the fact the animation is…off. For all of the human characters, the mouth movements are robotic and awkward. For a big studio animated film in 2020, this seems a little unacceptable.
The voice cast does bring the goods to the proceedings. Will Forte is a fun time as Shaggy and Frank Welker nails the voice and performance of Scooby Doo. Gina Rodriquez, Zac Efron, and Amanda Seyfried do their best with what they are given. Jason Isaacs is the real star as he loves to chew the scenery with his sly and devious performance as Dick Dastardly. Overall, Scoob! is a pretty forgettable animated feature that feels like it fell off a conveyor belt.
The one thing the film has going for it is how easily digestible it is and it can definitely keep the attention of the younger viewers. But that is probably the point, isn’t it?
Grade: D