Review of Scoob! (2020) by Davrosdaleks1 — 16 May 2020

I found this new Scooby-Doo movie, the first to use computer animation, to be good but with room for improvement.

Let me get this out of the way for Scooby-Doo fans: This isn't the traditional type of story. There isn't a lot of mystery solving or spooky situations. This is more of a superhero adventure. Warner Bros. (which now owns Hannah-Barbera) is trying to start a shared HB universe. So they were more interested in doing a movie using HB characters from more than one show. Scooby was basically chosen as the first lead because he's the most prevalent character.

Shaggy (voiced by SNL/Last Man on Earth's Will Forte) and Scooby (voice-acting veteran Frank Welker) spend a lot of the show working with other HB characters in order to push the shared universe concept. The rest of the Mystery Inc. characters only play supporting roles. I would've preferred the main gang in more of this, but I give the movie credit. This isn't the only SD show or film to focus on just the duo, but I felt that this was the only one where they managed to make it work. (That's right Reluctant Werewolf fans, come at me.).

This may not be a perfect representation of what Scooby-Doo is, but as a movie by itself it's an entertaining children's film. It doesn't have the most ambitious story, but it's fun and upbeat. (I ended up watching this twice.) The best part is the jokes, there are a lot of funny lines.

There are a lot of moments where I felt myself thinking that the movie could have been stronger. The setup in the first few minutes feels rushed. The movie offers an obstacle to Scooby and Shaggy's friendship and confidence, which feels formulaic and forced. However, when it comes to their and other characters' emotional moments, the movie nails it perfectly; no complaints.

Some of the voice actors felt miscast. (Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez sounds too old to be Velma.) Others were good, but couldn't quite make the dialogue pop. The MVP in this is Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter, as Dick Dastardly. He completely encaptures the feel of old-timey mustachoid villainey.

The animation is cheaper than say a film from Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar. (Given how their attempt to create a DC shared universe didn't pan out, I can't blame the WB for being financially cautious. Even the director Tony Cervone was brought from within house.) That having been said, design-wise the entire thing looks great. There is a distinctive colorful look to this. Several characters get redesigned. I know some people don't like it when they mess with characters' classic looks, but I really, really liked how everyone appeared. Really, the design team knocked it out of the park.

I know my jaded adult mind has been critical of this. Plus this isn't my, or probably many other adult SD fans, idea of the ideal Scooby film. (Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is still the high bar to judge by.) But, I'm pretty sure kids won't have any complaints from this. Plus, I think this won't bug parents if their children rewatch. This is a perfectly decent way to spend your time.