Scoob!

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.

“In Scooby-Doo’s greatest adventure yet, see the never-before-told story of how Scooby and Shaggy first met and how the famous Mystery Inc. was formed. Now, with hundreds of cases solved, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, toughest mystery ever and discover that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone ever imagined.”

Scoob! opens on the beaches of California as a young Shaggy, alone with no friends in his life, meets a puppy who has stolen a slab of meat from a local vendor. Bonding over their love of food, they decide to stick together through thick and thin, testing that bond one Halloween when bullies throw their candy stash into a creepy, old, haunted house. Fred, Daphne and Velma come to their aid, entering the house to save their candy, inadvertently solving the mystery of the supposed ghost, vowing to stick together and create Mystery Inc. When they’re all older and looking for a new direction for the company, an investor in the company, Simon Cowell, tells the gang they all have vital roles in the group except for Shaggy and Scooby. Hurt by this, the two leave to think things over and are attacked by vicious robots, saved at the last second by the Blue Falcon and his team. While they try to figure out who is behind the attempted abduction and why they might be so important, Fred, Daphne and Wilma go on their own quest to find out what happened to their friends.

It’s been awhile since any incarnation of the antics of Scooby Doo, but it’s a character that I’m sure everybody grew up watching in some form or another. While I personally never really bought into the live action films, I loved every moment of the classic cartoon, and that is what Scoob! seeks to remind us of, which you’ll see from the opening credit sequence that’s an updated version, almost shot for shot of the original intro. It capitalizes on the hottest commodity out there today: nostalgia, but not just for Scooby and the Mystery Inc. gang, but for a wide array of Hanna-Barbera characters that make an appearance, creating an entire universe of characters from shows that never had anything to do with one another.

While some fans of the original cartoon may be upset at the focus shifting away from the gang solving a spooky mystery to the Hanna-Barbera universe building, I for one thought it was a fantastic idea to keep the characters alive and relevant, giving those of us who grew up with these shows something more to look forward to. I went into this not knowing anything about their plans, and loved seeing a character from my childhood that I didn’t even remember, then having those memories come flooding back from those cartoons like Wacky Races, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, and Dynomutt Dog Wonder. The hardest thing to do in film is to rapidly create a universe filled with characters, as some of Warner Bros. other properties can attest to, but in Scoob!, they find a perfect balance at introducing them, some repurposed and tweaked from their original roles, fitting nicely into the story without seeming forced.

The film has attached to it some great actors to lend their voices to these characters, above all, Frank Welker, one of the most versatile voice actors in the industry, playing Scooby Doo for decades since the death of the original voice actor, Don Messick, and even playing the voice of Fred in the original cartoon. Watching some of the behind the scenes extras, it’s clear how much fun Frank Welker still has bringing this character to life, and how much joy it brings to those around him who are there to witness it. I’ve always been a fan of Will Forte, and he does a pretty good job at Shaggy. No one will ever capture that voice that Casey Kasem had, but Forte is able to get the character mostly there. Some phrases are a little distracting, but that’s just the part of me wanting things to be exactly the same, which clearly cannot happen. Mark Wahlberg gives a great comedic performance as Blue Falcon, very different from the original cartoon, but is able to make the character more relatable to Shaggy than anyone else, sometimes being relegated as the human sidekick of the dog. The rest of the cast does a great job as well, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfriend, Kiersey Clemon, and Ken Jeong, making the film come to life and be enjoyable thanks to their voices. My favorite part of the film, however, was Jason Isaacs as the villain, Dick Dastardly. He throws himself into the role, bringing an over-the-top performance, exactly what the character needs. He’s hilarious and was perfectly cast.

Video

Scoob! is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. The transfer looks exceptional, with crisp and detailed picture, filled with a deep and vibrant colors. The animation especially looks great, and with the wide array of different locations, different technologies, you can look forward to a great picture overall that is able to highlight these aspects nicely. If given the choice, I imagine the 4k would look vastly superior, since this is a very colorful film.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I would’ve enjoyed a Dolby Atmos track personally, as there are so many opportunities to highlight the ships flying overhead, the flying robots, etc. However, this track sounds good regardless, providing ample sound for all the action sequences, crisp and clear dialogue for all the witty humor and hilarious comedy scenes, mostly involving Shaggy and Scooby.

Special Features

There are some really interesting extras on the disc. If you’re interested in the world that WB is trying to build with these Hanna-Barbera characters, I highly recommend checking them out, as well as watching the end credit sequence multiple times, as I found something new each time I did.

These extras include:

• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes Including Alternate Opening
• How to Draw Scooby-Doo with Director Tony Cervone
• New Friends, Newer Villains
• Puppies!!

Scoob! is entertaining, hilarious, filled with great themes for kids and adults alike such as friendship, heart, and working together. Warner Bros. has done a fantastic job creating this Hanna-Barbera universe, with the potential to introduce all kinds of other characters from the old cartoons. I for one, hope they get the opportunity, and look forward to the next adventure!