Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob

 

6/10

In The Sword and the Scoob, the Mystery Inc. gang visit an English town. While they're there, they encounter the sorceress Morgan Le Fay (voiced by Grey Griffin), who sends them all the way back in time to the age of King Arthur. (Considering all the situations and known figures that've been thrown Scooby's way, I'm not surprised at this concept. Rather, I'm wondering why the franchise hasn't done this before.) 

This may sound weird, but I feel bad for not liking this more. I definitely see kids liking this and can see several adult SC fans liking this more than me. The screenwriters/directors came from a positive place. The film is crammed with jokes and goofy bits. They continue going with the kooky version of Daphne seen in the last direct-to-DVD film and the show Be Cool Scooby-Doo, and I love this interpretation of the character. The opening and the big reveal at the finale are in fact some of the stronger/more creative things I've seen in the series. 

However, I can't get myself to like this more. I think that the majority of the film didn't feel strong enough. I don't think they did enough with the Camelot concept as they could have. Way too much focus is given to King Arthur (Jason Isaacs) and Merlin (Nick Frost). Arthur especially is mined more for material than he can provide and would've worked better in smaller doses. With the exception of Daphne, who gets a fun segment, the Mystery Inc. gang isn't given enough to do.  

The animation seems better to me than the last film but something still feels off when compared to the rest of the recent film series. (In fairness, animation production may have been affected by COVID-19). The characters, especially Fred, feel slenderer than usual and there are too many visually unambitious closer shots. But, the animation still remains colorful.

So, overall I think this is a so-so movie, but  like I said I think your kids will enjoy it, and it won't ingratiate upon you when they watch it. I also think that it's creative enough that it ranks above a lot of the many more formulaic entries in the SD film series.