Velma: This Halloween Needs to be More Special!

7.5/10

(NOTE: No spoilers for the special itself, but this will give away part of the ending of the last season if you haven't seen it yet.)

In this special and what appears to be end of the Velma show (one of the background artists stated online that it is ending, but no official announcement has been given yet), Velma (voiced by Mindy Kaling) is now a ghost, and her friends try to cast a spell that will bring her back to life.

Yeah, the show still tries a little too hard with the topical and social humor, but I found this to be fairly funny. I laughed out loud twice. The writers stick to what has been working: wacky characters and just going nuts. There's a lot of stuff going on, and the special doesn't get boring.

Cast remains strong. Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton still excels as man-child Fred where he always adds that extra bit of exaggeration to the character. Prolific voice actor and original voice of Fred Frank Welker has also really found his place as Fred's father. When the show first started, the character wasn't working for me, but once you got to see his sillier, more human guy, there's just something about Welker that works as the eccentric straight man.

If the show is leaving, it's going out with a bang. The fluidity of animation remains strong, and I'm impressed with the amount of action the animators are able to squeeze into this.

Recommended. I know a lot of people hate this with the passion of a thousand suns. but I'll miss this show. It was so creatively bizarre. This special was a nice ending point that entertains and does encapsulate the good points of Velma.

Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, too!

 

7/10

In this made-for-streaming/DVD movie, the Mystery Inc. gang is called in to investigate the disappearance of the Justice League and search the Hall of Justice which is haunted by a phantom. There they team up with Superman's famed pet Krypto.

This film had an interesting history. Images of it leaked a while back but no official confirmation of its existence was given by the WB. The last released SD movie Trick or Treat had a difference in tone and animation style from the other SD made-for-DVD movies released since 2009. Krypto, too! has the original character designs which makes one hypothesize that it was created first. (They produced two of these films a year for a while.)  When it comes to David Zaslav and WB Discovery's controversial cuts since the studios' regime change, Batgirl has got all the publicity for being the completed title that got shelved and never shown, however it looks like SD got hit the hardest. The Scoob prequel was shelved as well as the incomplete pre-school show being made. Another in-production SD made-for-DVD movie was canceled as well. (It would've brought the Hex Girls back and had songs. 'Tis a shame.) It's reasonable to assume that this movie had also been shelved (though there's no official info.) However, an interesting thing happened. The full film was leaked online. It was quickly pulled but not much later its release was announced. Perhaps the leak produced enough views to entice the studio to change their minds.

This is likely the last of the SD made-for-DVD movies for a while based on recent trends. (These have been going on since '98. I fear that ending this universal cornerstone along with Hasbro ending the long running Power Rangers series in the form as we know it may be the harbinger of the unraveling of reality and some dark, looming event. Or it can simply be the fate of media in a changing business environment if you want to get boring about it.) It's a good film to go out on. Wouldn't say it's one of the best in the series, but it's definitely one of the better ones. 

Definitely one of the funnier ones. Dialogue's on point. There are a few really solid self-pokes on legitimate critiques of the DC and SD. (There is one point where I thought to myself "Yes, you're completely right about that! Thank you!") Lex Luthor (voiced delightfully by Charles Halford) is a main part of the cast as he's stuck in the building with the rest of the gang and has to team up with them. He's a sarcastic, grumpy and arrogant interpretation, and he's an interestingly new type of dynamic for the team as they don't usually have a foil to work off of.

Story is also one of the more unique SD plots. The conclusion to the mystery is satisfying. We also get an entertaining group of suspects. 

Admittedly, the plot in the middle act is a bit light, but kids probably won't be as critical. There is a subplot with Jimmy Olson (prolific voice actor James Arnold Taylor) that is arguably problematic and uncalled for but doesn't pop up much.

As it's always been, the 2009-2023 animation remains colorful and smooth. (Though I still hate that they don't include whites in the characters eyes because that's what the original Scooby-Doo Where are you? did in order to be "retro.") Loved the design of the phantom. It has a cosmic/molten lava-like feel to it. Considering that they did a team-up a few years back with the "Brave and the Bold" version of Batman and other DC characters, the change in character designs might be nitpick for some who prefer continuity. But, what can you suspect with a continuity as long as SD?) 

Recommended. This is definitely a fun time for kids or adult SD/DC fans.

Velma- Season 1

6/10

In this, the first straight-up adult take on Scooby-Doo, Velma (voiced by Mindy Kaling) tries to solve both the mystery of her missing mother and who's been killing popular girls at her high school. (To dispel a lot of misinformation, Mindy isn't the showrunner on this; that's Charles Grandy. She's just a voice actor and executive producer.)

In case you haven't heard, this is getting a LOT of hate online. It has a 1.4/10 on IMDB. Won't lie, I kinda liked it. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a perfect show and most of the criticism is well warranted, however, it isn't the worst thing ever as some make it out to be. You ever liked an Adult Swim show (or equivalent) where things go too far or the characters are self-involved but you still like watching it? (I love the Venture Brothers, but let's be honest, Dr. Venture is awful and the creators do go to unhealthy places nobody wanted them to go sometimes.) That's basically what this show is.

What I'm about to say isn't that much different than whatever anyone else is saying, but it can't not be said. Velma can be hard to like. She's rude and mean, super judgmental and tends to put people in boxes, she uses her friends and love interests and takes them for granted, and any lesson she learns doesn't last long. 

The show makes a lot commentary jokes, like WAY too many parts where the characters feel like they're talking directly to the audience. There's a  lot of social commentary jokes, especially aimed at the glass ceiling and the white patriarchy. Problem is that the writers use them as a crutch. They're just repeating the same way-too-obvious points over and over again. However, I don't consider them a deal breaker like some. They can be fun at points, and I feel that having commentary jokes is still far more palpable than when writers just have the characters awkwardly speak the commentary without any nuance. (I'm not anti-woke. I just feel that some shows fumble the ball when they try to apply social issues to a genre plot.)

One last issue is that this has the sexualization of underage teen girls in this. (At least, I assume they're underage. One piece of advertising listed Velma as 15, and i assume the girls around her are the same age.)

On the other hand, there is some pretty funny stuff sprinkled throughout, and the plots for each episode are interesting. MOST importantly, the mystery itself is intriguing with many twists and turns. I honestly couldn't figure out who the villain was until the final episode.

Say what you will about this, but it has a great voice cast. Kaling, Constance Wu as Daphne, It's Always Sunny's Glenn Howerton as Fred, and Sam Richardson as Norville (they're calling Shaggy by his given name for now; yes canonically, it has always been Norville), all sell their characters.

The animation is also really well done and fluid. The show has a unique character design to it.

If you don't like animated shows that can be mean-spirited or too weird (this is definitely a hard sell for an older audience) then this definitely won't be your bag. Everyone else, I do recommend you check the first few episodes out. Many won't be interested, but many might. Again, this isn't a great show, but the plot keeps being interesting enough that I want to watch season 2.

Scooby-Doo, Where are you now?

7/10

This special on the CW looks at the long history of the Scooby-Doo franchise and has the Mystery Inc. crew interviewed by Pretty Little Liars' Janel Parrish and, not unexpectedly, have to deal with a monster haunting the studio they're in. 

This does a good job of going over the over fifty-year-old franchise in approximately forty-five minutes. It manages to look at the series' staples and provides some fun facts about it's creation, including preliminary sketch art. Plus, equal time is shown to clips from the shows' various incarnations over the years. (Well, the better liked ones. I don't think I saw the likes of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo or Scooby-Doo and Shaggy get a Clue. As has been the practice in later years, not a word is mentioned of Scrappy. A little unfair. I'm not fond of the character, but you can't deny that he had a significant affect on the course of the show for a while.) I like that there is a fair amount of interviews with the behind-the-scenes talent, like directors or voice artists instead of just interviews with public personalities. 

The characters are represented with their original 70's character designs. I find it nostalgic to see these brought back. I would've thought they'd gone with the style they've gone with the for the last decade of the made-for-DVD films and the Supernatural crossover.

However, this is still light CW filler. There are a few fun lines, but many of the attempts at humor don't really land, especially quickie interviews with other cartoon characters.

Parrish does not make for the best host. Her interactions with characters who aren't really there is pretty awkward. Her talking to the audience isn't that great either.

It's a decent time-waster and fans of Scooby-Doo will like this, but it's not required viewing.

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog

 

8/10

In Straight Outta Nowhere (yeah, I don't know why the Scooby franchis is doing a Straight Outta Compton pun either), Scooby-Doo (voiced by prolific voice actor and original Fred, Frank Welker) is affected by a strange frequency compelling him to seek it out, leading him and and the Mystery Inc. gang to the town of Nowhere where they meet Courage the Cowardly Dog (voiced by Marty Grabstein). Soon the cast find themselves attacked by giant cicadas.

For those too old or too young, Courage the Cowardly was an early 2000's show about the titular dog who'd encounter scary or unwanted situations. I'm kind of surprised a crossover hasn't happened before. (I mean earlier on. This is a property that's been dormant for a while, so it's a little surprising they're dusting it off now.) Scoob and Courage have so much in common, they're both good-natured but easily frightened dogs. (But there's also enough difference between how the two act that it doesn't feel like they're the exact same characters.) The two of them work so well off each other. Beside, it's just nice to see Courage back. One major strength of the character is that he is just so big-hearted. He's a delight to follow throughout. And it's nice to see Muriel (voiced by Thea White who sadly died after recording), probably the kindest, gentlest of all animated elderly women. She gels surprisingly well with the Mystery Inc. gang.   

In fact, the whole movie does a good job of paying homage to Courage's show. (This is definitely more of a Courage entry than a Scooby one.) The Scooby made-for-DVD movies/Courage style blend together unsuspectingly well. It helps that the producers/director learned a lesson from Scooby-Doo and the 13th Ghost and Return to Zombie Island: that if you incorporate a property with supernatural characteristics it's a bad idea to not use said supernatural characteristics. No Daphne being a killjoy and explaining everything away here.  

Now if you're a fan of the darker, creepier Courage episodes, you may be disappointed. This film follows the recent trend of the Scooby movies focusing on the humor and not putting much emphasis on spookiness or the foe being threatening. In fairness, Courage had its fair share of lighter episodes, so the tone still feels like the show. Plus, the jokes work though I think a lot of adults may find the last scene a little too frivolous.

In the earlier seasons of Courage, the star would occasionally speak in dog gibberish peppered with the occasional short sentences or single words. As the show went on, Courage ceased speaking at (to the best of my memory anyway, been years since I saw the show.) I believe the writers realized he worked better as more of a visual character. However, this movie has Courage revert back to speaking. Feels weird now, like Oscar the Grouch being orange or Grimace having four arms again. 

The animation in this is pretty good for a non-theatrical film. The design really blends the two properties really well. The opening credits are one of the better looking ones in a while. There is a song in this that feels completely out of place. Really stops the momentum of the entire film.

Recommended. This has a lot to offer for Courage fans. I think kids will really enjoy the wacky highjinks in this.

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.  

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?- Season 3

7/10

I found this season, currently on Boomerang, stronger than the first and weaker than the second. 

Whereas the latter half of season 1 and season 2 took the basic Scooby-Doo concept and took it to some creative places, the stories here with the exception of one episode felt more basic. That having been said, they're decent enough stories with decent humor, just not inspired.

The one highlight is The Last Inmate. It's a feather in the show's cap that it was able to get THE Morgan Freeman to be in this. The episode does a great job of parodying his narrating career as he leads a documentary about the Scooby gang. The entire thing is a hoot as a Freeman calmly  reacts to every situation and the basic elements of a Scooby-Doo mystery.

Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of actor guest stars this time around, and fictional characters were dropped entirely. (Fun fact: this season includes original Scooby-Doo at the Movies guest star Faye Dunaway.) With no actors or voice actors, there are a lot of personalities whose performances are just okay. Also, besides Freeman and Macklemore, there aren't a lot of really high profile names. Arguably, I mean. No disrespect to any fans of the guests here. Though why is food network personality Alton Brown here? Nothing against him, but what kid is a big fan of Alton Brown? I'll give you professional eater Joey Chestnut, because that seems like something a kid may be into, but a general food presenter I don't get.

Also, most of the character attention still goes to Shaggy and Scooby. The rest of Mystery Inc. still don't quite pop.

I know I've been pretty critical, but I still mean in it when I say the show alright. I feel that it has more potential to fulfill is all. This will probably be a lot of fun for kids and adult Scoob fans won't have any issues. Seriously, see the Morgan Freeman episode.

Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo

8/10

Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo has the Mystery Inc. crew on the run from a horde of man-eating Jack-O-Lanterns. This was fun and definitely one of the stronger Scooby-Doo films. 

Though I like the recent run (2010-) of Scooby made-for-DVD movies, which was a definite improvement over the frequently mediocre run (2003-2009) before it. However, it feels like the series has been losing a little steam as some of the more recent titles have felt a little paint-by-the-numbers. This was a breath of fresh air. Happy Halloween is a lot more action heavy than most Scoob films. Rather than having the characters wander around looking for clues, they have to make do with figuring things out while being constantly chased. Think of this as a sort of zombies meet Mad Max scenario. It definitely feels like the stakes were higher. (If you're worried about this breaking the spirit of Scooby-Doo, yeah it's edgier but it never crosses the line.)   

Innovative part is that the big reveal at the end is a little bit different than usual.

This appears to be the third of the loosely connected trilogy that I believe was created in honor of Scooby's 50th anniversary. While I thought the last two (13th Ghost and Return to Zombie Island) were decent and disappointing respectively, Happy Halloween justifies the setup and is a great finale.

This is also one of the funnier entries. Happy Halloween is written, directed, and produced by Maxwell Atoms, creator of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and the Bunnicula series, given his preference for the humorously spooky, he was a good choice. (The threat is very similar to the killer pumpkins from the Halloween episode of GAoBaM, but I'll give him a pass.) He took a page from the recent show Be Cool Scooby-Doo and decided to make Daphne (voiced by Grey Griffin) quirkier, and she has a string of great lines.

In the past, Mystery Inc. has had movie team-ups with Kiss, the WWE, and celebrity chefs, but this one has got to be the weirdest: horror movie host Elvira, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Batman villain the Scarecrow (voiced by Dwight Schultz, who was Barclay on Star Trek the Next Generation). It strangely works. Bill Nye is pretty funny as an eccentric version of himself. Scarecrow serves as a Hannibal Lecter-type, serving as an intellectual rival for Velma (Kate Micucci). Elvira is the only one who doesn't pan out. Yeah, the actress herself is game, but her lines often don't work. We also get one of the better guest Scooby characters in the form of a dad who gets wrapped up in the chase and definitely wishes he was elsewhere.

The tone is a little rougher by Scooby standards as there are some mild insults thrown by characters. Unusual for the series, but again, nothing breaks the spirit of SD, and it's not like the film is mean-spirited. Happy Halloween  does carry the same issue of the last few films of Velma being so logic obsessed that she's become a bit of a pill. She does something at the beginning that definitely feels a bit too far. However, after that she does have a pretty good character journey. She's practically the star of this.   

The animation doesn't feel on the same level of the previous films. Not an extreme stepdown, but something feels off. There are too many basic camera angles and backgrounds. It might be because of interference due to COVID-19 (the second Phineas and Ferb movie had the same issues). It also may be because Atoms' experience is mostly in the more hectic output of television. (There are definitely some more cartoony eye movements that are definitely the director's stylistic choice.)   

I strongly recommend this for kids or Scooby fans.

Retroactive Review: Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!

6/10

I find this movie to be just okay.

To the film's credit, it is one of the stronger entries in the 2000's wave of Scooby-Doo films, which had the weakest animation and least ambitious scripts as compared to the waves that came before and after. The general plot does try to be a little creative within the SD framework, including one particular concept you haven't seen before. The guest characters and suspects feel distinct and realized. The use of the Bermuda Triangle in this lends to some creative visual ideas, especially for the opening credits.

But when all is said and done, this a competently handled children's film, but not a particularly stand-out one. There are just several stronger written SD films out there. The Scooby gang have a few fun moments, but nothing particularly memorable. Like the rest of this wave, the animation feels pretty basic.

The voice cast is mostly strong, including some known names you may be pleasantly surprised with. Casey Kasem, who was no spring chicken at this point, does sound a little tired as Shaggy. 

This is something that will probably entertain your kids, especially if they like Scooby-Doo or pirates. You may be able to sit through and enjoy the first time, but there probably won't be enough for you on rewatches and you'll become bored. There are simply more likable films in the franchise you can put them in front of.