A Warner Bros Picture, Written by Matt Lierberman, Eyal Podell, Jonathon E. Stewart, Derek Elliott, Jack Donaldson, Adam Sztykiel, Directed by Tony Cervone.
Scooby-Doo has lived on for over 50 years and has been a key part of the childhoods of multiple generations (including mine) so it is natural that Warner Bros would try and update it for a new generation of kids to enjoy, and I think they mostly succeeded.
While it is a shame that the gang we know and love have to spend most of the film apart, and that we lose much of the ‘teen detectives solve a mystery’ elements, what we get is a warm hearted, amusing, and entertaining film.
The characters are expanded out of the Scooby-Doo canon and now include a whole range of Hanna-Harbera characters including Dick Dastardly, Blue Falcon, and Captain Caveman. While a cinematic universe is unlikely, it was interesting to see these characters interact on the big screen.
The voice cast do good jobs, with the legendary Frank Welker providing a new twist on Scoob, and Will Forte doing a fine job as Shaggy (although I see no reason why Matthew Lillard wasn’t asked back for this). Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, and Gina Rodriguez all really fit the roles of Fred, Daphne, and Velma, and I’d like to see them continue going forward.
This is no classic but it’s certainly enjoyable and I would really like to see this cast return for a mystery centric sequel.
Rating = 3/5
*A UK release date is not officially confirmed for this film yet.
Howe's World of Film and TV 