Scoob! Review - Tooned Up #5
It’s finally here! Scoob, the latest film in the Scooby Doo franchise, is now out on digital and VOD, and hosts Mike and Cameron are here to discuss its release in episode five of Tooned Up! Starring Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Isaacs, Gina Rodriguez, Will Forte, and Frank Welker, Scoob finds the gang and their beloved dog hot on the trail of the evil Dick Dastardly and his canine sidekick, Muttley. Along the way, the gang meets the heroic Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt, runs into Simon Cowell, and embarks on another magical mystery-solving tour of the world! Join us for our own Dynamic Duo’s take on the film!
Okay, guys, sorry for sounding like a Saturday matinee advertisement there, but welcome to another episode of the Renegade Pop Culture Podcast Network’s animation show! It’s been a bit of a hectic week, but we here at RPC have been keeping the content floodgates open, including our previous episode of Tooned Up, which focused more on adult animation. In addition, Jacob posted his review/retrospective piece on Iron Man 3, a fun read and a refreshing perspective on the film, to be sure. Finally, I wrote my review of the excellent Final Fantasy VII Remake, which you can find here. Happy listening and reading!
Now, with that out of the way, let’s get to my personal thoughts on Scoob, since I wasn’t on the podcast. First of all, I liked it for what it was, a family film that seemed less focused on the Scooby Gang and more focused on the broader Hanna-Barbera universe, which is what Warner Bros. seem to be laying the groundwork for here. While the animation was serviceable and the character work (including voice acting) was imperfect, there were some cool references and enough nostalgia to entertain me. I grew up watching Scooby Doo, so it was interesting to see a modern take on the characters and animation.
However, the film does have issues. While the opening sequence introduces Shaggy and Scooby in a cute and heartfelt way, I felt like the other members of the Gang--Fred, Daphne, and Velma--got the short end of the stick in terms of introductions and character development (if there was such a thing in this movie). They just sort of meet each other and everyone’s getting along. The only person who throws any kind of wrench into their relationship is Simon Cowell, which is so out of left field that it doesn’t resonate. Why would any of them care about what he thinks? I know I wouldn’t.
The main plot of the movie also really gets bogged down in the second act, which really shouldn’t happen when your film features characters like the Scooby Gang. Everything just seems to get stuck in a holding pattern once Blue Falcon shows up, and the pace slows way down, to the point that I honestly fell asleep. And I don’t even dislike this movie all that much; it just happened!
Before I get to the positives, I do want to mention the voice cast really quick. I think Will Forte gave it his all as Shaggy, even though I know it wasn’t perfect and a lot of people have issues with it. Of course no one will ever live up to Casey Kasem’s performance, or even Matthew Lillard, who was also excellent in the role, and I think it sucks that they recast everyone except Scooby. But Forte gave it his all, and it’s not an easy voice to do. On the other hand, Gina Rodriguez did alright as Velma, and Zac Efron was good as Fred. Not exactly my first choices for the roles in either case, but acceptable. Daphne was always my low key favorite of the Scoobies, and Amanda Seyfried was decent here, but not my favorite. Grey Griffin will always be the voice of Daphne, and Sarah Michelle Gellar will always be my favorite live action version of the character, but that’s because I love her in anything. Seyfried’s good, but she’ll never be the definitive version of the character to me.
On the other hand, Jason Isaacs is a great villain. He’s an amazing on screen performer to begin with, and he’s quite versatile as a voice actor, as well. I loved him as Ra’s al Ghul in the Batman: Under the Red Hood animated film from some years ago, by the way. And the legendary Frank Welker, who I’ll always remember as the voice of Megatron and Soundwave from the original Transformers cartoon, is fantastic as Scooby Doo himself. He’s voice acting royalty, in my opinion, and there will never be anyone who matches him.
Overall, I’d only recommend Scoob to families who need something to watch because they’re stuck at home or this quarantine is driving them batty. Personally, I’d call this one a mid-tier animated film. It’s not perfect, not by a longshot, but if you’re a fan of the franchise who’s curious to see the direction in which Scooby Doo is headed, it’s worth a watch. It’s not without its charm, and I like that the franchise has earned the longevity it’s been blessed with. Just be warned that the pacing bogs down for a while, and the humor and animation is a bit hit-and-miss (I found Blue Falcon to be extremely cheesy and cringeworthy). It isn’t a bad movie, but it isn’t as great or as focused as it should have been.