SCOOBY DOO has been running for 50 years and hasn’t lost any popularity over time, what has changed, however, is the way the mystery gang has been portrayed over the years. From the original rushed but charming hand drawn animation, to the computer animated, the live action and now returning to hand drawn animation – but this time with a gloss.
Scooby Doo has seen its fair share of changes and reincarnations, namely the most controversial season, SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED (2010-2013) going utterly off the rails featuring a Nazi Parrot that has been given the power to talk by a Lovecraftian entity, which apparently did the same to Scooby. That leaves an impression. Just like how the original Hanna-Barbera cartoons have a lovely non-sense logic, these shows always bring a charm to them.
We cannot mention Scooby Doo without mentioning the famous (Or Infamous) live action movies SCOOBY-DOO and SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED. Some of the most wonderfully camp films of the franchise, which will forever be remembered for their memes and awkward charm.
SCOOBY DOO AND GUESS WHO? on the other hand, seems to be missing something. It’s pushing itself to be modern and questioning its own logic: no longer can someone use their catchphrase without it being pointed out and the gang can’t split up without it being commented on. They then proceed to not change up the formula but keep it the same regardless. Secondly, Scooby talks, but not in the way we all expect, he’s lost his gruffness and speaks like any one of the other characters, complete with modern slang. This has a strange effect, as it’s something that should make perfect sense in that world and yet something still feels off about this change.
Although perhaps this review can be accused of taking Scooby Doo a little too seriously, it’s interesting to see how something that appears so simple, is actually a very difficult multi-layered process. Comedy is often said to be one of the hardest things to master, with children’s TV and movies being notoriously hard to perfect.
To balance childish humour and adult goofiness is something Scooby Doo has always been good at, but alas it seems not to have been the case this time.