Animated adventure Scoob! was intended to kick off a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe, but the mixed reviews so far indicate the Mystery Machine gang have fallen a little short of the Avengers. Directed by Tony Cervone, Scoob! is an origin story for the friendship between Shaggy and Scooby Doo, and also features other Hanna-Barbera characters like Dick Dastardly, Dynamo the Dog Wonder, and Captain Caveman.
Warner Bros. first began planning a movie reboot of the Scooby-Doo franchise during the cinematic universe craze of the mid-2010s, when the studio was also laying the foundations for the DC Extended Universe. Scooby and the gang had last graced the big screen in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, a live-action movie featuring a computer-animated Scoob and monsters. The film was a success at the box office but garnered poor reviews, leading to the movie side of the Scooby-Doo franchise being left on the shelf for a long time.
Scoob! has had a difficult road to the screen, culminating in the cancellation of its theatrical release and the movie heading straight to streaming as a result of the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. Still, Paramount Pictures' Trolls: World Tour saw success with its own streaming release, and with many schools closed there are lots of kids looking for entertainment. With a score of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes as of the time of writing, Scoob! left a lot of critics unconvinced. Here's what some of the more negative reviews had to say.
It’s really no better or worse than other selections from the genre it’s part of — that slice of fast-paced, brightly colored kids movie that makes no pretense of being anything other than an adequate distraction for young attention spans... This bit of cultural detritus seems destined to have infinite lives, mangled into whatever it is kids are thought to like in the moment."
A frantic jumble of retro kitsch and random pop-culture references, including one truly strained (and strange) celebrity cameo. The work of six people who share screenplay and/or story-by credits, it’s a confounding and convoluted origin story to a pretty straightforward Saturday morning cartoon.
The film’s use of the phrase “large adult son” is unforgivable. There’s also a scene where Scooby-Doo has trouble pronouncing Dastardly’s first name, leading to [Jason] Isaacs shouting, “Dick! Dick! Dick! Dick!” over and over again. Do with that information what you will.
Anyone who complained that the show’s durable let’s-find-out-who-you-really-are mystery formula showed signs of repetition now gets what passes in corporate boardrooms for an original take: a frantic overhaul teeming with robots that sound like R2-D2, as well as other pop-culture shout-outs maladroitly designed to bring Scooby up-to-date.
The chief criticisms of Scoob! are that it's full of attempts to make it up-to-date - from meme references, to a Simon Cowell cameo, to a Tinder mention. These seem to be mainly designed to entertain parents watching the movie with their kids. As for the kids themselves, the more negative reviews indicate that Scoob! has little recommend it besides bright, distracting colors and a lot of noise. However, some critics felt that those elements were enough to seal the deal. Here are some of the more positive reviews of Scoob!:
Cervone, building on two previous Scooby-Doo directing credits, has the action well in hand, evincing particular skill with several complex set pieces, most impressively while staging the climactic scene at Athens' historic Acropolis. The filmmakers' choice of computerized animation style, emphasizing bold colors and high contrast, looks great for props and backgrounds, but tends to leave character features lacking in detail.
It all makes for a very busy, very frenetic ride with lots of special effects, gadgets and action galore that sets this apart from the live-action feature predecessors... Kids will eat all of this up for sure.
A lot of Scoob! is markedly superior to a lot of Scooby-Doo: The animation has a springiness and vibrant color missing from the limited animation of many “classic” episodes...The charm of Scooby-Doo and his friends doesn’t have anything to do with the world of bizarre Hanna-Barbera TV curiosities they helped spawn. It comes from their mysterious ability to survive well past their seeming expiration date.
Scoob! is currently available to rent from streaming platforms for $19.99, and based on the reviews it may be worth the price tag for parents looking to keep children entertained with Shaggy and Scooby's antics. For everyone else, though, it doesn't sound like this one is a must-see.