Summary

• The Scooby-Doo movies from the late '90s to early 2000s are integral to pop culture and are filled with nostalgia, making fans of all ages happy.
• The live-action Scooby-Doo projects provide insight into the origin and early days of Mystery Inc., featuring the original members solving their first mysteries as teenagers.
• The Scooby-Doo movies often deliver thrills, chills, and laughs on a bigger level than the TV series, while still capturing what fans love most about the classic cartoons.

The Scooby Gang has been around for decades, bringing in new generations of fans with each TV series and all the best Scooby-Doo movies. Many fans reminisce about the older animated films that made them fall in love with Scooby when they were younger. The later Scooby-Doo movies have a ton of heart and were released in the late '90s to early 2000s before the release of What's New Scooby-Doo?, which later received its own set of animated films.

Many of the movies from this era are integral to pop culture and have received a ton of memes. They have also become a staple of media with loads of nostalgia to make every Scooby-Doo fan happy. While it is the Scooby-Doo TV series that holds a place in the hearts of fans, young and old, the movies often deliver just as many thrills, chills, and laughs, just on a bigger level. With Velma reintroducing Scooby-Doo to a new generation of fans, the theatrical movies and those made for home video viewing mostly bring fans back to what they loved most about the classic cartoons.

20 Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)

Cartoon Network made a handful of live-action Scooby-Doo projects that act as prequels to the live-action theatrical Scooby-Doo movies. The Mystery Begins focuses on the original members of Mystery Inc. meeting up as teenagers and working together to solve their very first mystery. They meet because they all end up witnessing what appears to be ghosts while they’re serving detention. When they’re blamed for the “prank,” Daphne, Fred, Velma, and Shaggy all team up to clear their names and become genuine friends in the process. It’s a great look at how Mystery Inc. could have originally formed, but it’s not the very best Scooby-Doo movie.

19 Scooby-Doo! The Sword And The Scoob (2021)

The Scooby-Doo movies usually stick to ghosts and goblins. The Sword and the Scoob, however, is an unusual Scooby-Doo movie because it uses time travel in its storyline. When Shaggy finds that his ancestors are from a particular place in England that might have connections to the legendary King Arthur, the group pays the place a visit. They find themselves sent back in time to the days of Arthur himself as Shaggy ends up in line for the throne, Daphne trains to be a knight, and Velma works with Merlin to learn magic. The movie also features an interesting twist that makes it one of the most surprising Scooby-Doo movies.

18 Scooby-Doo! Curse Of The Lake Monster (2010)

Curse of the Lake Monster reunites the cast of The Mystery Begins for another adventure. This time around, the teenagers are working for Daphne’s uncle for the summer when they end up in the middle of another mystery. Velma and Shaggy take center stage as Shaggy develops a crush on Velma and Velma’s ancestors play a role in the mystery. The movie shows that Cartoon Network had a solid plan in place for the characters in live-action as teenagers. They had an interesting “monster,” settled that there wouldn’t be a romance between certain characters to help maintain the friendship dynamic, and had an intriguing expanding lore of the early days of Mystery Inc. It’s a shame the movies didn’t continue.

17 Scooby-Doo & Batman: The Brave And The Bold (2018)

Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. have crossed paths with many superheroes in their day, but some of their most memorable times have been with Batman. A classic Scooby cartoon featured Batman and Robin guest starring, but this time around, the group is invited to help solve mysteries in Gotham from the characters in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a series that ran in the mid-2000s. (Batman: The Brave and the Bold is also set to get a live-action movie.) While it’s mostly a Batman movie, Mystery Inc. fits in well with the story, something longtime fans of either franchise might not have expected.

16 Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock And Roll Mystery (2015)

Famous guest stars are a tradition in the Scooby-Doo franchise. Here, Kiss plays themselves as the gang visits a Kiss-themed amusement park because Daphne is a big fan. The story goes a more science fiction route than usual as there is an alternate dimension and an alien creature powered by a diamond Kiss uses in their stage show. Like many of the modern animated Scooby-Doo movies, there is a twist that the audience might not see coming, and as a bonus, the members of Kiss are actually detectives that can rival the Scooby gang.

15 Daphne & Velma (2018)

In another live-action prequel for the Scooby-Doo franchise, this movie doesn’t feature the dog that made the franchise famous. Instead, it focuses on Daphne and Velma in a modern rebooted story that sees the two as friends online who meet and team up when Daphne’s family moves to the same town as Velma. It’s the origin story of how Velma and Daphne become friends and become interested in solving real mysteries instead of theoretical ones. It doesn’t fit in the same timeline as the other live-action movies, but it’s still a great examination of their friendship since other movies in the Scooby-Doo catalog don’t see the two of them team up very often.

14 Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013)

One of the common threads in the many incarnations of Scooby-Doo is the romantic entanglements of Fred and Daphne. The tension between the two is often played for laughs as they flirt with other people in the animated movies, while the live-action movies address their relationship directly. Here, their relationship takes center stage when the group investigates a haunted house while Fred competes in Daphne’s favorite reality television show. It’s similar to a modern take on Phantom of the Opera as the ghost seeks to control the outcome of the show. Stage Fright makes for a fun take on a Scooby mystery.

13 Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (2007)

After being tricked into getting on the wrong plane by a malicious hunter, Shaggy & Scooby find themselves being used as bait for the Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas. The film then follows Shaggy and Scooby as they try to contact their friends with the help of people from a nearby village. Velma, Fred, and Daphne try to track them and go out on a rescue mission. Snow monsters are not uncommon for Scooby-Doo stories, and in fact, they make up some of the best villains in What's New, Scooby-Doo? because they work so well. One of the best Scooby-Doo movies, it has a lot of heart and humor, making it a great watch for any age.

12 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed presented a sequel to the popular 2002 movie and brought back the live-action actors from that movie for another adventure. In this movie, the franchise went back to the past and re-created some of the iconic Scooby-Doo monsters from the original cartoon, making this a true work of nostalgia. James Gunn wrote the movie, which saw the gang now famous, with a museum celebrating all the monsters they exposed. However, when their past work is called into question, they have to clear their name and stop another elusive villain. The movie made $181 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), which was not as much as its predecessor but still a strong showing for the franchise.

11 Scooby-Doo And The Reluctant Werewolf (1988)

Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf is one of the best Scooby-Doo movies, but it is just a Shaggy and Scooby adventure. This film is also Scrappy-Doo's last appearance before his comeback as the main antagonist in the 2002 live-action iteration. This is super cool because the movie features a lot of classic Hollywood monsters, like Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and the Werewolf. Shaggy also has a girlfriend in this film named Googie, who helps a Werewolf Shaggy and Scooby win a race held by Dracula.

10 Scooby-Doo! And The Loch Ness Monster (2004)

Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster follows the Mystery, Inc. crew as they travel to Scotland to visit Daphne's cousin and watch the Highland Games. They are told tales of the Loch Ness Monster, which appears to be frightening people in the area. This film features familiar antics like those present in other popular Scooby-Doo movies, and it makes for a consistently enjoyable experience. The antagonist is also fleshed out, being one of the more sympathetic Scooby-Doo villains. As a result, Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster remains a classic that new fans should check out.

9 Scoob! (2020)

In 2020, Scooby-Doo came back to theaters with the animated movie Scoob! This was an interesting release because it did two things that made it stand out from other movies in the franchise. First, this was an origin story and showed how Scooby-Doo and Shaggy met so many years ago and why they became fast friends. It also mixed in other cartoon characters, with Dick Dastardly as the villain and the Blue Falcon with Dynomutt as allies. While the movie received bad reviews and didn't do well at the box office, it rebounded as one of the most popular Scooby-Doo movies on streaming and had a sequel greenlit, although it was later canceled.

8 Scooby-Doo And The Ghoul School (1988)

This was another Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy adventure that followed the boys becoming gym teachers at Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls. The only thing is, all the girls at the school are the daughters of some classic Hollywood monsters. Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, and the Mummy all have, who end up relying heavily on the boys' help and end up bonding with them deeply. This movie is super cute and has some classic Scooby-Doo charm.

7 Scooby-Doo Meets The Boo Brothers (1987)

Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers is the oldest of the best Scooby-Doo movies in the franchise and was released in 1987. It features Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy-Doo meeting the Boo Brothers, some ghostly tricksters who "help" Shaggy with ghostly tenants at his newly inherited mansion. The Boo Brothers is a classic and is actually a ghostly model of The Three Stooges. The ghosts are comical and satirical as they are hired to be ghost hunters while being ghosts themselves. Ghosts have sometimes made for some of the goofiest villains in the original Scooby-Doo series, but the Boo Brothers are a more interesting take on specters and make the film a lot of fun.

6 Scooby-Doo And The Cyber Chase (2001)

Another classic, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase show the gang fighting a virtual creature called the Phantom Virus, who drags the gang into cyberspace. The friends then go through several levels in a video game where the Phantom Virus continues to chase after them. It gets to the point where the Phantom Virus can bring back some of the classic Scooby-Doo bad guys from the original series. The gang also finds alternate versions of themselves, such as Shaggy in his The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo outfit and Velma, Daphne, and Fred in their classic outfits.

5 Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010)

While Scooby-Doo has always held an air of creepy mystery that was suitable for young audiences, Camp Scare highlights some foundations of the horror genre itself. Scary stories around the fire camp, a killer hiding in the woods hunting down camp goers, a legend about a Fish-Man who swam so much because he was lonely as a camper that he became a fish. This movie has a bunch of creepy elements that are reminiscent of some of the best slasher movie franchises. It is a classic Scooby-Doo plot with a ton of super spooky elements.

4 Scooby-Doo And The Alien Invaders (2000)

This movie is another iconic Scooby-Doo offering from the early 2000s. It features Shaggy, Scooby, and the gang coming into contact with actual extraterrestrials. It's the classic tale of alien invasion but with Scooby-Doo characters, which is just amazing. Scooby and Shaggy also both have love interests in this movie, and both of these new characters perfectly meld into the Scooby-Doo aesthetic with all of their colorful '60s vibes.

3 Scooby-Doo (2002)

In 2002, the Scooby-Doo movies went live-action for the first time after decades of existing as a cartoon. James Gunn made his Hollywood debut as the writer of this movie, and the cast was spot-on, especially with Matthew Lillard as Shaggy. While the movie was polarizing at the time thanks to it bringing in Scrappy-Doo, the fact that it made him a villain was brilliant in hindsight. Since its release, the movie has gained a cult following and remains a fun watch two decades later. Its $257 million box office take (via Box Office Mojo) proved the world was ready for more Scooby-Doo in different forms.

2 Scooby-Doo And The Witch's Ghost (1999)

This fan-favorite Scooby-Doo movie fully embraces the '90s goth aesthetic with the Hex Girls. Furthermore, the film accurately portrays the idea of Wicca and its eco-friendly ideas. Because of their appearance and interest in witchcraft and the Wiccan religion, the gang assumes that the Hex Girls are the people behind the ghost that is haunting Oakhaven, Sarah Ravencroft. However, after being proven wrong and shown how the girls practice their beliefs, they realize this story has a massive twist that none of them, not even Velma, were expecting.

1 Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island (1998)

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was the first of the "new" Scooby-Doo movies and became an icon for the new generation of Scooby fans. This film started the new trend that Scooby and the gang weren't just facing "guys in masks" anymore, but rather supernatural beings, making it one of the best Scooby-Doo movies of all time. This film has werecats, zombies, and voodoo. It's totally creepy but has all the humor and heart from classic Scooby-Doo. It also shows the gang in their everyday life before they all reconnect to solve this mystery in Daphne's new Scooby-Doo TV show.