[Review] Scoob!(2020) {6.5/10}

The animated reboot of the classic cartoon franchise helps bring the goofy Scooby gang to a new generation of kids who will enjoy the shenanigans of these "meddling kids'" and their talking dog. The characters have managed to entertain young viewers for five decades and counting, and kids will definitely still get a kick out of their silly but also dangerous adventures.

SCOOB! begins with Shaggy (voiced by Iain Armitage) as a lonely young boy who runs into a mischievous dog that's stolen a skewer of gyro meat. When the police try to snatch the dog, Shaggy pretends the pup is his, and names him Scooby Dooby Doo. And thus starts a beautiful friendship. That same Halloween, the duo meet Fred, Velma, and Daphne and inadvertently solve their first mystery. A decade later, the gang now solves mysteries for a living. But when potential business investor Simon Cowell (himself) suggests that Fred (Zac Efron), Velma (Gina Rodriguez), and Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) break away from their "weak links" Shaggy (now voiced by Will Forte) and Scooby (Frank Welker), a series of unfortunate events sweeps the best friends into a dangerous mystery. It involves superhero Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) and his sidekick Dynomutt (Ken Jeong) and nefarious villain Dastardly Dick (Jason Isaacs), who's trying to find the last descendant of Alexander the Great's dog, Peritas.

Scoob! has a bunch of jokes clearly aimed at parents that will likely go over kids' heads -- even some meta ones about how Scooby got his name and why Shaggy talks like a middle-aged person's idea of a young California hippie. There's also the requisite bathroom humor, including a moment when a pterodactyl unloads a huge poop while the Scooby gang is running around (just watch). Tracy Morgan also deserves a shout-out for voicing Captain Caveman, a prehistoric man the gang encounters in their quest to defeat Dick Dastardly. It's unclear whether Scoob! will lead to more movies, but it's entertaining enough to teach little kids to appreciate the franchise.

Scooby celebrated his 50th birthday last year, giving director Tony Cervone a tough task finding fresh new ground to explore without delving into cringey, oh-look-Scooby-has-a-fidget-spinner territory.

The film boasts a talented voice cast: Mark Wahlberg is fun as imposter a tough task finding fresh new ground to explore without delving into cringey, oh-look-Scooby-has-a-fidget-spinner territory. AniThe film boasts a talented voice cast: Mark Wahlberg is fun as imposter syndrome-suffering superhero Blue Falcon, while Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried are enjoyable as Fred and Daphne. There are glimpses of good jokes, too. The film has a lot of humour and some heart touching moments and the animation is on point.

Scoob! definitely delivers a fan service but fails to execute the plot with the decent raw ingredients at its disposal.

Scoob! is now available on VOD.