FoW: Scooby-Doo

Our Film of the Week series this week prepares us for the upcoming live-action Disney remake of The Jungle Book as we look at live-action films that adapted traditionally cartoon characters. This week's film is Warner Bros. 2002 film, Scooby-Doo!

This adaptation was not a well-loved film; there were complaints about casting, about story, about the inclusion of Scrappy Doo... But this film is still kind of fun. The plot follows the initial disbandment of Mystery Incorporated, following blunt annoyance with the characters' stereotypical traits - Daphne's kidnap-ability, Fred's egotism, Velma's nerdiness, etc - and their unexpected reunion to investigate a mystery at a popular horror amusement park.

The plot is thin, the dialogue is corny, and the cast is largely too old for their characters, but it's not all bad. Daphne breaks the stereotype with sudden martial arts bada**ery (probably leftover from Sarah Michelle Gellar's time as Buffy), Fred takes a step outside himself (a pun you'll understand if you've seen it) and recognizes Velma's work, and Velma loosens up, just a bit. A plot point I've loved in most of the Scooby-Doo movies (including the animated ones) is the 'real monsters' device, rather than simply a villain in a costume. Here, though, the film plays with the idea and [SPOILER] the villain IS a man in a mask - well, a dog in a mask... Well, a dog in a robotic suit.

The return of Scrappy Doo doesn't sound entertaining in theory - the poor dog suffers serious hate from fans - but his character here was a salty, sweary pup, and somehow that made him much more bearable than his original squeaky self. Rowan Atkinson does a great job as the proprietor of Spooky Island (and Scrappy in disguise), and as one of the better casting choices of the film. Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Linda Cardellini as Fred and Velma were strangely a great fit in my opinion, and I could buy Gellar's Daphne (especially when they turned her into a Buffy Summers Lite), but Matthew Lillard suffers as Shaggy. He captures the voice, the tone, the walk of the Shagster, but he's 32 here - and it is blatantly obvious he's not early 20s. Nick Palatas, who plays Shaggy in the prequel Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, is a significantly better fit and definitely looks the right age (as he played the character at the age of 21).

The only major pro I can offer for this film full of cons is the DVD cast commentary, which is pure gold and makes the film at least ten times better. I know not everyone is into commentary viewing, but this is totally worth it. It's funny, insightful, and better than listening to the majority of the actual dialogue of the film.

Check out the trailer for Scooby-Doo below:

Stay tuned for the movie marathon all day today, for news, and a movie adventure! Be sure to check out the poll on the main blog to vote for your favorite non-Disney princess before the end of the weekend!