Growing up Scooby-Doo was a morning staple alongside my bowl of Cap’n Crunch and glass of OJ. I couldn’t get enough of those crazy kids and their mangy mutt, even if every episode had an easily identifiable pattern, even for a five-year old. Scooby-Doo was always about good music, cheesy monsters and a loveable Great Dane that could talk. Off and on for years I’d heard rumblings of a live-action Scooby-Doo movie and all I could do was ponder why. When the cast was confirmed and I learned that cutie-pie acting zombie Freddie Prinze Jr. was among them, it became obvious that the answer I was looking for had a lot to do with George Washington and his many green-backed brothers.
Well, D-day has come and gone. Expecting a whole lot of Scooby-doodoo, I got, as Homer Simpson might pontificate, a pleasant serving of Scooby-whoohoo. Sure, it’s over-the-top with awful acting, a simple and uninteresting story and a dog that looks nothing like the animated Dane I grew up loving, but I think that was the entire point. Like The Brady Bunch Movie, Raja Gosnell’s Scooby-Doo takes a television icon and its many conventions and creates a fun film that doesn’t let up in poking fun at itself.
Scooby and the rest of his Mystery Inc. pals are called to Spooky Island, an isolated fantasy resort reminiscent of Pleasure Island in Pinocchio. Something is terrorizing many of the visitors. Either they’re being tied to a chair and being forced to watch Freddie Prinze’s Summer Catch or they’re being turned into zombies. Either way, Mystery Inc. is on the case, ready to unmask the disgruntled janitor, unscrupulous owner or whoever might be behind all the weird goings ons.
Like any of Kevin Smith movie, Scooby-Doo is full of self-referential in jokes that are fun for Scooby fans, but likely stupid and frustrating for the uninitiated. And some of these in-jokes will even fly over the heads of the second-generation youngsters, but provide a good chuckle for their parents, especially those subscribing to the theory that Scooby-Doo is one big drug-induced trip cooked up by its creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
As frightened as I was when I heard Prinze Jr. was headlining the cast, everyone takes a backseat to Lillard’s Shaggy perfection. Lillard, the perennial Prinze Jr. sidekick, breaks from the shadow and gives what may turn out to a career-defining role. Whether or not that’s a good thing is completely up to Lillard and his agent. With his gangly looks, Lillard is a physical natural for the part. Toss on some jeans, a green V-neck and a goatee and he looks just like his cartoon counterpart. But it’s when he opens his mouth that Lillard’s lovable personality comes through and steals the show from the CG-generated mutt and his co-stars with their fine China good looks.
Scooby-Doo isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like the TV show or have nostalgic memories of it, you’re going to hate it. But if you’re an old-time fan like I am, Scooby-Doo is a surprise puff piece perfect for a hot day in an air conditioned theatre. Just don’t take it too seriously.
