With the Guess Who series coming soon, and all the crossovers we've been getting in the direct-to-video films lately, a lot of fans have been growing tired of all the celebrity crossovers in the franchise. Given the (Almost) Complete Collection of The New Scooby-Doo Movies was just released, I thought it might be fun to write an opinion piece on the Scooby crossovers.
In my opinion, I don't see the issues of having a lot of crossovers. I think the issue isn't the crossovers themselves, but how they're executed. Personally, The New Scooby-Doo Movies is one of my favorite series. The crossovers were done very well, and they didn't feel forced or unnecessary at all. I think the issue with the more recent DTV crossovers is that the guest stars often overshadow the gang. In other words, they become such a big focus that they almost become main characters in the film too. My personal preference is that the guest stars are more supporting characters in the film/episode. In some of the films, particularly the WWE and KISS ones, Fred, Velma and Daphne feel like they're pushed to the side completely. Even though this is technically a franchise aimed at kids, I think aspects like good character development and strong plot are still important. The guest stars shouldn't be used as a crutch or an excuse to be lazy, rather they should be used as a plot-enhancing device. The guest stars, for the most part, in The New Scooby-Doo Movies weren't utilized in a way that was lazy, or to make up for a lack of plot. Gourmet Ghost also did a nice job with balancing the use of guest stars, without letting it overshadow Fred, Velma and Daphne. I really hope Guess Who is smart about using guest stars as a plot device, and not just using them to cover up them slacking on the writing. Fingers crossed this new series will be amazing! What are all your thoughts on the crossovers? Do you enjoy them, or do you feel the quality of recent crossovers hasn't been as good? Let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts!
14 Comments
Samuel Kirkwood
6/25/2019 01:48:06 pm
Although I liked the new Scooby Doo movies to there were a lot of animation and voicing errors, like stating things we'd never seen, within the episodes combined with very distorted plots and lots of filler chase scenes due to their extended length.
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6/25/2019 04:52:28 pm
I didn't mean to imply that this means the franchise is going to implode on itself. I think we're just in a bit of a rut right now, which Guess Who will hopefully take us out of. Either that or we need to freshen up the writers' room a bit.
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Samuel
6/26/2019 04:59:35 am
I agree with you there, but I'm unsure if Guess Who will have the desired impact. It may just be time to give Scooby a bit of extended leave like in the 90's if SCOOB doesn't do as well as they hope and come back with fresh writers and new ideas in the mid 20's. 6/26/2019 06:55:30 am
I hate to say it, but I think you may be right. I'm not sure if SCOOB is the defining factor of that, but if Guess Who and the other DTV films don't do well, then yeah, I agree it might be time to take a little break or get new writers.
Greybishop
6/25/2019 02:21:50 pm
If the crossover is with a character that makes sense in the Gang's world like Blue Falcon or Batman (fellow crime fighters) then I'm on board. I found most of the New Scooby-Doo movies dragged for the reasons noted by Samuel Kirkwood, but the two Batman movies didn't suffer from this nearly as much.
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6/25/2019 04:55:41 pm
Yeah, I think it all depends on personal preference. I liked Gourmet Ghost, and didn't like the KISS film very much. Then again, I enjoy KISS but wouldn't call myself a huge fan. Some people have the same reaction as you to Phyllis Diller, and I've heard others say she should be the president of comedy because she's just that hilarious. For me, I guess I generally judge the crossovers by how much the guest contributes to the plot, and if there's a good balance without them overshadowing the gang. I have about the same level of knowledge of KISS as I do of Bobby Flay, but I enjoyed Gourmet Ghost far more simply because the gang wasn't overshadowed as much in my opinion, and there was some real character development going on. Just my opinion though.
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John Locke
6/27/2019 07:38:06 pm
I have to say I love pretty much every episode of the New scooby doo movies as they were, granted this is pretty much exclusive nostalgia talking. They seem to be in another rut where they don't appreciate the whole crew and what each do for the team. Granted I say this as someone who adores Be Cool's take on the group, and while I love Mystery Incorporated, I feel a few bits leaned too much on the references at the expense of the story (the bit where they practically quote Star Trek 3, while fun did feel rather stilted to me). Mostly I feel the place where they are having the problems are the direct to dvd movies, a lot of those feel samey and boring, I was left disappointed with the 13th Ghost, and I'm worried about "return to zombie island" for the same reason. But really only time will tell.
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7/5/2019 07:30:38 pm
I totally get the nostalgia bit on the New Scooby-Doo Movies. I think that’s why “The Lochness Mess” is my favorite episode of the series tbh. A combination of it being a really good episode and it being one of the very first episodes I watched as a kid. It’s pretty interesting how nostalgia can influence our perspectives so much.
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Matt The Pirate
7/4/2019 03:25:12 pm
Personally, I prefer NON-CELEBRITY movies and episodes, but I'm glad there is a mix. When done right, celebrity scooby stuff can be really good. I enjoyed the WWE and KISS direct to vids. Gormet was good. Batman Brave and Bold was not my fave but I had not seen the series at that point so some of the characters personalities seem off (Aquaman.) I am watching that series right now with my wife so it will be interesting to see if my opinion of that movie changes. I mean, even the first time it wasn't bad. ... but yeah, a really well done scooby with no celebs is ideal. Camp Scare, Whiches Ghost, Moon Monster Madness ... I did watch the Chris Paul Guess Who episode. Thought it was pretty cool. I will be interested to see how that series unfolds. It may not end up being my favorite series but I suspect it will at least be pretty cool and a valuable addition to Scooby Lore.
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Greybishop
7/4/2019 05:19:07 pm
I'm a Batman fan first, so I'm a little prejudiced about the Batman crossover movies. To me, any time the gang interacts with a DC Comics character, I'm thrilled!
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7/4/2019 06:21:51 pm
@Greybishop Interesting to know that Aquaman is like that in the series too. I had heard from others that he seemed off in this film, so I wondered if the series was any different. 7/4/2019 06:19:38 pm
Fully agreed with almost everything you said. I also prefer non-celebrity episodes/movies, but I think they can be good if done really well. The first WWE was very enjoyable for me, though the second wasn't very good in my opinion. KISS was so-so, but not great. I also agree, from the first episode that I've seen (haven't watched the latest one yet), Guess Who is a valuable addition to the Scooby franchise. They seem to have a good mix of retro vibes while not just completely redoing The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
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Matt The Pirate
7/5/2019 10:57:57 pm
Yeah, I particularly liked the Monster in the new Swamp episode. It was really convincing, despite that the overall vibe of the episode was fairly low key. ... the humor was well done. The Celeb did not steal the show but mixed in well with the theme and the artwork, while somewhat puzzling at first sight, began to grow on me. I think the most important thing for this series is the voice cast which IMHO is excellent and can't possibly fail. Welker, Griffin, Lillard, Muccici. ... I don't see how they can screw that up, especially after watching the first actual episode where it was CLEAR they had enough dressing around them to make some hay. 7/8/2019 10:40:35 am
I thought the first episode was good indeed. Chris Paul definitely was in a supporting role that didn't completely overshadow the gang, like some of the celebs in the DTV crossovers. I hope the rest of the episodes will be as good (or better) than this first one! Leave a Reply. |
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