 I just finished watching this special live, and I absolutely loved it! This special exceeded my expectations. It felt like a parody, homage, and 'making-of' type production all in one, and I thought it was done wonderfully. If you haven't watched this yet, you may want to avoid reading further than this point until you do, because this review does include spoilers!
The humor in this special was hilarious. I know there was some worry from fans that the special would be overly adult and raunchy, but they did a great job working in humor for adults without making it too inappropriate for kids. I have to say my jaw dropped a little when Velma said "Scooby's a nudist!" Daphne dating Captain Caveman was quite amusing as well. My favorite joke of the special though was Janel warning Scooby about saying Snagglepuss's catchphrase because "Snagglepuss is extremely litigious!" hahaha. One of the only two jokes I didn't care for was where Scooby said he peed in Snagglepuss's suit. I'm not a big fan of bodily humor, as it feels a bit overly childish. The other joke I didn't care for was the Scrappy one. I was really disappointed the moment they brought Scrappy up, because I could tell it was going to be them bashing him again. Honestly, it made me a little sad, because it wasn't even a single "What's a Scrappy?" type joke; it was repeated bashing and just felt unnecessary, particularly the comment about Scrappy defaming Scooby in AOL chat rooms. Scrappy's nowhere near my favorite character, but when they've been making this same joke over and over again since the 2002 live-action, it becomes a bit tiring as a fan to see. This was definitely a small part of the special and it didn't bother me as much as this semi-long explanation might make it sound, but I do think WB needs to move on from making the "Scrappy sucks haha!" jokes. I'm not typically a huge fan of animation/live action hybrids, but I really enjoyed the contrast between the two here. It felt almost The Scooby-Doo Project-ish, especially given this special was a parody of sorts. I didn't even mind the corny-looking Snow Ghost, in fact, I thought it fit well with the special. Speaking of the villain, I did think it was hilarious how the villain was a sixth character who was written out of the show. I would have loved to see an episode with the mechanic as a main character, especially given the episode they edited her into was "The Mystery of Haunted Island." I thought all the guest star additions were great. All the Hanna-Barbera (and DC) characters having cameos throughout were cute. All the guest stars worked really well, and I especially enjoyed Karamo. As a huge fan of The Simpsons, it made me smile to see David Silverman. Janel Parrish was a really good host. I wasn't familiar with her, but she did a nice job hosting the special. However, I don't think most people were as excited for him as I was, but did anyone notice Iain Armitage's absence? It was really strange because he was announced as a guest star, but he just wasn't there. One of my favorite parts of the special was all the various writer/animation historian stories throughout. Even if I knew almost all of the behind-the-scenes stuff about the show, it was fun to learn a few new tidbits about the franchise. It was really sweet that all the voice actors talked a bit at the end. I particularly liked hearing Frank Welker's stories...and also hearing him say "Put your hands in the air like you just don't care!" lol. It was quite unexpected and therefore funny haha. I enjoyed the little flashbacks, though there is a bit of an asterisk to that. It bugged me that they spliced in new audio in old scenes. I believe Kate Micucci re-recorded one of Velma's lines, and nearly all of the monster roars were re-recorded. I wondered at first if it was because they couldn't get the rights to such old content, but even the Slime Mutant's roar was re-recorded, and that was a very recent villain. I really don't have much knowledge about how copyright works when they're trying to use sound effects from old content, but it would be very strange if they weren't able to. I can't imagine anyone's going to take them to court and say "You used my monster roar without my permission!"...well, unless it's Snagglepuss haha. I thought it was quite mean of Scooby to use someone who was clearly idolized him as his "spit bucket cleaner." That's so cruel! The history of unmaskings at the end was interesting. I wouldn't have chosen some of the more obscure villains like the Sky Skeleton or the president ghosts as the most famous unmaskings, but I thought the montage worked well. I looked closely because I had a feeling they were going to get some of the years wrong in the history of unmaskings, and I was right..."A Night Louse in the White House" aired in 1984, not 1983; "Scooby Dudes" aired in 1988, not 1990; and "Mystery 101" aired in 2015, not 2014. It's possible they were going by production years on "Night Louse" and "Mystery 101," but it wouldn't explain why they were two years ahead in Pup. Kate Micucci also mentions she started voicing Velma in 2014, which would back up my production year theory, but it doesn't make sense why they wouldn't be consistent, or why they'd be two years off on "Scooby Dudes." The last thing I wanted to talk about was the music. Firstly, I didn't mind that they reused "Scooby Abracadabra Doo" for the chase song. It didn't feel like they just forced it in where it didn't fit like with Scooby-Doo Adventures: The Mystery Map, where they reused a bunch of old songs from recent DTVs. It felt almost like a callback to an old chase song. While I love the Anarbor What's New, Scooby-Doo? cover...wow, they've used that version so much lol. They even have used it on a bunch of DVD menus. There must be some WB executive that loves that version of the theme, and is like coming to every Scooby production meeting excitedly seeing if they can somehow work it in to yet another Scooby movie lol. That's my headcanon, at least haha. Overall, I absolutely loved this reunion special and am really happy they did something like this. It was a cute, quirky 60 minutes of fun and I felt, with the exception of a few small things, it honored the franchise wonderfully. :) Also, this is the second Scooby-Doo production in a row to end with a dance party. Is every Scooby production just going to end with a dance party now?!? haha
75 Comments
10/29/2021 11:52:01 pm
I hope Warner Bros make Daphne's workout series next 💜
Mystery5
10/30/2021 01:57:20 am
I missed it sadly I was at work probably gonna check it out when it comes on the CW app tomorrow. Hopefully people from out of the US get to see it somehow too.
Mystery5
10/30/2021 01:23:14 pm
Just finished it! What a fun reunion!! Can’t wait for our next Scooby show and movie!!!
Jayden
10/30/2021 02:25:10 am
Wait where can I watch this? 10/30/2021 10:12:33 am
Unfortunately, the only way it's aired so far is on TV in the US last night. There's no way to watch it in other countries yet.
Jayden
10/30/2021 11:14:13 am
Oh alright, but will it ever be online to watch?
Becker
10/31/2021 03:39:19 am
@Jayden It's on the CW app.
WildwindVampire
10/31/2021 10:56:54 am
@Becker I don't think the CW app is available in any country besides the US. I imagine it will be put online officially eventually.
whackman
10/30/2021 08:51:52 am
So once again they Shitted on Scrappy, all this hatred which WB has towards him really needs to stop once and for all. They should put some effort into fixing him and not bash him up further. 10/30/2021 10:17:39 am
I totally agree with you. For those wondering the context of that scene, Janel (the host) says that she supposes she has to bring up the elephant in the room, which is Scrappy. The other characters scoff and make a few mean remarks about him (I don't remember the exact quotes), Fred says "Yeah, Scrappy was never even a real part of the gang" followed by Shaggy saying that "We had to kick him out of the gang because he was saying horrible things about Scooby in AOL chat rooms!" I know they were trying to make a joke, but it just felt really unnecessary and cruel.
Jakob123
10/30/2021 02:44:22 pm
I too used to like Scrappy-Doo as a kid but...as I grew older...well i guess I kind of out grew him.
whackman
10/30/2021 03:05:39 pm
I for one think them making Scrappy a villain was one the dumbest things they ever did. The whole thing thing feelt wrong and a true disgrace about him.
Miner49er
10/30/2021 03:51:23 pm
The Scrappy hate doesn’t really bother me tbh. I’m kinda indifferent about it. I don’t hate Scrappy myself but I’m also not crazy about him. So if they throw a few jabs at him it’s not a big deal and doesn’t anger me at all. At the end of the day he’s a fictitious character.
Amber noel
10/30/2021 04:13:29 pm
Honestly I don't care about him
whackman
10/30/2021 04:24:15 pm
The scrappy hate did not start until later periods however, when they original aired shows with scrappy I recall that the fans were pleased and happy with them. I think it's just the newer generations which are bitter with scrappy. 10/31/2021 11:04:55 am
I totally get all of your points. I don't think I would have minded it if the joke would have just been once, but to consistently do it over 19 years feels like it's a bit much. They've already milked the joke for all it's worth.
Spooky Matt
10/30/2021 04:20:32 pm
Mixed feelings. It was very nice seeing the historical parts, but despite having some jokes land, overall way too cheesy (I get that was the point but...). I didn't think they were gonna do the Scrappy thing again yet here we are. More proof they don't listen to fans. Also, Scooby Doo and Guess Who being the series represented every other clip just because it is recent was annoying. Several series were underrepresented (including What's New which is shocking because it is probably one of the more iconic ones) yet Guess Who got a billion clips for a series that most fans don't even seem to like that much. Overall, it was a nice enough trip down memory lane, but it could've been WAY better and line up more with the average big fan's perspectives rather than seeming like it was made by someone who watched every once in a while
Becker
10/31/2021 03:38:47 am
I totally agree. Some good stuff in there, but also a lot of mediocre parts. The worst moment was the Scrappy comments, which quite honestly might be the worst Scrappy related moment in the whole franchise besides the 2002 movie. It was so pathetic and embarrassing. 10/31/2021 11:12:25 am
I didn't mind Guess Who being used often. I was honestly just appreciative they used any clips from shows that weren't Where Are You/Guess Who at all. I wasn't blown away by the special or anything, but I thought it was cute and they did a nice job. The only thing that made me feeling like it was "made by someone who watched every once in a while" was the weird mistakes where they messed up the years in the unmasking montage.
Matt
10/31/2021 04:21:32 pm
It just really didn’t feel like it was made by fans. And I just wish that the clips were more evenly distributed. Where Are You and Guess Who being the main two used is skipping over nearly 50 years of other stuff. I get Where are You being used more as it is the most famous (even if I do wish that was cut back as well). Idk, I just felt this was the perfect opportunity for more obscure stuff to get a shout out, and if it was made by a big fan of the show it might have gotten that 10/31/2021 10:40:22 pm
Fair point and I agree it could have been more encompassing of all the series. I do wish WB would do more research when it comes to what fans want, particularly when it comes to Scrappy bashing as I don't think there are that many fans saying "I'd like you to bash him as hard as possible, please."
Matt
11/2/2021 10:27:16 am
Normal Matt is back now lol. But yeah, my family all started laughing at the Scrappy part, but I wasn’t happy about it. Considering I am the only really big Scooby fan, it really goes back to the fact that I think it should’ve been made by and targeted towards fans 11/2/2021 11:46:42 am
The Scrappy bashing did feel very out of touch. I know some fans hate Scrappy, but a lot don't. As someone who's been a part of the fandom since 2008, there was definitely more of a herd mentality back then surrounding Scrappy. Most fans hated Scrappy, and those that didn't were nervous about bringing him up. There would be threads on the ScoobyAddicts forum where people would start off with things like "Don't bash me, but I don't hate Scrappy" or "I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Scrappy's not so bad." I remember there's even a thread on there from back then that was positive about Scrappy, which has "I'm going to get bashed for this" right in the thread title lol.
Jacob Staggs
10/30/2021 07:09:55 pm
I agree with Spooky Matt. 10/31/2021 11:14:52 am
I had no idea Jerry Beck disliked a lot of the franchise! I forgot to mention it in the review, but I also liked Scooby being a Shakespearean actor haha. I hadn't considered how the interviewers made it seem Shaggy and Scooby were against solving mysteries, but you make an interesting point.
Lance A Rutt
10/31/2021 01:55:50 pm
I think "detest" is a strong word. He told me he finds the original show "likable" even though he doesn't care for it
Lamont
10/30/2021 10:28:31 pm
I enjoyed the special as well! I did like the parody feel of it, while still being a behind the scenes special. I liked some of the jokes and the part when Scooby had to learn how to talk like he does lol. The animated/live action mixed well and it felt like The Scooby Doo Project. I thought that the mechanic lady being the 6th member of the gang was hilarious, but I didn't expect her to be the villain in the end. I was really glad when the voice actors appeared at the end! Even if it was very brief. 10/31/2021 11:19:44 am
I did guess that the mechanic lady was going to be the villain, though if it wasn't her, my second choice would have been Scooby's spit bucket cleaner lol. I was glad the voice actors appeared at the end too, although I had wondered if the gang's old voice actors would appear in this. They teased it, but I wish it would have happened!
Amber noel
10/31/2021 02:07:22 am
Man I wish I can watch it despite hearing mixed things about it some people say it's good some people saying it could be better and their was a panel on the scooby addicts channel where they talked about the special and they called it a disgrace to the franchise but other than that I wish I could watch it.
Lamont
10/31/2021 03:10:15 am
I just found out that you can watch it on The CW app. I just downloaded it and it's on there. I believe you probably could watch it on the CW website too.
Becker
10/31/2021 03:40:03 am
If you want to watch it, you can on the CW app.
Samuel Kirkwood
10/31/2021 03:56:32 am
And once again, even more Scooby content I'll likely have to pirate at some point in the future. 10/31/2021 11:23:16 am
It makes me really sad that WB overfocuses on the US for releases like this. They need to come up with a better strategy, because it feels like this keeps happening. Out of curiosity, how long was it before SCOOB! was released? I remember that's another one that the US got way before anyone else did.
Samuel Kirkwood
10/31/2021 05:36:21 pm
Officially I think it was months, I think July here in UK, but I pirated it almost as soon as it came out. There were even links tweeted on the official SCOOB twitter account that's how bad it was. Total mess and I've boycotted paying for the film in any format because of that. 10/31/2021 10:38:21 pm
That's a little hilarious about the links being tweeted on the official SCOOB account. That's not as bad as I was thinking, but still, two months is a long time to wait.
Samuel Kirkwood
11/1/2021 05:33:09 am
Overall the special was okay, although cringy and a little stupid in places, the monster was just awful. Also why now? Surely something like this should have been done for the 50th anniversary. It would have been funny to see Scooby's flames over the years and all the children he's illegitimately fathered but I think that might have been pushing it a bit. There were some interesting history points and overall not awful, I'd say 6/10. 11/1/2021 08:14:52 am
I agree this would have been much better for the 50th anniversary. Yeah, seeing Scooby's illegitimate children may have been a little much lol.
Bigspookydoofan
10/31/2021 08:25:35 am
My online friend was able to find a pirating website and we were able to pirate this. There weren't even any commercial breaks and the special wasn't even 1 hour, it was only 36 minutes, it cut off in the middle of the unmasking, when the producer was asking the villain how she made it seem like something. 10/31/2021 11:30:54 am
I'm a little surprised it was so short. You really didn't miss anything at the end, it was just another dance party like in Courage lol.
whackman
10/31/2021 03:41:13 pm
Fortunately the complete 39 minutes version of thi special can now be watched on kimcartoon for all to enjoy!
Amber noel
10/31/2021 05:34:48 pm
That's I thought I would have to wait 2 months like I had to for scoob.
whackman
10/31/2021 08:30:05 am
This can now be found on public trackers however please do not download this release.
Samuel Kirkwood
10/31/2021 05:38:29 pm
If you can stand the spam, the completed version is now up on Kim.
whackman
11/1/2021 07:32:24 am
For those who wish to avoid kimcartoon and prefer to have the complete 39 minutes of this special the FULL and correct version of it can be now be found here.
James Dixon
11/2/2021 09:15:06 am
Thanks for the link to the new Tom and Jerry film. I also wish they'd move beyond the Tom and Jerry Show look. It spoilt Tom and Jerry in New York, and just made it feel like an extension of The Tom and Jerry Show, opposed to being a separate series. I just hope Tom and Jerry Time doesn't end up looking like Tom and Jerry Show.
Jacob Staggs
11/2/2021 10:04:23 am
Going by the sneak peek from awhile back, Tom and Jerry Time looks to be gorgeously drawn and animated in a style quite different from the Tom and Jerry Show and more classic like Hanna Barbera meets Deitch with free flowing movement.
Jakob123
11/1/2021 09:41:08 am
I recently watched SDWAYN just last night and it was great I truly loved it. 11/1/2021 01:27:15 pm
I was confused by this too. It doesn't make any sense for them to just cut Iain out with no explanation.
Jakob123
11/1/2021 09:48:51 am
As Flik from A Bugs Life would say...
Becker
11/1/2021 12:11:00 pm
Lol
Amber noel
11/1/2021 02:43:05 pm
So I finally watched it on kimcartoon and I thought it was fun is it perfect? No some of the jokes didn't land and some of the live action stuff was kind of awkard and yeah the villain was obvious but overrall it was fun. I liked the fact that they used clips from previous scooby doo stuff and yeah the interviews were interesting I also liked the fact that other hannah barbara characters showed up and I wasn't expecting the power puff girls or batman or even cyborg to show up and I liked the scene near the end where they showcase their favourite unmaskings and they play like sad music in the background as if the people they unmasked died. 11/1/2021 08:19:57 pm
I absolutely agree with everything you said. It was goofy and a bit cheap, and it wasn't perfect, but it was still fun.
James Dixon
11/2/2021 06:51:44 am
Sigh. I liked the gang, I liked the HB cameos, and I liked the interviews (purely for the images, LOL), I liked that they went to Stars Hollow, and I liked the story somewhat. 11/2/2021 11:38:05 am
The celebrities were hit or miss for me. Some of them did a good job, like Karamo, but others' inclusion seemed a tad pointless.
James Dixon
11/2/2021 02:03:36 pm
Yeah, I totally agree with about the handling of Scrappy. WB may not think that as a whole, but I also feel that they'd want fans to probably be put off by Scrappy, and they still approved what he wrote, which feels like a great abuse on his part, because he expects everyone to have the same opinion as him, and because his fellow employees felt the same way as he did, he felt justified. 11/2/2021 08:38:12 pm
Exactly. I think what bugged me most about his interview is him saying things like "if you really watched the Scrappy episodes, you'd know he was a jerk." That seems like a very narcissistic thing to say, as if him believing something means everyone else should too. I'm sure his fellow employees feeling the same way fed into it too.
Lance A Rutt
11/2/2021 09:31:21 am
https://www.animationscoop.com/interview-jonathan-stern-on-new-cw-special-scooby-doo-where-are-you-now/?fbclid=IwAR0cSpVhhe3rRD1ATdMe0iNTuJ6vZDagO9tOot7x9JCv15ZcTJ4ntJYApRw 11/2/2021 11:38:58 am
Thanks, Lance! I was originally thinking about making this the fun fact next Monday, but I think this might be better as its own post since there's quite a bit to analyze. I'll make a post about it in a moment.
Ismael
11/3/2021 09:41:45 am
The special was cool regarding the actual real life insight into how Scooby was made (even though it was nothing I didn't know already and there was barely any of it in the overall thing), but it was purely cringe with the mystery plot, Velma and ''meta things'' (like ignoring Scrappy). The guy in the Snow Ghost costume couldn't even bother to run like an actual person lol, he was literally just walking fast. Overall, I was very disappointed. 11/3/2021 12:25:22 pm
Hahaha I honestly thought the Snow Ghost/mystery thing was fun just because it was so bad, in a cute, quirky kind of way. I agree the real-life insight was cool even if it was pretty much all stuff I knew. Sorry you didn't enjoy it.
Shadowscooby
11/3/2021 04:00:16 pm
I watched the special yesterday and I thought it was good. It was nice seeing all the people who work or worked on Scooby Doo come together for this reunion special. The humor in the special was indeed hilarious. I love the Hanna Barbera references and characters as well as from Warner Bros and Cartoon Network. They did reuse some old Scooby songs but it didn’t really bother me. I was hoping they went with an original monster for this special but hey it’s a reunion so it made more sense for them to reuse a monster. Overall I thought this special was good. P.S. I hated that they were bashing Scrappy Doo for like the millionth time. They need to give that a rest. 11/3/2021 08:52:31 pm
I didn't mind overly much they reused a monster, I thought it worked well given the monster was so silly. And yeah, I don't think anyone liked the Scrappy bashing haha.
Tom Holste
2/5/2022 09:20:45 am
Sorry for bringing back a 3-month-old post, but I finally got around to watching the special last night! For the most part, I enjoyed it, although I have some concerns that have mainly already been talked about at length here, so I won't rehash them. 2/5/2022 11:51:58 am
No need to apologize! It's fun revisiting old posts :)
Tom Holste
2/5/2022 04:06:37 pm
Hooray! I'm glad you liked the post, and that you didn't mind that it came so late. :) 2/6/2022 10:00:53 am
The dubbing over the monsters' and Velma's voices was really weird. I have no idea why they would have done that, as I can't imagine they wouldn't have the rights to their own content. The strange thing is that it would have been more work to have everyone re-record stuff, rather than just using the stuff that was already there.
Jayden
5/31/2022 10:13:45 am
I know I'm very late to this and it's been a while since I've commented. I hope you remember me lol. Anyways, I was browsing through kisscartoon with the idea to start rewatching mystery incorporated but when I saw "Scooby Doo Where Are You Now" I just had to watch it as I had never watched it. Let me tell you, I was disappointed. Granted, I didn't expect any masterpiece but I expected a solid mystery. I really understand the mechanic thing, was she really meant to be in the first episode? The trivia is good and that's the only positive I can give. The monster is bad, the fact that they "act" doesn't sit well with me as in my mind they are real teenagers doing this for real, not for a show. (I know it's a show but this made them seem like actors which I don't think they are if you know what I mean), the scene where Daphne is dating the caveman is super unnecessary, random and super weird. Again, I was pretty disappointed. Also, I really hope you'd review "The New Scooby Doo Movies" and rank them one by one. If you have rankings, would you reply with them? Thanks. 5/31/2022 03:04:41 pm
Hey Jayden, good to see you again and I definitely remember you! I enjoyed the special for what it was I guess, more because I viewed it as a comedic parody rather than a serious remembrance of the franchise. It wasn't amazing, but I did enjoy it for what it was. I think of it as sort of a comedic Scooby Goes Hollywood type special. I like random, absurd humor so Daphne dating Captain Caveman, as well as Snagglepuss being "extremely litigious" was right up my alley haha.
Jayden
6/5/2022 11:42:58 am
I was honestly shocked by your numbers 6,8,9 and 16 as I think 6,8 and 9 are pretty high and 16 is very low. Well, that's my opinion. I know this sounds pretty unsensitive but number 22's weight jokes don't bother me and I don't remember the jokes flushing the whole episode. 6/5/2022 07:10:25 pm
With "The Spooky Fog," I'm a huge fan of Don Knotts and the first half in the town and the cemetery was amazing. While the scene in the cave dragged on a bit, I actually don't really mind it all that much and enjoy it for what it is. In terms of "The Spirit Spooked Sports Show," I thought Tim Conway was an amazing guest star and I liked the plot of having to save Velma's old school. The ghost of Fireball McFain's ghost being everywhere made the stakes feel super high, and thus made this episode really enjoyable for me. "Wednesday Is Missing" was a really fun episode because I grew up watching The Addams Family and it was so much fun to see those two shows crossover. The Addams Family's creepy house felt like the perfect setting for a Scooby-Doo episode.
Jayden
6/6/2022 09:49:51 am
Well, the weird winds of winona is a sort of episode I usually don't like. No ghost and you could say it was sometimes boring. What I loved was the scenes of them exploring the town, day and night. The cave scenes were mediocre. If the ghosts were exposed earlier and actually tormented the gang it would've been even higher. As for Wednesday is missing, the scenes looking for Wednesday were great. I liked the scenes of them exploring rooms and Shaggy and Scooby getting spooked out by everything. But, I found this one to be quite weak and I think the plot was super bland and lame especially for guest stars so spooky. This episode needed an actual monster. There were tons of spooky scaries running around the house but I'm talking about one the gang are actually supposed to unmask. Also, about the vulture writing notes. Okay, totally not suspicious that a bird is writing notes.
Tom Holste
6/2/2022 06:09:14 pm
Hi, Jayden! You seemed confused on the mechanic thing, so just to be clear, she was never meant to be in the first episode. That kind of thing does happen a lot in Hollywood, where a character is cut from a film or doesn't make it into the aired premiere episode, so that moment was meant to lampoon that type of thing.
Jayden
6/5/2022 11:38:43 am
Oh ok, thanks! Leave a Reply. |
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