Scoob! is a 2020 American animated adventure mystery comedy film that is a reboot of the theatrical Scooby-Doo film series and the third theatrical film based on the characters, following Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). The film was directed by Tony Cervone and written by Adam Sztykiel, Jack Donaldson, Derek Elliott, and Matt Lieberman. It stars Will Forte, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Isaacs, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Kiersey Clemons, Ken Jeong, Tracy Morgan, and Frank Welker, with the latter reprising his role as Scooby-Doo. Set in a Hanna-Barbera animated shared universe, the film follows Mystery Incorporated working with the Blue Falcon to solve their most challenging mystery behind their mascot's secret legacy and purpose, which connects with Dick Dastardly's evil plan to unleash Cerberus.
Plans for a new Scooby-Doo theatrical film began in June 2014, when Warner Bros. announced that they would reboot the Scooby-Doo film series with an animated film. Cervone was hired to direct the film in August 2015, with Dax Shepard being brought to co-direct it in September 2016, until he was no longer part of the project by October 2018. Warner Bros. then hired Chris Columbus, whose "affection for the character" made him an executive producer on the final film, while the studio “understands how much of its history is rooted in these iconic characters”.
Scoob! was originally set for a worldwide theatrical release on May 15, 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the closure of theaters across the globe, Warner Bros. made the film available to own digitally in the United States on the same date it was planned to be released in theaters. It received a theatrical release in select countries beginning in July 2020 and a secondary theatrical release in the United States beginning on May 21, 2021. It received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized its meme references. The film grossed $28.5 million against a budget of $90 million, but it topped digital rental charts in its first three weekends of release, becoming the third-most watched PVOD title in 2020.
A prequel, Scoob! Holiday Haunt, was originally set for release through HBO Max; it was cancelled in August 2022, although production on the film was completed after the cancellation.
Plot
In Venice Beach, a young, lonely Shaggy Rogers befriends and adopts a young talking stray Great Dane, whom he names Scooby-Doo. On Halloween night, Scooby and Shaggy meet three young children—Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley—before venturing into a haunted house, where they capture a thief disguised as a ghost, which inspires them to form Mystery Inc. and solve mysteries together.
Ten years later, Mystery Inc. goes into business. During an investor meeting with Simon Cowell, he refuses to do business with Scooby and Shaggy due to their behavior, which he insultingly proclaims as childish, and claims their friendship is useless. Infuriated and heartbroken, the pair storm out of the meeting and go to the Takamoto bowling alley to cool off, where they are terrorized by shapeshifting robots called Rottens that belong to Dick Dastardly, who seek to capture Scooby and Cerberus' three skulls. They are rescued by Dee Dee Skyes, and their lifelong heroes Dynomutt and Brian Crown, who has taken over from his father's role as the masked superhero, Blue Falcon. Dastardly and the Rottens trap and terrorize Scooby and Shaggy in a creepy abandoned amusement park, but the Falcon Force rescues them. Their investigation shows that Dastardly finds Scooby more important than Shaggy, causing Shaggy to feel alone.
Meanwhile, Fred, Daphne, and Velma discover that Dastardly is after Scooby and Shaggy, and head off to investigate. The group also reminisces about the good times they had with Shaggy and Scooby around, before being imprisoned in Dastardly's airship. They escape with one of the Rottens' help and make contact with Dee Dee to explain that she and the others are being taken to Messick Mountain, where the last skull is located. The group then finds out that Dastardly's plan is to open the gates to the Underworld to rescue his dog sidekick Muttley, who was trapped during an attempt to steal the Underworld's riches. Dastardly needs Scooby to unlock the gates since he is the last remaining descendant of Alexander the Great's dog, Peritas.
Scooby, Shaggy, and the Falcon Force go underground to a prehistoric island in Messick Mountain. Shaggy, who sees Scooby's importance as an insult to their friendship, wants Scooby to stay with him on the ship. Scooby wants Shaggy to join him and the group, but Shaggy angrily demands Scooby choose between him and the Falcon Force. Scooby picks the latter, to Shaggy's dismay, and finds Captain Caveman guarding the last skull and testing his bravery, in a fight for it. Dastardly tricks Shaggy into taking him to Scooby and the skull, and captures them, while the Rottens throw Fred, Daphne, and Velma out of the airship. Shaggy expresses guilt and remorse for Scooby's capture, and his speech inspires everyone to work together and rescue Scooby.
Arriving in Athens, Dastardly reveals the Underworld's gates with the three skulls and tries to unlock them with Scooby's paw while Scooby's friends pursue him in a flying Mystery Machine. The Rottens shoot them down, while Dastardly releases the rampaging Cerberus, causing the town to flee. Scooby runs to the crash site to reunite with his friends, and Dastardly reunites with Muttley in the Underworld, and they escape with some treasure. Scooby and Shaggy determine how to trap Cerberus; Fred, Daphne, and Velma determine how to close the gates; and the Falcon Force flies around Cerberus to keep him distracted. With help from the Rottens, they trap Cerberus back in the Underworld, but Shaggy sacrifices himself to stay inside the Underworld and lock the gates, following Alexander the Great and Peritas' bond prophecy. The gang finds an exit that continues the prophecy, which Scooby unlocks to reunite with Shaggy.
The Rottens capture Muttley and Dastardly, who is unmasked twice in a revelation that he impersonated Cowell. The Falcon Force takes the pair into custody, while Mystery Inc. returns home and unveils their official new headquarters. They celebrate their grand opening with the entire town, including the Falcon Force, who gifts them an upgraded Mystery Machine, before they head off to solve another mystery.
Voice cast
Cameos Simon Cowell as himself, Mystery Inc.'s first investor, who is later revealed to be Dastardly in disguise. Harry Perry as himself
Additionally, director Tony Cervone cameos as the voices of Ghost/Mr. Rigby as well as Alice.
Other characters from Hanna-Barbera shows that make non-vocal cameos include The Slag Brothers, Atom Ant, Jabberjaw, Grape Ape, Frankenstein Jr. and Dr. Benton Quest. All mentioned are included in the end credits.
Production Development
On June 17, 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they would reboot the Scooby-Doo film series with an animated film, then being written by Randall Green. On August 17, 2015, Tony Cervone, who had previously worked on several Scooby-Doo projects, was hired to direct the animated film, now with a script by Matt Lieberman. Allison Abbate (Cervone's wife) and Pam Coats produced the film, with Charles Roven and Richard Suckle among its executive producers. Dan Povenmire, the co-creator of the Disney Channel series Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy's Law, was set to be involved in a creative capacity, and was eventually also credited as an executive producer on the film.
At the 2016 CinemaCon, the film's official title was announced to be S.C.O.O.B., with a plot involving Scooby-Doo and Shaggy rescued by a larger organization led by Blue Falcon. The film was intended to lead into a cinematic universe based on Hanna-Barbera properties. In September 2016, it was reported that Dax Shepard would co-direct and co-write the film along with Cervone and Lieberman respectively. In October 2018, it was announced that Shepard was no longer part of the project, thus leaving Cervone the solo director once again with Kelly Fremon Craig set to serve as screenwriter instead and Chris Columbus set to join as one of the film's executive producers as well. Ultimately, Lieberman, Adam Sztykiel, Jack Donaldson, and Derek Elliott received screenplay credit, with Lieberman, Eyal Podell, and Jonathon E. Stewart having "story by" billing.
Later in production, many miscellaneous Hanna-Barbera characters were cut, and the story changed to focus on Scooby-Doo and Shaggy's friendship and give Scooby an emotional arc. According to Tony Cervone, the film also took inspiration from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and is a Scooby-Doo mystery that's bigger, more personal, and goes beyond the typical formula. Cervone also called the film a "love letter" to Hanna-Barbera, in an interview with Jackson Murphy on animationscoop.com.
Casting
In March 2019, Frank Welker was revealed to reprise as Scooby-Doo, while Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez, and Tracy Morgan had signed on to voice Shaggy, Velma, and Captain Caveman. Forte, a fan of the franchise, aimed to create a more emotional Shaggy, while adding his own spin on voicing him. To homage Casey Kasem's impression, who he considers an icon, and he also praised Matthew Lillard's impression. Rodriguez, another fan of the franchise, aimed to create a more outspoken Velma and was thrilled to voice her as a Latina American, after discussing with director Tony Cervone about how they could sneak her heritage into her. Morgan also loved Captain Caveman growing up, and would even yell out his signature catchphrase when having fun at home. In May 2019, Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried were cast as Fred and Daphne. Efron's casting marked a rare occasion in which the character has not been voiced by Welker (who has played Fred in most incarnations since the show's debut in 1969).Behind the Voice Actors: Fred Jones Behind the Voice Actors, Retrieved May 18, 2020 Efron aimed to create a more fun and honest Fred, and Seyfried aimed to create a more empathetic and relatable Daphne. Both Efron and Seyfried were fans of the franchise growing up.Interview with the director and cast of Scoob! Stack, September 14, 2020
Lillard and Grey Griffin, the current voices of Shaggy and Daphne's regular incarnations, both expressed their disappointment at the news of their roles being recast. Despite this, they still get to voice their mainstream versions, with Lillard wishing the film good luck, and Griffin not holding any hard feelings towards Seyfried or her performance in the film. A different voice cast of younger adults was chosen, as the film aims to be its own stand-alone story and its characters are reimagined young adults exclusively from a modern cinematic universe. The film's cancelled spinoff prequel, Scoob! Holiday Haunt also would have emphasized this, as their kid counterparts are 10 years old and set 10 years before their present timeline. Director Tony Cervone confirms the gang in the movie are in their early 20s.
In April 2019, Ken Jeong and Kiersey Clemons were announced to voice Dynomutt and Dee Dee Skyes. In May 2019, Mark Wahlberg and Jason Isaacs joined to voice Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly, who Isaacs also wanted to re-imagine as a bigger threat.Mark Wahlberg & Jason Isaacs Board Warner Bros.' 'Scoob' Deadline, May 10, 2019 Mckenna Grace, Iain Armitage, Ariana Greenblatt and Pierce Gagnon were also set as young versions of Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Fred, respectively.Scooby-Doo Film 'Scoob' Finds Its Young Velma and Fred (Exclusive) The Wrap, May 23, 2019