ANI-MOVIES, *Scoob!

With having more made-for-video movies than any other cartoon character, Scooby-Doo was inevitably going to get a legit animated theatrical movie, even though COVID-19 had different ideas. Scoob! is the first non-live-action film to feature the Mystery Inc. team that was intended to be shown in cinemas, but the black plague of the 21st Century caused movie houses everywhere to shut down, so it was released instead first on demand, and then regular DVD and Blu-Ray. Done as another remake to the Scooby-Doo franchise, this doesn't go the standard "guy in a monster costume" route, but instead trying to set up an expanded Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe.

Starting out during the A Pup Named Scooby-Doo years, Shaggy adopts Scooby, and the two of them befriend three other kids on Halloween where the end up solving a mystery with a neighborhood thief. Over the next few years, the gang have a successful run of covering several similar cases, and as eventually want to expand Mystery Inc into a legit business. However, completely randomly added Simon Cowell shows up to sponsor them, but thinks they should lose Shaggy and Scooby. Distraught, the two chums go bowling, and are attacked by transforming mini-robots. The twosome get rescued by real life superhero, Blue Falcon(actually the son of the original), plus the bionic Dynomutt, and Dee Dee formally of the Teen Angels. Turns out that Wacky Races bad guy, Dick Dastardly, needs to capture Scooby to open a door the Greek Underworld, which would unleash the monstrous three-headed canine Cerberus on the world. Fred, Velma and Daphne get abducted by Dick and his robots, while the Blue Falcon crew is searching for one of Cerebus' skulls that will open the door to the Underworld.

There are several nods to various Hanna-Barbera cartoons, some of which were connected due to shows like Laff-A-Lympics that teamed up various cartoon characters from different shows. There could've been some more set up with the Blue Falcon backstory, and how Dynomutt got to be less of a goofy idiot sidekick to an genuine crimefighter, plus Dee Dee's ties to Captain Caveman who also has a part in the movie. The animation is slightly above average for some other studio created 3D computer animated productions, although not exactly in the Pixar level of perfection. The choice to have most of the cast to be voiced by currently trendy celebrities as opposed to the veteran voice actors is also a major distraction. Scoob! might not specifically be the best for old school fans of the original Saturday morning cartoon, but makes for a decent rental.