Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King

Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (2008)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Scooby and Shaggy go to a magic show with the gang when they call out a fake magician who in return turns Fred, Velma and Daphne into monster. Scooby and Shaggy must then enter the monster underground to find a cure but first they must go up against the Goblin King. This feature is pretty uneven and I'd probably call it the weakest I've seen so far. It's certainly not a bad movie and I'm sure fans of Scooby will be entertained but there were several moments where my son's interest (as well as mine) was not fully into the picture. I think the start of the film is a lot of fun as the gang are on a roller coaster ride with all sorts of scary monsters around. The ending is also a lot of fun as Scooby and Shaggy have to dress up as Velma and Daphne to get into the Goblin King's party. This here adds some nice laughs and there's another great sequence where the duo go to a monster party. The animation during this party sequence is great and there's a lot of good imagination going on with the various creature looks. The biggest problem is in the middle of the picture where it just seems like the writers didn't know where to take the material and we've got a lot of scenes that just drag without much happening. Still, fans of Scooby should at least be mildly entertained and we even have the likes of James Belushi, Tim Curry and Wayne Knight and Jay Leno adding some vocal support.

Zoinks! Like, ruh roh, Raggy, don't rook now, but just when you were about to ask "where are you" there's a reaky new Scooby Doo movie available on rideo. Yeah, reaky. Gulp. And in this one, the whacked out warlock isn't just a guy wearing a mask. Heh heh heh. Like, no way man, but this wunnerful creepy old time animation is completely on the mark and ten times as fun as th-th-th-the rive action Scooby Doo movies. Like,trust me, old friend, old buddy, old pal, there are even a bunch of scary moments that will make you rump off your chair. Boing! There is also a runch of musical numbers. I especially liked the one that went romething like "Woararoarawoararoarawoar." Yikes! The kids will love the Goblin King, and the adults will laugh at the inside rokes: "Oh no! Velma's fried!" or "Now that is something you just do not do to a guy's van." Why do I get the feeling this one should have been on the big screen? Way to go old Scooby Dooby movie makers. You should totally rent Scooby Dooooby Dooooo and the Goblin King: jeepers, maybe there's food inside the box.

Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (2008) is a movie my daughter and I recently watched together on HBOMAX. The storyline follows Shaggy and Scooby as they head into an underworld to save their friends, and believe it or not fairies, from being turned into monsters by the goblin king. They are followed by a man who wants to steal the goblin kings powers for himself to start his own rule of terror on Earth. This movie is directed by Joe Sichta (Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster) and contains the voices of Frank Welker (Transformers), Casey Kasem (Ghostbusters), Grey Griffin (Invincible), Wayne Knight (Jurassic Park), Tim Curry (It), Jay Leno (Contact), Lauren Bacall (The Big Sleep) and Jim Belushi (Red Heat). The storyline for this is a little unique for the Scooby-Doo universe but still fun to watch unfold. The animation is excellent and the writing for the characters is fun. The scenarios are very unique and unpredictable. The opening scene is awesome and the voices are well selected. Overall this isn't an animated classic but it is worth watching if you're a fan of Scooby. I'd score this a 6/10.

I had mixed feelings on this one 1) Having Jim Belushi, Jay Leno, Wayne Knight, Lauren Bacall, Wallace Shawn and "witches ghost" return of Tim Curry was a plus. Oh to hear Tim's laugh!!!! 2) The fairies, pumpkin, and broom picked up things when the story was dragging. 3) The story was mostly Shaggy and Scooby who couldn't carry it alone. 4) The songs were mostly forgettable. 5) the attempt to return to old style Scooby Doo was a plus 6) The story didn't really care to follow the plot and became a series of unconnected scenes. The end seemed rushed 7) The lack of Velma was deafening. 8) Daphne getting wet was unforgivable :-) At the end of the day, it was fun to watch but forgettable after a few days.

No, seriously, I really think that a Scooby-Doo movie going after a musical genre is a really good change of pace. Sure, it may not be as good as Zombie Island, and it may not live up as a Halloween musical classic the same way The Nightmare Before Christmas did, but it's still not bad for a beginner. The Halloween creatures are a big plus; they're absolutely creepy. Some of the musical numbers might need a little work, but at least they're something that you can't walk out on. But, man! Oh, man! I can never get over that ending! I'm not gonna tell you though; it'll just spoil the surprise. The bottom line: it's a delight for the whole family, especially if you're a Scooby-Doo fan.