Scooby-Doo! Le Clash des Sammys

Being a huge 'Scooby Doo' fan for goodness knows how long, any new show, special or film would be watched with great anticipation. While 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' is still the jewel of the crown of the franchise, a vast majority of the 'Scooby Doo' films have a huge amount to like and are worth watching at least once.

Of the animated outings, the only one to not do much for me is 'Monster of Mexico', while the three Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy films of the late 80s got a better-than-reputation-but-mixed personal reaction. 'Music of the Vampire' was uneven and is also a lesser 'Scooby' effort but was fun and interesting enough in its own way. As far as the 'Scooby Doo' films go, 'Shaggy's Showdown' is in the top half and one of the best of the later post-Sander/Schwartz outings.

Not one of the very best 'Scooby Doo' films like 'Zombie Island', 'Witch's Ghost', 'Big Top', 'Goblin King' (am aware that this is not going to be a popular opinion) and 'Mask of the Blue Falcon' (also really enjoyed 'Frankencreepy', 'Abracadabra Doo', 'Camp Scare' and 'Stage Fright', despite the last having an overstuffed and convoluted ending), but very close.

'Shaggy's Showdown' is not quite perfect, with not all the characters and every part of the story being necessary, the sisters agreed are a little pointless and the producers/executives only seemed there for the film to mock them and give in-jokes of the film industry (which actually was cleverly done, witty and fun, if distracting a touch from the mystery). There could have been more slapstick/action to give the story more kick. There really isn't much wrong about 'Shaggy's Showdown' otherwise.

Like 'Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery', the animation is great, some of the most imaginative and funky of any 'Scooby Doo' film. Everything is beautifully drawn and meticulously detailed, with rich, atmospheric colours and a lot of care and time clearly went into how the characters were drawn and move. The music is both dynamic and groovy, with a lot of energy and a haunting undercurrent.

The writing is smart and clever, as well as very funny. There are some endearingly goofy jokes (in classic 'Scooby Doo' fashion, while also feeling current), witty digs and inside jokes. The humour is quirky but there are a fair share of thrills and scares, which is what makes 'Scooby Doo' so charming in the first place.

'Shaggy's Showdown' has a really good story on the most part too. It's diverting and has a wonderfully creepy but also quirky atmosphere that is just perfect for the setting. The different approach to the conclusion was interesting and welcome, as well as done well, and it doesn't feel over-stuffed or obvious either. The villain is perhaps the best since the ghost of Mr Hyde in 'Mask of the Blue Falcon' (though the villain in 'Frankencreepy' gives him a run for his money), certainly the creepiest, best animated and most fun, and the culprit is surprising.

Really enjoyed what was done with the characters. Shaggy (in a more heroic and braver role, that different side to him was great) and Scooby never fail to bring a smile to my face and their friendship is so charming and entertaining. Velma, who tended to have a lot of annoying moments post-Sander/Schwartz era, is the funniest, most interesting and most likable she's been in a while along with 'Frankencreepy'.

Fred is also at his funniest in a while, the jokes are clever and sometimes hilarious and his assumptions never fall into ridiculous territory like his younger self in 'A Pup Named Scooby Doo'. Daphne has a wonderful dynamic here with Velma that helps her make her less bland than she could have been for a character whose material isn't as meaty or interesting. The supporting characters are mostly fine, especially the villain and the cook.

Voice acting is very good. Frank Welker shows no signs of being long in the tooth despite voicing Fred since the very beginning way back in 1969, so nearly 50 years and he is going strong. His Scooby voice took some getting used to, having been so accustomed to Don Messick since forever, but it's definitely grown on me. Matthew Lillard is a worthy successor to Casey Kasem, a very difficult feat that he pulls off with ease.

Kate Micucci fills Mindy Cohn's shoes very well, being true to the original and modern Velma personalities but not doing it in a way that's patronising or too sarcastic (not saying Cohn was any of those things, but more to do with how Velma was written in some of the later films). Grey DeIsle is appealing as Daphne, and avoids making her a ditz or too bland, she does have comic timing and backbone. The rest of the voice cast includes Gary Cole, and they all do very good jobs.

Overall, great fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Let's be real for a second, Scooby-Doo movies are not high art, and that's perfectly okay. Thankfully the people over at Warner Brothers are aware of this and have never taken the franchise too seriously.

I've not seen many of these movies but this one was pretty okay. The animation looked like classic Scooby-Doo which I'm sure would please die hard Scoob fans, but it didn't really do much for me.

The plot is the standard Scooby-Doo affair, you can more or less figure out what's going on in the first half an hour. The main stand out of this film however is the humour. Velma's anger at a website font choice, Fred debating which net to use to catch the ghost, a 12 year old YouTube rapper doing a concert at a rodeo in a ghost town? Hilarious. It doesn't sound funny but goddamn most of the jokes land really well.

Unfortunately they try to cram too much into this movie, there were a bunch of throwaway gags and characters that served no real purpose and overall the story and animation were pretty bland.

So if you want a funny Scooby-Doo movie that you can watch with your brain turned off, go for it. If you're looking for something with an engaging western story, go watch High Noon.

Scooby and the gang head out to the Wild West. Of course, when they get there they find the town is being terrorised by a ghost - outlaw Dapper Jack, who (wouldn't you know it!) turns out to have been an ancestor of Shaggy's!

The story's good. There are some hilarious lines and situations (Fred trying to shoe a horse with a car-jack, and Shaggy and Scooby's ridiculous rock-side plunge are two that stick out), as well as some touching ones. The artwork and animation are excellent. And whilst I'm not a huge fan of the western setting, the movie makes the most of it with just about every cliche you can think of (and I mean that in a good way!). Even the title music has more than a hint of Ennio Morricone.

There are a couple of issues. 1) There are way too many featured characters who contribute absolutely nothing to the story. They have a lot of lines, but serve no purpose whatsoever. And 2), the movie really hits a slump around the 60 minute mark, with a dragged out rodeo/parade sequence, and a completely shoehorned mini pop concert by one of those pointless characters. It's as though the makers suddenly found themselves five minutes under the 77 minute runtime and had to start padding. Once it gets back on track it soon picks up, but that slump definitely robs the 'big reveal' of some punch. Thankfully, Frank Welker, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Kate Micucci bring it as they always do, with solid support from the rest of the voice cast. And there's a nice little surprise scene just before the end credits.

Without the time-wasting this would have been an easy 8/10. Fortunately, what's good still gets it a 7.5.

This time the Scooby gang heads out to the wild west and deal with a ghost outlaw.

Animation looks beautiful and keeps the bright colors they've been using over the past few years.

The plot was a bit hit-or-miss however. Don't get me wrong, the main plot with the ghost and Shaggy being a descendant of him works. Velma also has this recurring bit about something that bugs her, but I won't spoil it as it's pretty funny. There are also some funny lines sprinkled throughout. However, lot of scenes seem arbitrary and don't add much. Not enough time is spent on action and hijinks. They could have cut down on some of the suspects who can be pretty irrelevant. The weird family and the cook are funny, but the sisters and producers were unnecessary. They also try something a little different from the traditional catching of the culprit conclusion, but it just isn't exciting as the elaborate trap and unmasking.

Of course, I'm probably over-analyzing a children's film. For parents, it'll keep your children entertained and should bare repeat viewings without driving you crazy.

I enjoyed it very much probably the best movie in animation