Scooby-Doo! La Colonie de la peur

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010)

*** (out of 4)

Fred takes the gang back to his childhood camp where they're going to be councilors for the summer. However, once they arrive they learn that a ghost and a lake monster are stalking the place so they must try and learn what's really going on. SCOOBY-DOO! CAMP SCARE works on many levels but the highlight is without question the darker elements, which make it a throwback to the original series. You can tell that the writers were trying to return the series back to its origins and for the most part they did a very good job. This is especially true in regards to the villains, both of whom are just like you'd expect to see in the first few seasons of the series. The ghost, a tall ghoul that carries an axe, is perfectly brought to life and is quite memorable with the way he stalks the woods. The lake monster, an obvious homage to the Gil Man from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, is also fun and especially during the scene where the gang are out on boats and come under attack. The animation is also extremely good with some wonderful details. Some of my favorite moments happen when the characters are gathered around a beautiful camp fire that lights up the woods around them. The main characters are all in fine form with the vocal actors doing a very good job with their roles. Then there's the added humor that's brought into the film. Usually some of the later day features had too much comedy but that's not the case here as it pretty much stays in the background but whenever it's brought to the front it's usually very funny. There's also some rather fun moments dealing with Velma being the one getting hit on and not Daphne. Speaking of Daphne, I couldn't help but notice that they really tried to "sexy" her up with the tight short shorts and bikini shots. Apparently one of the animators had a major crush on her.

Freddy returns to his childhood summer camp, Camp Little Moose, and brings along the gang. He's excited to be the new camp counsellor but finds the camp vandalized and terrorized to shut down. Despite that, a few kids do arrive and Freddy intends to be the best camp counsellor ever.

This is a fun Scooby-Doo mystery adventure. It has all the elements. Freddy is good being a try-hard. It's not being anything different. It is simply good.

Is there a story? Who cares! The story is inconsistent - not when it comes to jiggle physics -, but the jokes land a moderate amount, thus it is sufferable.

PS: anyone complaining Velma being considered an "ugly one" please remind yourself that Daphne can not catch a boyfriend even if her life depends on it, so duh, what's the difference between the two? Both gets jiggle physics, so stop comlaining!

After rewatching it again tonight, Camp Scare reminded me why it's my favorite animated Scooby-Doo of all time and one of my all time favorite movies, period. The mystery is legitimately complex and realistic, and the chase scenes and bad guys are actually thrilling. It is funny, and the characters are far better developed than in the older movies. One of my favorite parts is the animation - the various camp visuals were gorgeous, and I love the animations of the characters. The twist is a truly excellent one, and it is just such an excellent movie that modernizes and perfectly executes all the things that make the movies and shows so enjoyable.

I have been a big fan of Scooby Doo ever since I was like 6 years old. I adore the original series and The Scooby Doo show but the rest of the incarnations have been hit(Mystery Incorporated, The New Scooby Doo Movies and contrary to what I've seen and heard about it The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo was much better than I remembered) and miss(Shaggy and Scooby Doo:Get a Clue and the episodes of The Scooby and Scrapy Doo Show that had half the gang missing).

I have also enjoyed most of the movies(I think my least favourite, Monster of Mexico, was even then was just mediocre), my favourites overall are Witch's Ghost, Goblin King and Zombie Island, but for me this and Abracadabra Doo were two of the better recent entries. If I had any complaints, it was that I would've loved it to have been longer and also I wasn't always crazy on the animation of Fred.

Other than that, the animation was vibrant and colourful with some very nice touches of atmospheric darkness to it too. I also loved the style, it has some of the What's New Scooby Doo style(which I personally don't mind) while also having a little of the classic style of the original series. The music was great too, the song choices were well written and not pointless at all and the incidental music was haunting while never obtrusive.

I was also very impressed with the writing, there is enough of the quirky humour to captivate while also having room for some thrills and scares. Scooby Doo! Camp Scare also has a very entertaining story with the camp setting bringing back some nostalgia, it is well-paced while not dragging too much in the middle and stays true to the stories of the series incarnations before it. The final solution is thrilling and very unexpected.

The characters appeal too. Shaggy and Scooby still make me smile, while the Woodsman is a scary and memorable villain especially with the appearance. The voice acting is solid from all involved, Frank Welker still shows he has plenty of versatility while Matthew Lillard goofy and likable Shaggy also manages to be the biggest surprise.

All in all, love Scooby Doo and I enjoyed Scooby Doo! Camp Scare. 8/10 Bethany Cox