Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King

The first real monsters since Cyber Chase and some fun animation makes this one rise above its - - otherwise, weaker story and side characters.' Overall: Fun, and good, but not great. Movie Rating: 6/10

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.

Striking visuals, great voice acting and a wild adventure. Very hack or hammy on the humour (more than usual) with a load of plotless nonsense, this one seems to miss the mystery I identify with Scooby Doo & the gang. The writers even had to knock out Velma for much of the movie so that she didn't try to apply any sort of reason to the goings on. Reminiscent of Tim Burton/Danny Elfman 'dead party' films at times, though lacking in a favourable soundtrack.