Scooby-Doo e il Mostro di Loch Ness

Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004)

** (out of 4)

Scooby and the gang head off to Scotland to see family members when the legendary sea creature shows up. This here is a minor step up over Legend of the Vampire but it still falls short when compared to the TV show. The animation is a little better here and even the voices seem more energetic this time out. Also worth mentioning is that there are some fun supporting characters and the mystery is decent. Once again the big problem is that the film is so dumbed down that it's hard to get too involved.

This 2004 installment to the Scooby-Doo franchise is a very mediocre and generic movie experience, even for a Scooby-Doo adventure.

You know what you are getting yourself into here, for better or worse, as all Scooby-Doo animated movies are essentially the same, just presented differently visually. So there is familiarity in what you get here at least, but that is also where it ends.

Why? Well, because "Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster" doesn't break the formula and give you something beyond what you would expect from an animated Scooby-Doo movie. And that was ultimately why the movie failed to climb out of the gutter of mediocrity.

The voice acting was good, as it usually is in these animated movies, and you have Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn and Grey Griffin, but Matthew Lillard was missing from the equation and it was audibly clear that he was not there. The movie also boasts the talents of John DiMaggio and Sheena Easton.

As for the art and animation, well it was good, as it usually always is in these animated movies in the Scooby-Doo universe. Again, playing on familiarity, and hand on heart, then it is great to sit down now into my 40s and look at something that looks exactly the same as when I was a kid. Now, I can just enjoy it with my own son.

"Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster" is not a bad animated movie, not at all. It just suffers terribly from being way too mediocre and generic. But hey, it is a Scooby-Doo adventure nonetheless.

Scooby Doo and the Monster of Mexico was no doubt the weakest of the modern Scooby Doo animated features. Loch Ness Monster is a considerable improvement.

This time the gang head off to Scotland to see the Highland Games and visit Blake castle, Daphne's ancestral home. And wouldn't you know, the castle happens to be in the 'quaint' fishing village of Drumnadrochit, on the shores of Loch Ness.

During their stay they meet a few interesting folks. First there is Fiona Pembrooke, a scientist who has drowned all of her money into finding the Loch Ness Monster.

Sir Ian Locksley, the boss of the National Heritage Museum of Scotland, he is staunch non-believer of Nessie.

The Haggarts, the own a cozy Inn on the shores of the loch. The sons are a couple of local jokers, always into mischief.

Del Chilman, a wild, paranoid hippie dude who is convinced the monster is out there and will stop at nothing on find her.

And finally, Duncan MacGubbin, the dock master who has seen Nessie too many times to count.

Most of these characters are stereotypes, which gets a bit annoying as this is teaching younger audiences a load of crap and giving the wrong impression. However if you can immune yourself to it you'll be alright. Being from Scotland I can't help but wince at the awfully mimicked Scottish accents. Fact: We DON'T sound like that.

Soon enough Nessie, looking rather more demonic than 'usual', shows up and causes havoc. Looks like the gang have another mystery on their hands. The usual chase scenes, clues and Shaggy's wacky disguises follow. There are plenty of laughs. The animation is splendid, with some atmospheric scenes and locations. And the plot a lot better than Monster of Mexico.

The only bad thing this time around is the music. I miss Louis Febre's scoring and the songs here are pretty rotten too. Where are the Hex Girls when you need 'em?

The region 2 DVD is in crystal clear 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen (the region 1 ain't) with Dolby 5.0 sound. Some okay extras are included. Definitely worth getting.

The Loch Ness monster was my favorite monster from my child hood. Here in scooby doo the story is nice and I like it how they relate it to the real monster. It does have some clunky animation on the monster and it doesn't look like a plesiosaur like the stereotype.

My son Adam (5 years old) is a big Scooby Doo fan. He like this film a lot. He particularly liked when the Loch Ness monster tried to attack Shaggy and Scooby. The vote score is his choice and reflects his love of the characters.

Having seen the "Vampire Rock" film first, this, not surprisingly, was very similar as they repeat a well worn basic plot in a different setting.

Few adults will come across this without having their own memories of the TV cartoon series and even fewer will watch it without children. You either like this or love it. I loved Scooby Doo for half an hour as a kid, I am happy my son loves it, I can just about put up with it now.