Scooby-Doo! e i Pirati dei Caraibi

I wasn't so keen on watching this Scooby adventure as it has the shortest running time of all of them so far and I figured that it couldn't possibly have a substantial mystery worth taking an interest in.

And while that's true for the most part, they do make a huge effort to keep the viewer guessing by throwing in lots of distractions, more so than any other Scooby adventure. And despite it's brief running time it does manage pack in a fair amount of characters and guest voices, so in a sense they give more AND less.

The Mystery Inc. gang head off on a tropical cruise for Fred's birthday but things turn sinister when they pick-up a drifter floating in the water. No one believes his tale of ghost pirates (they're on a "mystery cruise" and are becoming quite jaded to the novelty), but only when said pirates show up do they gradually accept that it's real.

There's a few more in-jokes than normal in this one too. And while I usually hate in-jokes it's forgivable, and perhaps welcome, in a Scooby-Doo mystery. I am aware that the infamous Bermuda Triangle was the focus of a lower-wattage mystery in the third season of Scooby-Doo back in the early 70s, but this one is considerably better.

It looses points for being short, but it's still a worthy mystery.

Where do I start. I have always loved this film, but rewatching it recently... I like this era of scooby doo, fred and daphne's outfits, the animation style etc... Buttttt the villains intentions are rubbish! I love the hypnotyising idea but his real reason for doing so isnt the best. I enjoyed the cruise setting. Plus the taking of Freddies parents is actually pretty spooky. The ghost pirates are also quite scary too! The fog... I did enjoy this film just dont think i remember it very well. Now, if your into pirates and scooby doo this film is for you! Its deffo worth the watch but it isnt the best. Saying that though, i rated this film a 5/10. I like the story line just not the villains plans.

This movie was fantastic! I have honestly been waiting for another great Scooby movie to come around since the past ones (other than the mummy one) have been awful. Pirates Ahoy brought the fun and excitement I missed with these movies. Every character and scene was important and flowed with the story well. The story was an awesome idea with the Scooby gang going on a mystery cruise and being surprised when an actual mystery came around. The animation was great and never disappointed along with the voice actors/actresses. Overall I really liked it and had a blast.

I really enjoyed Scooby Doo: Pirates Ahoy! and I honestly think it is one of the better movies in the Scooby Doo franchise. Like any film with pirates, it was fun, colourful and hugely enjoyable, and my only complaints are that it is too short, and I wasn't hugely keen on Frank Welker's Scooby voice, I much prefer Don Messick. Still, the animation is very colourful, and the music is great. I loved the plot, about the gang cruising in the Bermuda Triangle, and falling foul of ghost pirates. The voice acting was fantastic, Casey Kasem is just a hoot as Shaggy, and Dan Castallenetta was excellent as Magician Mysterio. Ron Perlman was not only charming as Biff Wellington, but deliciously sinister as the villainous pirate captain, and his laugh was quite scary- and I thought Tim Curry's Pennywise's laugh was scary. All in all, despite a couple of minor flaws, an unexpected delight for Scooby Doo fans, a similar thing I said about last year's Goblin King, and I do recommend it. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006)

*** (out of 4)

Scooby and the gang are invited on a cruise by Fred's parents but soon the ship is taken over by dead pirates. They kidnap Fred's parents so the gang must go after them and try to learn why they've come back from the dead. When reviewing these Scooby movies I have to keep in mind not only my opinion but that of my three-year-old son. His opinion of this movie is that it quickly became his favorite of the series and each time I asked which one he wants to watch it's this here. In fact, I think we're working on about fifteen times in a row he has selected this one so obviously kids should love it. I've seen the film on a number of occasions with him and I do think it's one of the best out there. The actual story here is a very good one and I really liked how they took the pirate theme and mixed it with zombies as well as the entire Bermuda Triangle thing. The animation is top-notch from start to finish and also shows a lot of imagination. The actual look of the pirates is without question the highlight of the film as the detail in the costumes and their look is great. This one here also features a lot of famous names doing vocal work including Tim Conway, Arsenio Hall, Freddy Rodriquez, Ron Perlman and Kathy Najimy. SCOOBY-DOO! PIRATES AHOY! will certainly entertain fans of the series and kids should really enjoy it as well.