Scooby-Doo! E o Monstro do México

The opening song was worth it. It really was. Actually, the music as a whole was worth it.

And some of the jokes were fully even if one or two of them may have bordered on blatant stereotypes, but in a harmless way.

It starts off strong. It starts off like an old episode of Scooby Doo...it just sort of ends with a "meh." In fact, what kills it is that one can walk away and forget how it ended by the time you get done using the bathroom.

But the first half is memorable and the songs are catchy, so it's a wash.

I received this Scooby-Doo movie on VHS tape few years ago.

The opening song: Viva Mexico by Maria Carmen Diaz is memorable.

Some laughs or humour the gang receiving email notifications in terms of their catchphrases: (Alright, Jeepers!, Jinkies!", Zoinks! You have mail!")

Some trivia points Fred mentioned to his pen-pal Alejo that Shaggy has got a high metabolism.

In this movie, the Mexican mythical monster terrorising Veracruz is mentioned Chupacabra as some purple Bigfoot. Should be reptilian that sucks blood from goats.

Some unnecessary moments like Alejo's brother Luis lied about being hit knocked unconscious.

That robotic eagle Paco reminds me of bilingual parrot (same name) in "Maya & Miguel".

This is also the last time Nicole Jaffe and Heather North voice Velma and Daphne, respectively, before North died from bronchitis in November 2017.

Obviously, this movie is good or rather I like on its own, yet hardly outshines some of the others like Witch's Ghost (with Hex Girls and Tim Curry).

Scooby-Doo Monster in Mexico was boring and the animation was less than spectacular for me at least. I will give it credit for having a complex plot that required 2 pages in the summary section of Wikipedia. That doesn't change the fact that the voice acting was incredible with the best being Daphne who had a pleasant cougar voice rest in peace Heather North. Shaggy's voice actor Casey Kaseem also died which is unfortunate. The animation is an acquired taste. You'll either tolerate it, like it, or hate it. For some reason, it looks worse than the direct to video late 90s movies despite this film coming out 5 years after Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. I will give the movie credit for having so many twists and turns especially for a kid's film quite surprising the main villain unmasking even though I think I saw this film as a kid when I was around 7-9. I was half entertained. It's all right but this is one of the weaker Scooby-Doo animated films better than the Reluctant Werewolf, Ghoul School, and Mask of the Blue Falcon. However, it is far weaker than the Classic VHS films like Zombie Island, Cyber Chase, Alien Invaders, and Witch's Ghost. WWE crossovers were also more entertaining and the other late 2000s films greatly improved upon this film's animation, formula and voice acting. This is the second film created after Cyber Chase in 2001 so I'll give it some credit there. Still in the bottom third. If you're Mexican and/or you have Mexican kids you might like the scenery and reference. However, it could make the film even worse for your viewing experience.

TLDR; This is one of the weaker Scooby-Doo Animated Films avoid this one and the 80's TV Movies check out the VHS films, late 2000's films, and pretty much all of the 2010's films. Avoid Mystery Map, and the Lego films unless you have very young kids even still I wouldn't recommend them.

Some redeeming factors include that the location is a different country, the movie keeps the series running, will keep child fans entertained, and the music is above average. Perhaps the the best and surprising part is finding out that Scooby ends up having a gal in Mexico. Otherwise, I'm thinking this one could've used more comedy, twists, and better cultural immersion. The Chupacabra was the biggest puzzle, they should've gone for the gollum-like vampiric creature instead of grape ape.

This movie had a lot going for it. The voice cast, sound effects and smoother animation felt more like the original Scooby Doo and I appreciated the classic feel. I really liked that Scott Innes was not voicing Shaggy. Velma is good for relating some good Mexican history. The behind-the-scenes, blooper reel and cast commentary on the DVD are great! There were definitely parts where the plot was interesting and a lot of vintage Shaggy/Scooby comedy that made us all laugh.

That being said, the plot didn't hold together very well for me. Somewhere in the middle, things get a little TOO confusing and far-fetched, even for Scooby. The story seems to slow down and then jump ahead making the movie lurch along awkwardly. Daphne's voice seems slow and... old! The dialog really dragged in parts. The extra characters didn't have much personality or add interest to the movie, they were just... there.

Overall the movie was OK and my kids enjoy it now and then. Not the greatest... but pretty good.