Voices of Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Mindy Cohn, and Grey DeLisle
Directed by David Block
Music and Lyrics by Randy Rogel and Andy Strummer
Scooby Doo, Where are You began in 1969, and was an immediate hit among kids, who loved the antics of ever-hungry Shaggy and Scooby Do. Those meddling teens of Mystery Incorporated have been back in many different forms and programs since then, including this made-for-home media film. While episodes of the franchise have occasionally featured a music-related guest star or incorporated a musical number, this is the first - and to date, only - time they've tried a flat-out musical. How does it compare to other Scooby shows and films? Let's start with, not the kids, but bayou hermit Tulie (Jim Cummings), who'll tell us more about their involvement with the vampires and their strange rituals, and find out...
The Story: Having been worn out by their previous case, the members of Mystery Inc decide a vacation is in order. Shaggy (Lillard) and Scooby (Welker) are hoping it'll be quiet, monster-free, and filled with food...but they only get their last wish. Mystery-loving Velma (Cohn) takes them to Petit Chauve Souis Ville, home of vampire specialist Vincent Van Helsing (Jeff Bennett).
Van Helsing is hoping the local carnival "Vampire-Palooza" will restore his family's good name and the popularity of his factual vampire books, but his books and the carnival are a bust. People would rather see teen vampire romances and watch a group of performers who live like real vampires perform rituals onstage. Their vampire resurrection ritual gets a little too real when it seems to bring the centuries-old vampire Valdronya to life!
While Velma joins Van Helsing to figure out what's going on here, Fred takes up with anti-vampire crusader and town mayor Jesper Poubelle (Cummings) to pick up the latest in vampire-catching gear, and Shaggy is convinced that he's been, like, totally bitten by a vampire and is about to turn into one. They all have to join the crusade if they're going to save Daphne from Valdonya and the hypnotized actors, who think she's the Vampire's bride to be!
The Animation: About what you'd expect from a direct-to-DVD movie made a decade ago. The colors are clean and sharp, and while nothing to write home about, the characters move well and the backgrounds are reasonably detailed, especially in the bayou and onstage. There's some decent special effects with the vampire dances and rituals and Valdronya's appearances as well.
The Song and Dance: Well, I give Hanna-Barbara credit for trying something different with the characters. The vampire scheme is really elaborate, going slightly beyond "bad guy running around with a mask" and into more credible illusions. The kids who "live" their horror roles have a few decent gags, especially when the pale and handsome Bram (Christian Campbell) flirts with Daphne and makes Fred jealous. There's some funny moments when Scooby and Shaggy think the latter's slowly transforming into a vampire about midway through the film, too.
Favorite Number: The kids sing about how they're "Done With Monsters" in the Mystery Machine on their way to what they think will be a relaxing trip, imagining all the non-mysterious things they'll do when they arrive. "Valdronya Returns" is the vampire actors' big number as they writhe and revel in their crazy special effects, hoping for the majestic evil vampire to rise again. Bram's romantic duet with Daphne hypnotizes her into becoming a bride, asking "Do You Want to Live Forever?"
What I Don't Like: This franchise doesn't really work as a musical. "Kids chasing people in masks" is a weird enough premise as it is. Throwing in musical numbers doesn't really add a whole lot. It doesn't help that DeLisle is the only regular actor who can sing. Cohn and Welker didn't do their own singing, and Lillard's "Scooby and Me," when Shaggy and Scooby claim they'll be together no matter what, is painful. Plentiful spoofs of the Twilight vampire romance series and other teen horror tropes date the story rather badly, too.
The Big Finale: In the end, I can understand why Hanna-Barbara never tried anything quite like this with Scooby and Mystery Inc again. Only come here if you're a really huge fan of Scooby Doo and absolutely must see all of the films and shows.
Home Media: As a relatively recent film released direct to DVD and streaming, this is easy to find in all major formats.
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