21 reviews
- voicemaster71
- Jan 3, 2007
- Permalink
The New Scooby Doo Movies is fun to watch. The animation is a tad dated, but the feel of the show is pretty faithful to Scooby Doo Where Are You? I loved the jokes, and the voice acting was great, especially Don Messick as Scooby and Casey Kasem as Shaggy. Heather North, Frank Welker and Nicole Jaffe are fine as well. I really liked the theme tune, and the incidental music. The show also had famous faces like the Harlem Globetrotters, the Addams Family and Sonny and Cher, and each mystery is as fun and silly as the one before it. The villains are not so bad either, even The Joker and the Penguin make welcome appearances. This is a good show, look out for it. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 21, 2009
- Permalink
This is the second incarnation of the Scooby-Doo cartoon series, where the Great Dane joins sleuths Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy to solve ghostly and out-of-this-world mysteries. Now, along for the ride in each episode are celebrity guest stars like Don Knotts, Sonny & Cher, Batman & Robin, Laurel & Hardy and the Addams Family.
With this series incarnation, you continue to see some good classic detective elements in the episodes, from finding clues to splitting up to investigate, and gags and goofy comedy that the characters serve up, mostly courtesy of Shaggy and Scooby.
It can be a fun show at times, but this incarnation doesn't have as much of that spooky and suspense feel as the original series, as a result from the integration and concentration of the celebrity guest stars (which gave the series a more wacky, whimsical and light-hearted feel). I feel even the Mystery, Inc. gang characters act a little too overzealous and over-excited since they're around the guest stars, especially that of Fred, Daphne and Velma.
Overall, it's a still good childhood show, sure to generate some laughter from the kids.
Grade B
With this series incarnation, you continue to see some good classic detective elements in the episodes, from finding clues to splitting up to investigate, and gags and goofy comedy that the characters serve up, mostly courtesy of Shaggy and Scooby.
It can be a fun show at times, but this incarnation doesn't have as much of that spooky and suspense feel as the original series, as a result from the integration and concentration of the celebrity guest stars (which gave the series a more wacky, whimsical and light-hearted feel). I feel even the Mystery, Inc. gang characters act a little too overzealous and over-excited since they're around the guest stars, especially that of Fred, Daphne and Velma.
Overall, it's a still good childhood show, sure to generate some laughter from the kids.
Grade B
- OllieSuave-007
- Jan 1, 2017
- Permalink
I wasn't born when this cartoon aired Saturday mornings,but I caught the sydications in the 80s. I enjoy how Scooby teamed up with other Hanna-Barbera toon stars to solve mysteries. Along with Scooby and the gang there were celebrities like Don Knotts,the Addams Family,and the Harlem Globetrotters. These guest made it easier for Scooby and gang to solve mysteries because they're always strength in numbers.
- IrockGswift
- Feb 11, 2003
- Permalink
This was the last Scooby doo show to appear on CBS as it moved to ABC for the foreseeable future. Season one was produced in Hollywood while season two was produced overseas in Australia. My favorite episode is when Scooby doo meets Batman and robin .
- justin-fencsak
- Jun 23, 2019
- Permalink
So what the animation took a nose dive? Hey gimme a break.. its packaged good to go with extra pizzazz of celebrity comedians to boot (some living some apparently ghosts oops).. whom most of which writing this oct 2019 are def ghosts by now.. unless vampires. Yet even still it was fun back when it was new and even in 80s syndication and fun now. But maybe not for the purists who basically want it all to end with "thats snow ghost" and pick up perhaps with the scooby doo show years later (including Joe Barbera i watched an interview cannot find now) f at all.. I think these are at times really good along with that black sheep of the series "The funky Phantom" which ran for the two years in between the series during the 71/72 hiatus..still not bad and surely some gold childhood memories buried in there someplace.. if you can lighten up about the turn in animation which was.. so funky.
Contains 23 out of the 24 episodes (absent is S1's Wednesday is Missing, featuring the Addams Family, apparently due to licencing issues). For this series (which followed Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!), each episode featured a guest star or stars (some real-life, some Hanna-Barbera fictional characters). I hadn't seen most of these since first broadcast.
Season one; Ghastly Ghost Town (The Three Stooges) ~ 5/10; The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair (Batman and Robin)~ 6/10; The Frickert Fracas (Jonathan Winters) ~ 5/10; Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner? (Don Knotts) ~ 7/10; A Good Medium Is Rare (Phyllis Diller)~ 7/10; Sandy Duncan's Jekyll and Hyde (Sandy Duncan) ~ 6/10; The Secret of Shark Island (Sonny and Cher) ~ 8/10; The Spooky Fog of Juneberry (Don Knotts) ~ 7/10; The Ghost of Bigfoot (Laurel and Hardy) ~ 7/10; The Ghost of the Red Baron (The Three Stooges) ~ 5/10; The Ghostly Creep from the Deep (The Harlem Globetrotters) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall (Davy Jones) ~ 7/10; The Phantom of the Country Music Hall (Jerry Reed) ~ 5/10; The Caped Crusader Caper (Batman and Robin) ~ 4/10; The Loch Ness Mess (The Harlem Globetrotters) ~ 8/10
Edit (7 February 2022): Found the 'missing episode' Wednesday is Missing online ~ 8/10
Season two; The Mystery of Haunted Island (The Harlem Globetrotters) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Showboat (Josie and the Pussycats) ~ 8/10; Mystery in Persia (Jeannie) ~ 6/10; The Spirited Spooked Sports Show (Tim Conway) ~ 5/10; The Exterminator (Don Adams) ~ 7/10; The Weird Winds on Winona (Speed Buggy) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Candy Factory ('Mama' Cass Elliot) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Carnival (Dick Van Dyke) ~ 6/10
A few very good episodes, several okay episodes - and far too many poor ones. When this series is bad, it's BAD. Instead of making the most of its longer-than-usual 43 minute format, many of the episodes feel they're just over-extended reworkings of standard 22 minute scripts. The result is they feel drawn-out, repetitive (especially in the chase scenes), and at times boring.
Nevertheless, Frank Welker (Fred), Casey Kasem (Shaggy), Heather North (Daphne), Nicole Jaffe (Velma), and Don Messick (Scooby) all bring their A-game. And despite the stretched-out feel, there is some very funny writing, and some great atmospheric settings.
Overall, 6.5/10.
Season one; Ghastly Ghost Town (The Three Stooges) ~ 5/10; The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair (Batman and Robin)~ 6/10; The Frickert Fracas (Jonathan Winters) ~ 5/10; Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner? (Don Knotts) ~ 7/10; A Good Medium Is Rare (Phyllis Diller)~ 7/10; Sandy Duncan's Jekyll and Hyde (Sandy Duncan) ~ 6/10; The Secret of Shark Island (Sonny and Cher) ~ 8/10; The Spooky Fog of Juneberry (Don Knotts) ~ 7/10; The Ghost of Bigfoot (Laurel and Hardy) ~ 7/10; The Ghost of the Red Baron (The Three Stooges) ~ 5/10; The Ghostly Creep from the Deep (The Harlem Globetrotters) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall (Davy Jones) ~ 7/10; The Phantom of the Country Music Hall (Jerry Reed) ~ 5/10; The Caped Crusader Caper (Batman and Robin) ~ 4/10; The Loch Ness Mess (The Harlem Globetrotters) ~ 8/10
Edit (7 February 2022): Found the 'missing episode' Wednesday is Missing online ~ 8/10
Season two; The Mystery of Haunted Island (The Harlem Globetrotters) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Showboat (Josie and the Pussycats) ~ 8/10; Mystery in Persia (Jeannie) ~ 6/10; The Spirited Spooked Sports Show (Tim Conway) ~ 5/10; The Exterminator (Don Adams) ~ 7/10; The Weird Winds on Winona (Speed Buggy) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Candy Factory ('Mama' Cass Elliot) ~ 7/10; The Haunted Carnival (Dick Van Dyke) ~ 6/10
A few very good episodes, several okay episodes - and far too many poor ones. When this series is bad, it's BAD. Instead of making the most of its longer-than-usual 43 minute format, many of the episodes feel they're just over-extended reworkings of standard 22 minute scripts. The result is they feel drawn-out, repetitive (especially in the chase scenes), and at times boring.
Nevertheless, Frank Welker (Fred), Casey Kasem (Shaggy), Heather North (Daphne), Nicole Jaffe (Velma), and Don Messick (Scooby) all bring their A-game. And despite the stretched-out feel, there is some very funny writing, and some great atmospheric settings.
Overall, 6.5/10.
- Milk_Tray_Guy
- May 5, 2021
- Permalink
This is the one that I got addicted to as a child, and, honestly, the one that scared the heck out of me when I was a REALLY young child...or so my mother keeps telling me. I don't know if she's fibbing or not, she does lie a lot when it makes for a joke at my expense.
The guest appearances are what make the show and, the Dick Van Dyke episode is still the first thing I think of when I think of Scooby Doo...even though everyone has their favorites.
People still compare it to the original and say that it's not the same...not up to par...but honestly there isn't as much of difference between the two, save for the introductions, to really say they are not the exact same entertaining fun.
The guest appearances are what make the show and, the Dick Van Dyke episode is still the first thing I think of when I think of Scooby Doo...even though everyone has their favorites.
People still compare it to the original and say that it's not the same...not up to par...but honestly there isn't as much of difference between the two, save for the introductions, to really say they are not the exact same entertaining fun.
- generationofswine
- Mar 31, 2017
- Permalink
The New Scooby-Doo Movies may not be as good as the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! but that's not to say it isn't just as fun. The episodes in this show are extended (around 38-40 mins) allowing for twice the shenanigans. There's also the addition of celebrity guests to help the gang solve the mystery each episode, which allows for a lot of funny moments.
Whilst some of the episodes can become a little tedious due to the longer run time, on the whole the episodes are thoroughly enjoyable. The quality of animation seems to have been taken down a notch, with some glaring errors throughout the series, but this can be overlooked (maybe that's just the nostalgia speaking).
The voice cast remains the same as the second season of SDWAY, with Casey Kasem, Heather North, Nicole Jaffe, Frank Welker and Don Messick reprising their roles as Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, Fred and Scooby respectively, and they are all excellent in their roles.
The guest stars on the show are varied, for example the Addams Family, Sonny and Cher, Batman and Robin, The Harlem Globetrotters, Davy Jones etc, and it's nice watching them interact with the gang and helping with the investigation. In my opinion some of the guests are used more effectively than others but that's just me.
One of the minor issues I have with a few episodes is that there are instances where the writers tried to make jokes that were just not very funny or just felt a bit cringe. Like in the first episode with The Three Stooges, Fred jokes that the desert is like a woman, it goes on and on and on, and he says this to Daphne! Also in the episode with Davy Jones, again Fred (come on Fred, what are you at) makes a 'quip' about women when the girls offer to help Davy out of a suit of armour after he fell down a flight of stairs. "Women, go figure them out". Alright Fred, you're trying to be funny and it's just not. Aside from these silly jokes, the humour is pretty good overall.
Overall, The New Scooby-Doo movies is a fun show that is quite often overlooked by fans. I can remember quite a few of the episodes vividly and enjoyed rewatching them all again before writing this review. If you haven't seen the show already I would suggest watching it. If you're a first time Scooby viewer, maybe it would be best to start off with average length episodes from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! or The Scooby-Doo Show, but if you're a Scooby fan who has somehow missed this series... give it a go! Some episodes may seem a bit boring due to a weak story and so-so guests, but on the whole the show is a lot of fun with some very memorable episodes.
Whilst some of the episodes can become a little tedious due to the longer run time, on the whole the episodes are thoroughly enjoyable. The quality of animation seems to have been taken down a notch, with some glaring errors throughout the series, but this can be overlooked (maybe that's just the nostalgia speaking).
The voice cast remains the same as the second season of SDWAY, with Casey Kasem, Heather North, Nicole Jaffe, Frank Welker and Don Messick reprising their roles as Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, Fred and Scooby respectively, and they are all excellent in their roles.
The guest stars on the show are varied, for example the Addams Family, Sonny and Cher, Batman and Robin, The Harlem Globetrotters, Davy Jones etc, and it's nice watching them interact with the gang and helping with the investigation. In my opinion some of the guests are used more effectively than others but that's just me.
One of the minor issues I have with a few episodes is that there are instances where the writers tried to make jokes that were just not very funny or just felt a bit cringe. Like in the first episode with The Three Stooges, Fred jokes that the desert is like a woman, it goes on and on and on, and he says this to Daphne! Also in the episode with Davy Jones, again Fred (come on Fred, what are you at) makes a 'quip' about women when the girls offer to help Davy out of a suit of armour after he fell down a flight of stairs. "Women, go figure them out". Alright Fred, you're trying to be funny and it's just not. Aside from these silly jokes, the humour is pretty good overall.
Overall, The New Scooby-Doo movies is a fun show that is quite often overlooked by fans. I can remember quite a few of the episodes vividly and enjoyed rewatching them all again before writing this review. If you haven't seen the show already I would suggest watching it. If you're a first time Scooby viewer, maybe it would be best to start off with average length episodes from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! or The Scooby-Doo Show, but if you're a Scooby fan who has somehow missed this series... give it a go! Some episodes may seem a bit boring due to a weak story and so-so guests, but on the whole the show is a lot of fun with some very memorable episodes.
- conallturley
- Jun 8, 2018
- Permalink
Iconic Scooby Doo, Iconic celebs, One of the greatest Scooby Doo Series ever.
For the new generation its basically an older version of Guess Who Scooby Doo.
For the new generation its basically an older version of Guess Who Scooby Doo.
- MrMovieReviewer
- Jun 4, 2021
- Permalink
It can not be said to be any better than the classic Scooby Doo series, but even so, I loved it, FANTASTIC (taking out the fact that Batman and Robin appeared). Highly recommend.
- afonsobritofalves
- Sep 12, 2018
- Permalink
As a massive fan of the original series, you can imagine my positive surprise when I found about this ambitious sequel which doubles the original's runtime and adds famous guests to the show. Sadly, not everything went according to plan. First problem is the fact that not all guest stars mesh well with the gang and concept of Scooby-Doo, while some surprisingly do. Second problem has something to do with the base idea of Scooby-Doo in general. It began it's life an reached it's success by bringing horror to kids and making it more digestible for them by introducing lovable characters and humour. Sadly, the horror aspect is considerably weakened in this series. I'm not saying original series gave me traumas or anything and predictability of the episodes lessened the sense of danger, but some of those episodes still give me the creeps as an adult because we actually feel that the characters are in danger and that those criminals dressed as monsters want to get rid of them at any cost. And when you mix those two problems, you have "The New Scooby-Doo Movies". When it works and guest stars mesh well with the gang, it's more than enjoyable piece of entertainment even despite the fact that the horror aspect is absent. When things don't work well and guest stars don't mesh well, it feels really boring and tired and the absence of horror aspect makes it so more obvious. So, at the end of the day, imagine "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" as a big pizza. Not every slice is as good as those with extra toppings, but nevertheless, if you like pizza, you will eat it anyway. So, I give the series a 7/10! Even with it's shortcomings, it's still a warm piece of nostalgia and Scooby-Doo fun and the fact that this weird combination of our favourite gang of teenage sleuths and visiting guest stars even exists is the reason in itself to watch it!
- markovd111
- Nov 12, 2023
- Permalink
I know that's an odd criticism to make, but that's just one of the many problems with the New Scooby-Doo Movies. About a year or so ago I decided to sit through all the Scooby-Doo cartoons up to the present day, but I haven't even reached the Scrappy episodes yet and my interest is already wearing thin. Unfortunately I'm too stubborn to simply give up either.
The biggest problem with the series is the episode length. They call them "movies" but they're only about 40 minutes long - but they could still stand to be a great bit shorter. The actual stories themselves - the mystery - feel like an afterthought, playing second fiddle to the non-stop hijinks of Shaggy, Scooby and whoever the guest star happens to be this week. Fred, Daphne and Velma seem to be there just to provide us with a running commentary. The mysteries, such as they are, are considerably less well-thought out as the original, where the monster would somehow fit into the local mythos. Here you get the ghost of a German WW1 pilot haunting an American airfield for some reason.
The other major problem is the guest stars. More often than not, the celebrity guest stars are voiced by somebody else, making me wonder why they're included at all if we're just gonna get some impersonators. It feels very much like the kind of horrid 70's variety show that is very dated now, where we're introduced a "celebrity guest" as if they were the real deal, but instead we get a lousy lookalike act. It's especially noticeable with the likes of Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges, most of whom were dead at the time this series was made. When the celebrity guest is a fictional character themselves, like Batman or the Addams Family, it works a lot better since it becomes just a crossover cartoon.
When I watched the original series, I inadvertedly watched some episodes from the late 70's which were labeled under a third season, and they definitely feel like this series but considerably cut down in length and without the unnecessary guest stars hogging up all the screentime.
The biggest problem with the series is the episode length. They call them "movies" but they're only about 40 minutes long - but they could still stand to be a great bit shorter. The actual stories themselves - the mystery - feel like an afterthought, playing second fiddle to the non-stop hijinks of Shaggy, Scooby and whoever the guest star happens to be this week. Fred, Daphne and Velma seem to be there just to provide us with a running commentary. The mysteries, such as they are, are considerably less well-thought out as the original, where the monster would somehow fit into the local mythos. Here you get the ghost of a German WW1 pilot haunting an American airfield for some reason.
The other major problem is the guest stars. More often than not, the celebrity guest stars are voiced by somebody else, making me wonder why they're included at all if we're just gonna get some impersonators. It feels very much like the kind of horrid 70's variety show that is very dated now, where we're introduced a "celebrity guest" as if they were the real deal, but instead we get a lousy lookalike act. It's especially noticeable with the likes of Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges, most of whom were dead at the time this series was made. When the celebrity guest is a fictional character themselves, like Batman or the Addams Family, it works a lot better since it becomes just a crossover cartoon.
When I watched the original series, I inadvertedly watched some episodes from the late 70's which were labeled under a third season, and they definitely feel like this series but considerably cut down in length and without the unnecessary guest stars hogging up all the screentime.
- Takeshi666
- Dec 5, 2018
- Permalink
Why did the Mystery Machine kids suddenly start teaming up with these characters? Why not Yogi Bear or Huckleberry Hound? Why was this cartoon an hour long? Scooby Doo, at this time, was only 3 years old. The transition of these kids and their dog will be one of the most intriguing journeys in cartoon history to track. The Scooby Movies are that incredible as well.
I do recall eventually watching these back when they aired, and clearly did not watch them straight through. The New Scooby Movies aired opposite the quickly-cancelled Saturday Superstar Movies on ABC, which I did watch instead back then in '72.
Later that year, I would check out the movies and was floored. The animation for many HB cartoons at this time was poor, plots are horrible too, so the celebs were pretty much on their own. Don KNotts does seem to be the winner here with his two appearances. In this limited animation program, he does manage to deliver some one-of-a-kind lines for a cartoon.
My siblings and I did rather enjoy the Jonathan Winters one as well, mainly for the Mother Frickert character, also voiced by Winters. Phyllis Diller seemed to have extensive fun too (when the gang is trying to open a heavy door, Diller quips "what a shame I'm not strong instead of just. . . gorgeous!" she says in an alluring manner).
I had no recollection of the Cass Elliott adventure in the candy factory, but Elliott seems to have fun, as she runs with the more exciting Shaggy and Scooby. It is interesting to study who runs with the exciting pair and who runs with the dull trio, Fred, Velma and Daphne. Sonny & Cher, the Stooges and ALL of Josie and the Pussycats would go with the trio, leaving Shaggy and Scooby to save the day.
Davy Jones adventure would stand as perhaps the only time that the group split differently with Davy taking Velma and Daphne and Fred going with Shaggy and Scooby. I do recall the ghostly knight and the moat monster from Jones' Hagglethorne Hall adventure, but I didn't recall Davy Jones til I saw the show later.
Stan Laurel died in '65, Oliver Hardy in '56 so no, neither of them did their voices. The same for Larry Fine of the stooges, who had a stroke in '71. Both Moe Howard and Fine would die in '75, so they were clearly too old to do decent voices perhaps.
Also, the real Harlem Globetrotters didn't do the cartoon voices, as that is Scatman Crothers doing Meadowlark Lemon's voice, in the Globetrotter cartoon as well as in the 3 Scooby movies.
Jerry Reed ("Little Mary Sunshine") and Sandy Duncan were voted the two worst movies.
I had no remembrance of the Dick Van Dyke, Don Adams or Tim Conway movies either, probably because I was too little to know who they were.
Hands down, the Josie and the Pussycats meeting has to be the most incredible with Josie-Daphne, Alan M.-Freddie, Shaggy-Alexander cancellations taking place left and right, especially to the point of Alexander's voice changing. Not surprising, Casey Kasem has no recollection of this meeting as he must have thought he was doing the same character's voice.
Still, the meetings are head-shaking as well. Don Adams is an exterminator, Jonathan Winters was working at a service station, Tim Conway was a coach, Dick Van Dyke was the owner of a carnival.
Good or bad, there must be something to the cartoons as they are being discussed and debated over thirty years later and counting.
I do recall eventually watching these back when they aired, and clearly did not watch them straight through. The New Scooby Movies aired opposite the quickly-cancelled Saturday Superstar Movies on ABC, which I did watch instead back then in '72.
Later that year, I would check out the movies and was floored. The animation for many HB cartoons at this time was poor, plots are horrible too, so the celebs were pretty much on their own. Don KNotts does seem to be the winner here with his two appearances. In this limited animation program, he does manage to deliver some one-of-a-kind lines for a cartoon.
My siblings and I did rather enjoy the Jonathan Winters one as well, mainly for the Mother Frickert character, also voiced by Winters. Phyllis Diller seemed to have extensive fun too (when the gang is trying to open a heavy door, Diller quips "what a shame I'm not strong instead of just. . . gorgeous!" she says in an alluring manner).
I had no recollection of the Cass Elliott adventure in the candy factory, but Elliott seems to have fun, as she runs with the more exciting Shaggy and Scooby. It is interesting to study who runs with the exciting pair and who runs with the dull trio, Fred, Velma and Daphne. Sonny & Cher, the Stooges and ALL of Josie and the Pussycats would go with the trio, leaving Shaggy and Scooby to save the day.
Davy Jones adventure would stand as perhaps the only time that the group split differently with Davy taking Velma and Daphne and Fred going with Shaggy and Scooby. I do recall the ghostly knight and the moat monster from Jones' Hagglethorne Hall adventure, but I didn't recall Davy Jones til I saw the show later.
Stan Laurel died in '65, Oliver Hardy in '56 so no, neither of them did their voices. The same for Larry Fine of the stooges, who had a stroke in '71. Both Moe Howard and Fine would die in '75, so they were clearly too old to do decent voices perhaps.
Also, the real Harlem Globetrotters didn't do the cartoon voices, as that is Scatman Crothers doing Meadowlark Lemon's voice, in the Globetrotter cartoon as well as in the 3 Scooby movies.
Jerry Reed ("Little Mary Sunshine") and Sandy Duncan were voted the two worst movies.
I had no remembrance of the Dick Van Dyke, Don Adams or Tim Conway movies either, probably because I was too little to know who they were.
Hands down, the Josie and the Pussycats meeting has to be the most incredible with Josie-Daphne, Alan M.-Freddie, Shaggy-Alexander cancellations taking place left and right, especially to the point of Alexander's voice changing. Not surprising, Casey Kasem has no recollection of this meeting as he must have thought he was doing the same character's voice.
Still, the meetings are head-shaking as well. Don Adams is an exterminator, Jonathan Winters was working at a service station, Tim Conway was a coach, Dick Van Dyke was the owner of a carnival.
Good or bad, there must be something to the cartoons as they are being discussed and debated over thirty years later and counting.
- richard.fuller1
- Aug 3, 2003
- Permalink
The second installment in the Scooby-Doo franchise is a bit weaker then it's predecessor but being that this is an hour show with hilarious guest stars like Don Knotts and the Harlem Globetrotters it makes up for a lot of fun.
The only let down this show had was that the hidden jokes were toned down to accommodate for the guest stars.
The only let down this show had was that the hidden jokes were toned down to accommodate for the guest stars.
- TheTVConnoisseur
- Jun 30, 2003
- Permalink
This show was funny and the guest stars were good sometimes. The Harlem Globetroppers and Don Knots were hilarious! Still the Batman & Robin episode was pretty messed up though. Nevertheless it was fun having a one hour Scooby show.
- TheMan3051
- Jun 27, 2002
- Permalink
"The New Scooby Doo Movies",made its premiere on CBS-TV in September of 1972 and it lasted well on until the fall of 1974. I saw this when I was a kid on Saturday Mornings and I got to see this episodes again when the show aired again in syndication during the 1980's. During its first season,the show had the kids solving mysteries with special guests and this was when the series was good,and then the show took a nose-dived during its final season and from there it said it all. Don't get me wrong here,I am a HUGE fan of the original show by the way,but when this format came about you tell that some of the stars who lend their voices here should have never committed to coming on and playing second fiddle with the kids in catching the creepy ghost or phantom who were still trying to scare them away,but still they got the suspecct at the end of each episode. Also,these were the best from the first season and here were some that were huge problems especially when the gang stumbles onto them during the first twenty minutes of the show.
For instance, they met Laurel and Hardy whom both were dead 30 years prior to when "Scooby Doo" even hit the airwaves(this was back in 1972) and also one was with the "Three Stooges" which way totally far out and cool. The only thing was that Curly was dead for 20 years prior to the show's airing although Moe and Larry were still alive at the time,but in opinion it would have made sense if they could have gotten Curly Joe who was also alive at the time this episode was made,but the producers at Hanna-Barbera(which produced the series)wanted the original Curly,who was deceased! Also,there were three episodes where the kids solve mysteries with the Harlem Globetrotters,and two which featured the dynamic duo Batman and Robin as they tangle with two of the meanest villains ever devised:Penguin and The Joker....it would have been even great if the producers gotten the voices of Burgess Meredith and Cesar Romero,who were still living at the time this show aired,but nooooooo! Adam West or Burt Ward? The producers didn't even think of that,but we have radio personality Casey Kasem who does double duty with this as the voices of the Boy Wonder Robin and also Shaggy and a host of other characters.
The Globetrotters episodes are my favorites,as well as the ones which featured Phyllis Diller,Dick Van Dyke,Sandy Duncan,Davy Jones(of the Monkees),Tim Conway,Don Knotts,Don Adams,and The Addams Family(in which the producers got this right by getting the original stars of the show as voiceovers with the talents of John Astin,Carolyn Jones,Jackie Coogan,and Ted Cassidy-the weirdest and also the best of the first season)not to mention getting Sonny and Cher as guest stars with some of the best dialogue ever for a Saturday Morning cartoon show.
The worst of the bunch.....first off who would have thought that the group would work well with the gang. Jerry Reed? Josie and the Pussycats? Speed Buggy? Jeannie?(stupid idea and way out of place) Cass Elliott? Jonathan Winters? The Partridge Kids? and the worst of the bunch from the second season where the producers took the Redbeard characters from a 1969 episode and from there stripped them of their color....didn't they solve this mystery in the original? Why was it brought back from the original series? Now,that's a mystery that the producers couldn't solve nor save this show in its second season. CBS cancelled this entirely in 1974. It's replacement consisted of repeated episodes of the original "Scooby Doo,Where Are You?" series that aired on CBS from 1969-1972.
The second season was the worst of the bunch,and from there Scooby and the gang moved from CBS to ABC in 1975,and with the addition to one of the worst characters in history which destroy the franchise SCRAPPY, the series went into a flame of dog crap. Stick to the original series which ran from 1969-1972,and they were way better than this.
For instance, they met Laurel and Hardy whom both were dead 30 years prior to when "Scooby Doo" even hit the airwaves(this was back in 1972) and also one was with the "Three Stooges" which way totally far out and cool. The only thing was that Curly was dead for 20 years prior to the show's airing although Moe and Larry were still alive at the time,but in opinion it would have made sense if they could have gotten Curly Joe who was also alive at the time this episode was made,but the producers at Hanna-Barbera(which produced the series)wanted the original Curly,who was deceased! Also,there were three episodes where the kids solve mysteries with the Harlem Globetrotters,and two which featured the dynamic duo Batman and Robin as they tangle with two of the meanest villains ever devised:Penguin and The Joker....it would have been even great if the producers gotten the voices of Burgess Meredith and Cesar Romero,who were still living at the time this show aired,but nooooooo! Adam West or Burt Ward? The producers didn't even think of that,but we have radio personality Casey Kasem who does double duty with this as the voices of the Boy Wonder Robin and also Shaggy and a host of other characters.
The Globetrotters episodes are my favorites,as well as the ones which featured Phyllis Diller,Dick Van Dyke,Sandy Duncan,Davy Jones(of the Monkees),Tim Conway,Don Knotts,Don Adams,and The Addams Family(in which the producers got this right by getting the original stars of the show as voiceovers with the talents of John Astin,Carolyn Jones,Jackie Coogan,and Ted Cassidy-the weirdest and also the best of the first season)not to mention getting Sonny and Cher as guest stars with some of the best dialogue ever for a Saturday Morning cartoon show.
The worst of the bunch.....first off who would have thought that the group would work well with the gang. Jerry Reed? Josie and the Pussycats? Speed Buggy? Jeannie?(stupid idea and way out of place) Cass Elliott? Jonathan Winters? The Partridge Kids? and the worst of the bunch from the second season where the producers took the Redbeard characters from a 1969 episode and from there stripped them of their color....didn't they solve this mystery in the original? Why was it brought back from the original series? Now,that's a mystery that the producers couldn't solve nor save this show in its second season. CBS cancelled this entirely in 1974. It's replacement consisted of repeated episodes of the original "Scooby Doo,Where Are You?" series that aired on CBS from 1969-1972.
The second season was the worst of the bunch,and from there Scooby and the gang moved from CBS to ABC in 1975,and with the addition to one of the worst characters in history which destroy the franchise SCRAPPY, the series went into a flame of dog crap. Stick to the original series which ran from 1969-1972,and they were way better than this.
I have loved Scooby Doo since I was a little kid. I looked forward to seeing him everyday after school. The station that showed it (I think TBS, mid-80's) would show the 1969-1971 episodes on Monday, half a `New Scooby Movie' on Tuesday, its second part on Wednesday, and 1976 episodes on Thursday and Friday. Without a doubt, Mondays were my favorite. Looking at Scooby as a whole, you just can't get any better than those wonderful episodes. I also liked most of the 1976 shows. But I always hated Tuesdays and Wednesdays because I hated sitting through a `New Scooby Doo Movie.' Not really knowing why, I carried the memory of them throughout the years with resentment, and over the years I would hear people praising the 1972 run whenever the topic of Scooby Doo came up. A few months ago, I decided to see if my feelings have been wrong all these years. I sat down and watched every single `Movie.' And you know what? My memory was almost exactly right. I remembered every episode and my old feelings for nearly every one of those episodes was unmoving. To me, this set of episodes is about as detrimental to the Scooby franchise as the first few miserable years of Scrappy Doo were before they mercifully scrapped his tough-pup personality for something more mellow (Although whoever it was that decided to KEEP Scrappy around for another decade will have a nice warm seat in Hades someday; right next to the seat of Scrappy's creator).
So what exactly is it that I hate about these episodes? We can start with the guest stars. I had an advantage on others my age when I was young in that I knew who most of the stars were. The problem is that the scripts are forced to haul a lot of attention to the guests and their antics, especially if the guest was a comedian or there was a large group of guests. With another big chunk of attention going to Shaggy and Scooby, there was little time for anything else. The fundamental thing that is a Scooby Doo episode---the mystery---was pushed aside and forgotten or mishandled in favor of showcasing the guests. It also caused most mysteries to be simplified, the plot either being recycled or sloppily executed. Suspects? No time! Just throw in some ghosts, a so-called crime, and call it a mystery!
Worse yet, the animation took a huge nose-dive. It's as if all the money went to paying the real guests to do their own voices that there was nothing left for a good animation crew. Sure, there were plenty of glitches in the 1969 shows, but the `Movies' went overboard on them. Direction also seemed poorer, like Hanna & Barbera just stopped caring. Even a staple of the show, the ghosts, usually looked incredibly cheap. Many episodes give us a conglomeration of poorly conceived ghosts that continuously pop up and befuddle the gang. It's not very clever and robs interest from the plot if there isn't one specific ghost to catch. Other times, they just take a crudely drawn ghost and give them no color. How boring it is to watch a colorless figure running after the gang. The worst of these (and the rock-bottom, worst episode for that matter) is the one where they merely took the Redbeard characters from 1969 and stripped them of their color. Really, if you had solved a mystery of Redbeard three years before and were suddenly hounded by his ghost again, wouldn't you immediately know it was a hoax?
Perhaps these elements wouldn't be so bad if the writing was good, but that is the most criminal aspect of them all. The humor is usually really terrible, with much of it relying on the charm of the guest star to provide its yuks, but much of the humor is so poor that it wipes away the charm of the guest. The most hideous examples of comedy are the episodes with Don Adams and Don Knotts. And you would think that these comedians would be a perfect fit with Scooby's atmosphere! There are also characters which should never, ever have been paired with Scoob: Batman & Robin, Jeannie, and the Addams Family. And there is something sad about the Cass Elliot episode, where Elliot made a bunch of cracks about her weight, an issue she was sensitive about and that would help take her life one year later. The thing that really gets to me is the flagrant time wasting. Characters will step out of the plot and do a long, drawn-out, unfunny activity. It happens all the time, but the worst is in a Globetrotters episode where we are forced to sit through the basketball playing, watching the same animated shots over and over again. Keep in mind there are THREE Globetrotter episodes, all with flagrant time wasting! Now, not all episodes are poorly written. The Davy Jones episode is the best, with good ghosts, good use of Jones, and a good plot. Same with the Three Stooges/Red Baron and Tim Conway episodes. The big shock for me was the Dick Van Dyke episode. The ghosts and story were nothing special, but the funny writing and humor with Van Dyke was so good that it made the episode exceptional.
For what it is worth, here are the episodes followed by a rating for each one, in descending order: Davy Jones--10; Three Stooges (Red Baron)--9; Dick Van Dyke--9; Tim Conway--8; Laurel & Hardy--7; Batman & Robin (Counterfeit Case)--7; Sonny & Cher--6; Phyllis Diller--6; Speed Buggy--6; Jerry Reed--5; Jonathan Winters--5; Batman & Robin (Flying Suit)--5; Cass Elliot--5; Three Stooges (Ghost Town)--5; Sandy Duncan--4 Addams Family--3; Globetrotters (Revolutionary Ghosts)--2; Josie & the Pussycats--2; Globetrotters (Haunted Island)--1; Jeannie--1; Don Adams--1; Don Knotts (Captain Moody)--1; Don Knotts (Spooky Fog)--1; Globetrotters (Redbeard)--1.
Thanks to the 1976 series, Scooby survived this blast against his credibility, only to be doused with gasoline and lit aflame a few years later with the coming of Scrappy. Still, at least it only took you thirty minutes to label a Scrappy episode as junk, not a full hour. Scrappy was bad, but for my money, `The New Scooby Movies' rank as the worst Scooby series.
So what exactly is it that I hate about these episodes? We can start with the guest stars. I had an advantage on others my age when I was young in that I knew who most of the stars were. The problem is that the scripts are forced to haul a lot of attention to the guests and their antics, especially if the guest was a comedian or there was a large group of guests. With another big chunk of attention going to Shaggy and Scooby, there was little time for anything else. The fundamental thing that is a Scooby Doo episode---the mystery---was pushed aside and forgotten or mishandled in favor of showcasing the guests. It also caused most mysteries to be simplified, the plot either being recycled or sloppily executed. Suspects? No time! Just throw in some ghosts, a so-called crime, and call it a mystery!
Worse yet, the animation took a huge nose-dive. It's as if all the money went to paying the real guests to do their own voices that there was nothing left for a good animation crew. Sure, there were plenty of glitches in the 1969 shows, but the `Movies' went overboard on them. Direction also seemed poorer, like Hanna & Barbera just stopped caring. Even a staple of the show, the ghosts, usually looked incredibly cheap. Many episodes give us a conglomeration of poorly conceived ghosts that continuously pop up and befuddle the gang. It's not very clever and robs interest from the plot if there isn't one specific ghost to catch. Other times, they just take a crudely drawn ghost and give them no color. How boring it is to watch a colorless figure running after the gang. The worst of these (and the rock-bottom, worst episode for that matter) is the one where they merely took the Redbeard characters from 1969 and stripped them of their color. Really, if you had solved a mystery of Redbeard three years before and were suddenly hounded by his ghost again, wouldn't you immediately know it was a hoax?
Perhaps these elements wouldn't be so bad if the writing was good, but that is the most criminal aspect of them all. The humor is usually really terrible, with much of it relying on the charm of the guest star to provide its yuks, but much of the humor is so poor that it wipes away the charm of the guest. The most hideous examples of comedy are the episodes with Don Adams and Don Knotts. And you would think that these comedians would be a perfect fit with Scooby's atmosphere! There are also characters which should never, ever have been paired with Scoob: Batman & Robin, Jeannie, and the Addams Family. And there is something sad about the Cass Elliot episode, where Elliot made a bunch of cracks about her weight, an issue she was sensitive about and that would help take her life one year later. The thing that really gets to me is the flagrant time wasting. Characters will step out of the plot and do a long, drawn-out, unfunny activity. It happens all the time, but the worst is in a Globetrotters episode where we are forced to sit through the basketball playing, watching the same animated shots over and over again. Keep in mind there are THREE Globetrotter episodes, all with flagrant time wasting! Now, not all episodes are poorly written. The Davy Jones episode is the best, with good ghosts, good use of Jones, and a good plot. Same with the Three Stooges/Red Baron and Tim Conway episodes. The big shock for me was the Dick Van Dyke episode. The ghosts and story were nothing special, but the funny writing and humor with Van Dyke was so good that it made the episode exceptional.
For what it is worth, here are the episodes followed by a rating for each one, in descending order: Davy Jones--10; Three Stooges (Red Baron)--9; Dick Van Dyke--9; Tim Conway--8; Laurel & Hardy--7; Batman & Robin (Counterfeit Case)--7; Sonny & Cher--6; Phyllis Diller--6; Speed Buggy--6; Jerry Reed--5; Jonathan Winters--5; Batman & Robin (Flying Suit)--5; Cass Elliot--5; Three Stooges (Ghost Town)--5; Sandy Duncan--4 Addams Family--3; Globetrotters (Revolutionary Ghosts)--2; Josie & the Pussycats--2; Globetrotters (Haunted Island)--1; Jeannie--1; Don Adams--1; Don Knotts (Captain Moody)--1; Don Knotts (Spooky Fog)--1; Globetrotters (Redbeard)--1.
Thanks to the 1976 series, Scooby survived this blast against his credibility, only to be doused with gasoline and lit aflame a few years later with the coming of Scrappy. Still, at least it only took you thirty minutes to label a Scrappy episode as junk, not a full hour. Scrappy was bad, but for my money, `The New Scooby Movies' rank as the worst Scooby series.
- Zantara Xenophobe
- Jun 2, 2002
- Permalink
When this show was on I watched it every time I could! I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The animation in My opinion was crisp, clean, and really clear. Not to mention beautiful! Most of the characters in this show are like the hilarious Looney Tunes characters that we all love. in My opinion these characters are the funnies and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the original Looney Tunes then I strongly recommend that you watch this show!
- Movie Nuttball
- Jul 14, 2005
- Permalink
Don't get me wrong, I love "Scooby Doo" as much as the next guy, and I do like this show. I think the concept was good overall, but the problem I have is basically the celebrities that Scooby and the gang met.
For instance, they met Laurel and Hardy both of whom were dead before "Scooby-Doo" even hit the airwaves. Another moment was when they met the "Three Stooges" which was cool, the only thing was that Curly was dead for 20 years prior to the show's airing (It would've made sense if they had Curly Joe who WAS alive at the time appear but nooo. They had Curly!), although Moe, and Larry were OK since they were still alive at that time. Plus, how many times did Scooby and the gang solve mysteries with the Globetrotters? I know I've seen two episodes where they solved mysteries with the Globetrotters, but wasn't there another one (I might be right on just 2)? That right there is "Recycling" since they had ANOTHER episode with the Globetrotters (Don't get me wrong, the Globetrotters episodes are my favorites, as well as the Mama Cass one, but it's best to have a guest on ONCE. It's not a good thing to have one person, or persons on more then once). However, this show also had crossovers too with "Josie and the Pussycats", and "Speed Buggy". This was cool since all of these cartoons had one thing in common: They all involved characters who SOLVED mysteries!! That was a good point right there. I think I've got this down pat.
As I said before, don't get me wrong, I DO like this show, the only thing is that the celebrities that Scooby and the gang met were either dead, or that they solved mysteries with one particular group of celebs once too many. Overall this show is good. 8/10.
For instance, they met Laurel and Hardy both of whom were dead before "Scooby-Doo" even hit the airwaves. Another moment was when they met the "Three Stooges" which was cool, the only thing was that Curly was dead for 20 years prior to the show's airing (It would've made sense if they had Curly Joe who WAS alive at the time appear but nooo. They had Curly!), although Moe, and Larry were OK since they were still alive at that time. Plus, how many times did Scooby and the gang solve mysteries with the Globetrotters? I know I've seen two episodes where they solved mysteries with the Globetrotters, but wasn't there another one (I might be right on just 2)? That right there is "Recycling" since they had ANOTHER episode with the Globetrotters (Don't get me wrong, the Globetrotters episodes are my favorites, as well as the Mama Cass one, but it's best to have a guest on ONCE. It's not a good thing to have one person, or persons on more then once). However, this show also had crossovers too with "Josie and the Pussycats", and "Speed Buggy". This was cool since all of these cartoons had one thing in common: They all involved characters who SOLVED mysteries!! That was a good point right there. I think I've got this down pat.
As I said before, don't get me wrong, I DO like this show, the only thing is that the celebrities that Scooby and the gang met were either dead, or that they solved mysteries with one particular group of celebs once too many. Overall this show is good. 8/10.
I used to love watching this show. This show had so many things and the humor I can still enjoy. One of the many clever elements was the introduction of the "guest stars" such as Jerry Reed, Cass Elliot, Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie." I thought that was a nice touch. My ONLY beef was. . .
Scrappy of course. I understand that it was being done similarly to a sitcom (think Mad About You) but WHY would you introduce a young pup to the show to boost ratings for a KIDS show already? Big mistake. The only mistake worse was not making a mystery of "What Happened To Scrappy Doo?"
Scrappy of course. I understand that it was being done similarly to a sitcom (think Mad About You) but WHY would you introduce a young pup to the show to boost ratings for a KIDS show already? Big mistake. The only mistake worse was not making a mystery of "What Happened To Scrappy Doo?"