32 reviews
Ok, so not the worst movie. Probably the worst Scooby Doo movie out there, but at least it's still watchable. The guest stars and side characters have more likability than the main cast, sans Velma who absolutely dominates, to the point where the movie is almost about her. Bill Nye was an absolute treat, as wasn't Elvira, both of which are extremely likable and quirky in their own ways here. Shaggy and Scooby get dummed down a bit, but at least they're still funny. It's Daphne and Fred who really get nerfed, with the former being absolutely unacceptable (Fred was already a bit to late to be saved.)
The villain is good, with a rather good twist and is still scary enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Although there are some references in there that one would swear are just to prop up the movie.
Overall, watchable, with this really being Velma's time to shine, but don't count it as a must watch.
Well, I must admit that I was really looking forward to this 2020 Scooby-Doo animated movie. Why? Well, because it had Cassandra Peterson - aka Elvira - in the storyline as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, herself.
And while "Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" turned out to be just exactly as every other Scooby-Doo adventure, then it actually had some nice enough surprises and twists to it. But the familiarity of these movies running on the same blueprint is part of the Scooby-Doo charm, isn't it?
"Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" was watchable, but it wasn't really among the best of the Scooby-Doo animated movie franchise. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it was a bad movie, not at all. It was just a bit too generic in some aspects.
It was nice that the storyline included not only Elvira, but also Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow from the Batman universe. That was definitely a nice twist to the storyline. And I must admit that I enjoyed that.
The art and animation style is very familiar, keeping that traditional Scooby-Doo style to it, for better or worse.
"Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" is definitely well-worth sitting down to watch, especially if you have kids, but maybe do it around the Halloween time, because the story definitely fits into that theme.
My rating of "Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" is a six out of ten stars.
And while "Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" turned out to be just exactly as every other Scooby-Doo adventure, then it actually had some nice enough surprises and twists to it. But the familiarity of these movies running on the same blueprint is part of the Scooby-Doo charm, isn't it?
"Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" was watchable, but it wasn't really among the best of the Scooby-Doo animated movie franchise. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it was a bad movie, not at all. It was just a bit too generic in some aspects.
It was nice that the storyline included not only Elvira, but also Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow from the Batman universe. That was definitely a nice twist to the storyline. And I must admit that I enjoyed that.
The art and animation style is very familiar, keeping that traditional Scooby-Doo style to it, for better or worse.
"Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" is definitely well-worth sitting down to watch, especially if you have kids, but maybe do it around the Halloween time, because the story definitely fits into that theme.
My rating of "Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!" is a six out of ten stars.
- paul_haakonsen
- Oct 5, 2020
- Permalink
It was meh but I really like and laughed so hard when I saw Fred's preperation :D It was the same scene of Dutch preparing from Predator 1987. So good reference :)
- CelilbatuSoylemez
- Nov 29, 2020
- Permalink
This animation is fun for children. It's imaginative, spooky but not too scary.
While I didn't abhor them as some fans did, Curse of the 13th Ghost and Return to Zombie Island were certainly lesser Scooby entries, and I have been eager for a return to form. I'm not sure I'm prepared to go that far with Happy Halloween, but it is passable. The visuals are good, and the tone is excellent. It's fun to see Scarecrow here, and the ominous Halloween vibe comes through strongly. The mystery is decent, though I wouldn't say it's as much of a focus as I'd like, and the solution is a cool one but comes out of left field. The side characters aside from Scarecrow simply aren't very interesting - I have absolutely no idea why Elvira continues to hang around, as she was absolutely useless, and if they're aiming for relatability, if I didn't know who she was there's no way kids today do. Mike and his daughter were throwaway attempts at comic relief, and Bill Nye was a cool idea but felt more like a shoehorned Guess Who appearance than a cohesive addition. As always, the main tension is on the characters, and the script for them is the biggest problem with the movie: the humor feels extremely forced, as if it's desperate to stay relevant and capture the attention of "hip" modern kids. Daphne, who has been my favorite character in several recent movie and show iterations (shout out to Be Cool Daphne, the legend), is mind numbingly stupid and pointless here. She does nothing at all related to the mystery, makes a bunch of ill-fitting jokes and slang trash talk, and then has a bizarre obsession with becoming Elvira I did my best to ignore. Fred is fine, and Shaggy and Scooby are undoubtedly the bright spots of the movie, as the only ones with comedic lines that actually work, as they highlight the absurdity of the situations. Velma isn't as grating as she has been in previous movies, and I appreciate that they try to develop some depth to her here, but the mind palace was overemphasized and the realization that Shaggy and Scooby can be good for something doesn't seem to hit home as well as the writers thought it would. The many easter eggs and throwbacks were lots of fun, I do really like the idea and tone, and the mystery was a great idea if just fine in execution. The character troubles (primarily Daphne and Elvira just being terrible) and lack of development of the mystery hold back what could've been a very good movie.
- andrewroy-04316
- Nov 30, 2020
- Permalink
Crystal Cove is putting on a Halloween parade hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The rest of the Mystery Inc. gang is after the Haunted Scarecrow while Scooby-Doo and Shaggy hide in the van. It turns out to be Dr. Jonathon Crane aka the Scarecrow who had recently escaped from Arkham Asylum. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy do save the day as Scooby shoots down Scarecrow's drones with Halloween candy.
I haven't seen Scooby-Doo for many years. I didn't realize that they are now in the same cinematic universe as Batman. I wonder if they are going to be in the next Batman movie with R-Pat. The first fifteen minutes is the most compelling and memorable for that fact. The rest is a bit muddled and it can't get more jaw dropping than catching Scarecrow. Come on! Scarecrow is a solid Batman villain. I can't believe the kids caught an actual Batman villain.
I haven't seen Scooby-Doo for many years. I didn't realize that they are now in the same cinematic universe as Batman. I wonder if they are going to be in the next Batman movie with R-Pat. The first fifteen minutes is the most compelling and memorable for that fact. The rest is a bit muddled and it can't get more jaw dropping than catching Scarecrow. Come on! Scarecrow is a solid Batman villain. I can't believe the kids caught an actual Batman villain.
- SnoopyStyle
- Mar 3, 2021
- Permalink
I enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of the new scooby doo movies and the grim adventures of Billy and Mandy, which makes sense because Maxwell Atoms wrote this. I like that they decided to give the spotlight to Velma this time because she has always been an under rated character to me. the arc they give her is cheesy but effective. As far as the other characters they are okay although Daphne has some fun moments. although it was cool to see scare crow in the scooby doo art style he didn't do anything and Bill Nye was little annoying. the animation is very well done as usual for scooby doo. my biggest problem is the ending which if you have seen the recent scooby doo movies you know what I'm talking about. over all had fun.
- I-fought-back
- Sep 16, 2020
- Permalink
- jeremycrimsonfox
- Sep 15, 2020
- Permalink
I'm sure Frank Welker, Grey DeLise, and Matthew Lillard could do Fred, Scooby, Daphne, and Shaggy in their sleep. Of course, pros that they are they never sound it, and their work here is faultless. Kate Micucci has proven a fine Velma since she took over in 2015, and this is her best outing yet; knowledgeable without being know-all, firm yet friendly - and sassy. She really gets to shine (and Velma's skirts are DEFINITELY getting shorter!).
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Bill Nye the Science Guy are entertaining guests. And the inclusion of Batman villain Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (voiced by Dwight Schultz) gives a nice link to the DC universe. The movie does suffer from too many road chases, making the whole thing feel a little drawn-out, and for me pumpkins aren't scary - or even that exciting - as monsters. But it has top notch animation, witty dialogue, and incidental music with more than a hint of John Carpenter. 7.5/10
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Bill Nye the Science Guy are entertaining guests. And the inclusion of Batman villain Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (voiced by Dwight Schultz) gives a nice link to the DC universe. The movie does suffer from too many road chases, making the whole thing feel a little drawn-out, and for me pumpkins aren't scary - or even that exciting - as monsters. But it has top notch animation, witty dialogue, and incidental music with more than a hint of John Carpenter. 7.5/10
- Milk_Tray_Guy
- Mar 12, 2021
- Permalink
We paid $17 for this and we want at least $16 of that back. This was the worst Scooby ever made. The plot made no sense. Most of it was a roadway chase scene. The characters were just bizarre, especially Daphne who veered from imitating rap stars to worshiping Elvira. Save your money.
- dawn-ray18
- Oct 17, 2020
- Permalink
- mariaraluca-19590
- Oct 31, 2020
- Permalink
Absolutely pales in comparison to other autumn/Halloween-themed movies Witch's Ghost and Goblin King. "Mind palace" from Sherlock, seriously? Avocado toast? "Mary Sue"? Worst of all, a boring, insipid story that's like a half hour episode stretched out beyond the breaking point? And as Halloween episodes, Spooky Scarecrow and Be Cool's 'Halloween' were far better. Scoob!, all is forgiven.
So Velma is now not only the leader like Fred (who is now a moron) was but also an action badass like early 00s Daphne was?
Finally, the question of whether Scooby is better if monsters are real or are fake (with an equally outlandish explanation) has been answered by the 'monsters are real' Mook movies, the live action theatrical movies, and Ghoul School, among the best that the franchise has produced.
Focus less on guest stars and more on writing good stories. Mystery Incorporated and Be Cool accomplished that within the last decade, so the movies can do that as well.
So Velma is now not only the leader like Fred (who is now a moron) was but also an action badass like early 00s Daphne was?
Finally, the question of whether Scooby is better if monsters are real or are fake (with an equally outlandish explanation) has been answered by the 'monsters are real' Mook movies, the live action theatrical movies, and Ghoul School, among the best that the franchise has produced.
Focus less on guest stars and more on writing good stories. Mystery Incorporated and Be Cool accomplished that within the last decade, so the movies can do that as well.
- Tuefer_Benz
- Oct 6, 2020
- Permalink
- bmxrider-84613
- Oct 30, 2020
- Permalink
- dahiya-harsh55
- Oct 27, 2020
- Permalink
I really really liked this one! Not only as a great return to form after the trash released last year, but also as a great film in it's own right! Yes it can be pretty scatter-brained and pretty cheesy, but it still adds to the enjoyment!
If this is the last time for Grey Delise-Griffith and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Daphne, they definitely went out on a high note!
If this is the last time for Grey Delise-Griffith and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Daphne, they definitely went out on a high note!
- AnimStat64
- Oct 5, 2020
- Permalink
- colemlamberts
- Oct 14, 2020
- Permalink
Most of the animated Scooby Doo films range between good and great, especially 'Zombie Island' and 'Witch's Ghost'. Didn't care for every single one of them, 'Monster of Mexico' didn't do much for me and 'Return to Zombie Island' was a real disappointment (one that started off well but became a mess halfway through). Being a fan of Scooby Doo, watching 'Happy Halloween Scooby Doo' was never going to be in doubt, while hoping that it would be better than the previous outing.
The good news is 'Happy Halloween Scooby Doo' is an improvement over 'Return to Zombie Island'. The not so good news is that it is still not too great and a long way off from being one of the best Scooby Doo films (towards the lesser end in this regard and of all the franchise's Halloween-themed outings). The atmosphere is great and there are a fair share of good things, but the story could have been a lot stronger and one aspect particularly irritated me greatly. Am not surprised that the opinions have been fairly polarising here.
'Happy Halloween Scooby Doo' does look great on the animation front. Absolutely loved the look of the Jack-o-Lanterns, some very imaginative visuals on them. The music had groove and atmosphere and didn't sound outdated or out of place. The voice acting is much better here than it was in 'Return to Zombie Island', nobody overdoes it and nobody sounds bored. Although Matthew Lillard has still got it as Shaggy, Dwight Schultz effectively makes one suitably uneasy and Bill Nye was quite fun, my favourite turn came from Cassandra Peterson.
Elvira was also my favourite character here and loved how she had a bigger role and an active one. Kind of like a female Vincent Van Ghoul, except without as much Edgar Allen Poe-inspired dialogue. Nye may strike some as irrelevant, personally found him very entertaining and he was useful especially later on. The van is very cool and made me want to have one. Shaggy and Scooby are endearingly goofy as usual and Velma, though too domineering, more tolerable than she was in 'Return to Zombie Island'. A very nice job is done with the Halloween setting, which was suitably spooky, and the film actually does start off very well.
For all those good things, there were drawbacks. The story, with a thin as a wafer mystery, lacks momentum, due to having the feel of a 30 minute episode stretched to a film of just over twice that amount of time, and felt repetitive once the Jack-o-Lanterns were introduced and became a series of chases that weren't massively exciting, well actually on reflection it was one long chase that dominated the second half. The Jack-o-Lanterns are creepy and are imaginatively animated, but part of me wished that they had more to do. The denouement to me was a bit too convoluted and too out of nowhere, the perpetrator was a real surprise definitely but their plan was pretty complicated.
A good deal of the dialogue tends to be excessively silly and doesn't always flow well. Fred is very dull here and too much of a sappy spare part when it came to the mystery solving (which he did not do a lot of), it is hard to believe that this was the same character that was the leader of the gang in the earlier incarnations. Worst of all is Daphne, usually do not have a problem with her but here she is insufferably irritating and behaves in such a juvenile way with some very random and out of place slang phrases that were not hip at all.
Concluding, not too great but it was alright on the whole. 5/10
The good news is 'Happy Halloween Scooby Doo' is an improvement over 'Return to Zombie Island'. The not so good news is that it is still not too great and a long way off from being one of the best Scooby Doo films (towards the lesser end in this regard and of all the franchise's Halloween-themed outings). The atmosphere is great and there are a fair share of good things, but the story could have been a lot stronger and one aspect particularly irritated me greatly. Am not surprised that the opinions have been fairly polarising here.
'Happy Halloween Scooby Doo' does look great on the animation front. Absolutely loved the look of the Jack-o-Lanterns, some very imaginative visuals on them. The music had groove and atmosphere and didn't sound outdated or out of place. The voice acting is much better here than it was in 'Return to Zombie Island', nobody overdoes it and nobody sounds bored. Although Matthew Lillard has still got it as Shaggy, Dwight Schultz effectively makes one suitably uneasy and Bill Nye was quite fun, my favourite turn came from Cassandra Peterson.
Elvira was also my favourite character here and loved how she had a bigger role and an active one. Kind of like a female Vincent Van Ghoul, except without as much Edgar Allen Poe-inspired dialogue. Nye may strike some as irrelevant, personally found him very entertaining and he was useful especially later on. The van is very cool and made me want to have one. Shaggy and Scooby are endearingly goofy as usual and Velma, though too domineering, more tolerable than she was in 'Return to Zombie Island'. A very nice job is done with the Halloween setting, which was suitably spooky, and the film actually does start off very well.
For all those good things, there were drawbacks. The story, with a thin as a wafer mystery, lacks momentum, due to having the feel of a 30 minute episode stretched to a film of just over twice that amount of time, and felt repetitive once the Jack-o-Lanterns were introduced and became a series of chases that weren't massively exciting, well actually on reflection it was one long chase that dominated the second half. The Jack-o-Lanterns are creepy and are imaginatively animated, but part of me wished that they had more to do. The denouement to me was a bit too convoluted and too out of nowhere, the perpetrator was a real surprise definitely but their plan was pretty complicated.
A good deal of the dialogue tends to be excessively silly and doesn't always flow well. Fred is very dull here and too much of a sappy spare part when it came to the mystery solving (which he did not do a lot of), it is hard to believe that this was the same character that was the leader of the gang in the earlier incarnations. Worst of all is Daphne, usually do not have a problem with her but here she is insufferably irritating and behaves in such a juvenile way with some very random and out of place slang phrases that were not hip at all.
Concluding, not too great but it was alright on the whole. 5/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jan 19, 2021
- Permalink
Best best best movie everything, the comedy in movie it almost looks like old movies of Scooby Doo.
- ishaquesayyed
- Nov 28, 2020
- Permalink
I was super excited-and surprised-when I found out a new Scooby movie was out. Plus, this one was Halloween related so I had hope. Unfortunately, like many Scooby movies now, this movie was terrible.
The story was dull and confusing. Every character acted like they were out of their mind except Velma. There were new characters brought in that had little to do with the story. The majority of the film is just a car chase with no feeling of Halloween at all.
Honestly, this was one of those movies where you wonder what the writers were thinking.
- brookeN-98054
- Oct 8, 2020
- Permalink
Best Scooby Doo yet! Perfect combo of classic and new. Great storyline plus great Guest characters... Elvira, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and the Scarecrow from Batman. Not to mention maybe the best intro of any cartoon I've ever seen. The song is perfect and the way they did it is so unique! Love this movie and so do the kids!
- simstimothy
- Oct 9, 2020
- Permalink
- kaungmyatzawneverdowell
- Oct 14, 2020
- Permalink
I really would like for someone who worked on this movie tell me who they thought this movie was for. Three special guests is too many for one movie especially when they have nothing to do with each other. Bill Nye the science guy, Elvira, and Scarecrow from Batman all make up this train wreck of a story. Why is Elvira a guest star? Modern kids don't know who she is, and this movie is way too dumb to be family friendly instead of specifically for kids. In general I would say all of her parts are bad, and she maybe made the movie worse. Bill Nye is only in the movie to give them a different Mystery Machine, and make a few jokes that were okay. Way too much of the movie is just a boring car chase scene though that probably could have been cut in half and still been too long. The explanation for what was really going on has too many problems as well.
The newer Scooby-Doo movies have kind of turned into comedy action movies instead of proper mystery stories and it has not been going well. The comedy being bad also is not helping. Also why are the recent movies turning Daphne into the version from Be Cool Scooby-Doo? That show was not really popular, and a lot of people are going to be confused why she is acting so wacky and zany. Most of the past decade of movies that they have made have been bad, but this one was really weird. Maybe not as weird as The Goblin King though. Warner Bros. Need to take a little break from Scooby-Doo, and reassess what they want to do with the franchise because they have been making pretty bad content for a while now. Also I personally think they need to make them based in the 70s, or maybe 90s. The original direct to video films are still the best they have made which is why I said 90s. All of these modern references, lingo, and ultra technology focused explanations for monsters are not entertaining. The original movies were better, and so were the What's New Scooby-Doo generation ones.
The newer Scooby-Doo movies have kind of turned into comedy action movies instead of proper mystery stories and it has not been going well. The comedy being bad also is not helping. Also why are the recent movies turning Daphne into the version from Be Cool Scooby-Doo? That show was not really popular, and a lot of people are going to be confused why she is acting so wacky and zany. Most of the past decade of movies that they have made have been bad, but this one was really weird. Maybe not as weird as The Goblin King though. Warner Bros. Need to take a little break from Scooby-Doo, and reassess what they want to do with the franchise because they have been making pretty bad content for a while now. Also I personally think they need to make them based in the 70s, or maybe 90s. The original direct to video films are still the best they have made which is why I said 90s. All of these modern references, lingo, and ultra technology focused explanations for monsters are not entertaining. The original movies were better, and so were the What's New Scooby-Doo generation ones.
- bobbyjimboy
- Mar 11, 2022
- Permalink
Just watch it I wanna help them to improve Scooby-Doo for more rate the movie
You should watch it .
We need another scoob either !
- naveenhareendra
- Oct 7, 2020
- Permalink
I thought the charm of Scooby doo was that it was always close to realism and the end was always an unmasking and explanation of the ghosts traps etc. That was the whole plot line now these new movies verge on "its real ghosts..." (As another reviewer mentioned) it doesn't feel like Scooby it it's actual paranormal) I dunno the artwork is good but it's just one long chase movie. Velma looking hot though.
- adamcomito
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink