Finally! A Scooby special that isn't boring and no mystery. This special made connections and made me laugh. The storyline was interesting and was able to be packed in all in twenty minutes. The voice acting was on point with each and every character. The side characters were all equally mysterious and important. Fred honestly always steals the show for me. He's always funny and the idea with nets was perfect. Overall, this special throws all the others into the water.
4 Reviews
My least favourite of the six direct to video Scooby Doo specials, still solid Scooby fun
TheLittleSongbird14 June 2016
As a huge Scooby Doo fan since childhood, 'Scooby Doo Where are You' still being the best of the incarnations, all the six direct to video specials are enjoyable. The best being 'Spooky Games' and 'Ghastly Goals' and the weakest being 'Beach Beastie' and 'Mecha Mutt Menace'.
There are a few letdowns in 'Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie'. The Scooby subplot felt forced in and annoying, that the female dog is a generic and uninteresting character doesn't help. 'Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie' is also one of those very rare times where I didn't care much for Scooby, adore him usually but his treatment of Shaggy here is a huge turn off and it really does strip him of his usual likability and charm.
'Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie' to me does contain an iffy moment with Velma involving the necklace that would have made the gang look bad if she was wrong, and one does miss the charming and affecting friendship, usually done so well and the heart of the franchise, between Scooby and Shaggy, which is criminally underused that it's not memorable at all. Despite the very disappointing and over-obvious final solution, at least 'Mecha Mutt Menace got their friendship right and perfectly pitched, which is why it is considered a little better by me.
However, the animation is beautifully done, being vibrant and detailed, with a nice mix of classic and modern Scooby Doo, mostly it's the latter but there is evidence of the classic atmosphere. The other five direct-to-video specials have more memorable music, but the music at least is well composed and fits with the action. The dialogue is very funny, as ever endearingly goofy and perfectly natural, and apart from that one subplot and one scene that came over as iffy the story is well executed.
It moves quickly, the mystery is diverting with a great sense of fun and suspense, the Water creature is a very coolly designed and suitably scary villain without being too much and Fred's subplot which dominates 'Beach Beastie' provides a lot of heart without sentimentalising anything. Apart from Scooby and the female dog the characters are engaging, with a particularly great job done with Fred. Shaggy is also great fun. The voice acting is top-notch, Matthew Lillard proves himself yet again that he is an ideal replacement for the late Casey Kasem (who WAS Shaggy) which is no easy feat and Frank Welker, who has been involved with Scooby Doo since the very beginning in 1969 shows no signs of being long-in-the-tooth.
Overall, solid Scooby fun but the weakest of the direct-to-video specials. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox
There are a few letdowns in 'Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie'. The Scooby subplot felt forced in and annoying, that the female dog is a generic and uninteresting character doesn't help. 'Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie' is also one of those very rare times where I didn't care much for Scooby, adore him usually but his treatment of Shaggy here is a huge turn off and it really does strip him of his usual likability and charm.
'Scooby Doo and the Beach Beastie' to me does contain an iffy moment with Velma involving the necklace that would have made the gang look bad if she was wrong, and one does miss the charming and affecting friendship, usually done so well and the heart of the franchise, between Scooby and Shaggy, which is criminally underused that it's not memorable at all. Despite the very disappointing and over-obvious final solution, at least 'Mecha Mutt Menace got their friendship right and perfectly pitched, which is why it is considered a little better by me.
However, the animation is beautifully done, being vibrant and detailed, with a nice mix of classic and modern Scooby Doo, mostly it's the latter but there is evidence of the classic atmosphere. The other five direct-to-video specials have more memorable music, but the music at least is well composed and fits with the action. The dialogue is very funny, as ever endearingly goofy and perfectly natural, and apart from that one subplot and one scene that came over as iffy the story is well executed.
It moves quickly, the mystery is diverting with a great sense of fun and suspense, the Water creature is a very coolly designed and suitably scary villain without being too much and Fred's subplot which dominates 'Beach Beastie' provides a lot of heart without sentimentalising anything. Apart from Scooby and the female dog the characters are engaging, with a particularly great job done with Fred. Shaggy is also great fun. The voice acting is top-notch, Matthew Lillard proves himself yet again that he is an ideal replacement for the late Casey Kasem (who WAS Shaggy) which is no easy feat and Frank Welker, who has been involved with Scooby Doo since the very beginning in 1969 shows no signs of being long-in-the-tooth.
Overall, solid Scooby fun but the weakest of the direct-to-video specials. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox
Great movie
usmansiddiqi-0475820 February 2022
Enough entertainment value for Scooby-Doo fans but doesn't quite reach classic status
kevin_robbins12 September 2023
My daughter and I recently watched Scooby-Doo and the Beach Bestie (2015) on MAX. The plot follows the Mystery Machine team as they visit an exotic resort owned by Daphne's uncle to assist Fred in conquering a new phobia. When people start disappearing, and mysterious creatures emerge, the team springs into action.
Directed by Victor Cook (Hellboy: Iron Shoes), the movie features the voices of Frank Welker (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), Grey Griffin (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Mindy Cohn (The Facts of Life) and Adam West (Batman).
The storyline showed promise, with the resort serving as an excellent setting, and the movie's beginning focusing on Fred's net obsession. The consistent references to nets throughout the dialogue from start to finish added a nice touch. While the modernized animation worked for me, I had mixed feelings about how the water monsters were portrayed. The uncle's storyline felt somewhat cliché and could have been more developed, but the villain was intriguing, and the final reveal was enjoyable.
In conclusion, Scooby-Doo and the Beach Bestie offers enough entertainment value for Scooby-Doo fans but doesn't quite reach classic status. I would rate it 5/10 and recommend giving it a watch at least once.
Directed by Victor Cook (Hellboy: Iron Shoes), the movie features the voices of Frank Welker (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), Grey Griffin (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Mindy Cohn (The Facts of Life) and Adam West (Batman).
The storyline showed promise, with the resort serving as an excellent setting, and the movie's beginning focusing on Fred's net obsession. The consistent references to nets throughout the dialogue from start to finish added a nice touch. While the modernized animation worked for me, I had mixed feelings about how the water monsters were portrayed. The uncle's storyline felt somewhat cliché and could have been more developed, but the villain was intriguing, and the final reveal was enjoyable.
In conclusion, Scooby-Doo and the Beach Bestie offers enough entertainment value for Scooby-Doo fans but doesn't quite reach classic status. I would rate it 5/10 and recommend giving it a watch at least once.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
