Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost (2018 Video) User Reviews

A Decent "Scooby-Doo" Entry with Enough to keep you Entertained

[carologletree · 7/10 · 18 December 2018]

I thought that this latest "Scooby-Doo" movie was pretty enjoyable. As far as "Scooby" films that feature celebrities go, I thought that this was probably the best one the franchise has done yet. Whereas the two WWE crossovers mostly felt like wrestling commercials, this one feels much more like a real movie, even if it has its flaws.

I may be a bit biased here, since I am a huge fan of The Food Network. Getting to see Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis be a part of the adventure and working with the gang was pretty fun, and we got some decent humor out of them. I liked the idea of Fred being Bobby's nephew.

The storyline was fairly interesting with some good fictional lore thrown in there. The film is really well-animated and the atmosphere is pretty nice. I also enjoyed seeing a lot of tasty looking food on screen.

As for negatives, I wouldn't say that all of the jokes hit. The "shhhh" gag that ran throughout the movie, in particular, was beaten into the ground. I found Shaggy and Scooby rather annoying in this one (as to be expected from "Scooby-Doo" movies these days), and the film kind of dragged in some places.

All in all, I mostly enjoyed this one. It's far from the best movie in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise, but it's also pretty far from the worst. Recommended to fans of the franchise and fans of The Food Network.

RATING: B

standard Scooby-Doo with fun real chefs

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 8 August 2021]

Fred has been invited by his celebrity chef uncle Bobby Flay to come to the opening of his New England colonial inn and his cooking TV show. He and his friends arrive to find it haunted by the Legend of the Red Ghost. The gang uncovers a ghostly revolutionary history.

This is a fun Scooby-Doo adventure with all the standard reveals. The difference is the real life food personalities like Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Marcus Samuelsson. They give this a fun reality punch. I like it when they join in the goofy running around and hiding. I wouldn't mind if they do more cooking. I like the look of the cartoon food. All in all, this is a fun addition to the standard Scooby-Doo.

A run-of-the-mill Scooby-Doo animated movie running on autopilot...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 9 February 2019]

Well, I sat down to watch "Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost" with my son as he enjoys the adventures of Scooby-Doo, and I also did grow up watching both Scooby-Doo and Scrabby-Doo on the saturday morning cartoons.

However, the story told in "Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost" was just a run-of-the-mill Scooby-Doo story, one that has been seen hundreds of times before in every single other animated movie and series with the Mystery Gang. Yeah, take it as it is, for better or worse.

While this 2018 animated Scooby-Doo movie is as generic and predictable as it comes, it does follow that special and unique formula that Hanna-Barbera has founded the entire franchise on. Which definitely gives it a sense of sticking to the core essentials, but it also leaves it with lacking new ideas and innovation.

The animation and art style in "Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost" is good, as it always is in these animated Scooby-Doo movies. So that definitely counts in favor of the animated movie, for sure.

And the voice acting is good, again as it always is in these animated movies. It is always a blast to hear the voice acting talents of Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Matthew Lillard and Kate Micucci. Now, Giada De Laurentiis and Marcus Samuelsson portray animated versions of themselves, yet I sit here and I don't even know who they are, so I don't get much enjoyment from that.

All in all, "Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost" is delivering what to be expected from an animated movie of this type. However, I just find it lacking something new to make it outstanding from the numerous other animated Scooby-Doo movies. And that means that I have to settle on a very mediocre five out of ten starts for "Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost".

Not bad

[brookenichole-98054 · 6/10 · 6 June 2020]

After attempting to watch the Lego Scooby movies, the second WWE film, and Shaggy's Showdown, and hating every boring second of each one, I finally found a good one. This movie isn't amazing but it's definitely way better than the ones mentioned before it. The voice acting (other than Velma) is on point. The animation is great and the story could use some work. Overall, it's worth a watch.

Dietician's choice 😂

[ahmed_razzak-15605 · 6/10 · 17 January 2022]

Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost, literally Scooby-Doo! And the Food Ghost 👻 .. the gang show up to solve a mystery behind Fred's relative's gourmet cuisine .. an ancestoral torment with a goofy ghost dressed up by someone as always .. the story of this film is a bit typical, some extra salt would work better 😂. Whose causing trouble amuck and how they're doing it is what it is ..

Between great animation and excellent plot, Gourmet Ghost is one of the all-time greats

[andrewroy-04316 · 8/10 · 26 December 2018]

Gourmet Ghost is just behind Camp Scare as the best Scooby Doo movies of all time, and has a real argument for being a 10 star movie. The plot is one of the best, with elements that are certainly solvable but not obvious. There were plenty of clues and it was put together well, in a way that makes the ending both a genuinely surprising twist and also fits everything together perfectly. The animation is gorgeous and adds to many of the scenes. The humor is generally very funny, though I agree with many that the Shh's were overdone and not funny after the first couple. The modernization and themes considered were also a cut above most of the movies - how technology advances everything (in this case cooking) but is also fundamentally manipulable, and minor historical and other notes. It doesn't do anything too crazy (though the ending is a bit unique), but it does everything well and is a complete joy to watch.

Spooky stuff in the kitchen

[studioAT · 3/10 · 22 April 2020]

These straight to DVD 'Scooby Doo' adventures are a little hit and miss, but this is a solid entry.

I think this one probably relies on having a prior knowledge of the celebrity chefs featured to fully enjoy it, but there are enough twists and turns to keep kids (and big kids) guessing.

Good stuff overall.

Why do U ask, did I give this a ten?

[the_doofy · 10/10 · 22 November 2018]

If U watch the original scooby Doo cartoons, the very first ones, U would know why this was given a ten.

Its because if that original group had ever made a cartoon movie, it would be THIS movie. The voices, the animation, the story line--its all as if the original masters have been teleported from way back to this time to make a movie

OUTSTANDING JOB

MORE LIKE GOURMET JOKE

[pumpkinmanagement · 4/10 · 24 July 2023]

This movie was a major step down for the 'Scooby-Doo!' movies. The bad things outweighed the good things and for that, I give it a 4/10. If the plot wasn't so rushed and convoluted maybe it would've gotten a 6/10. The gourmet ghost's design was probably the only thing that made it feel like a 'Scooby-Doo!' movie. I got goosebumps on my arms the first time I saw him lurking around the garden, the score for this also helped. There isn't much beyond that though. Bobby Flay and his little crew are horrible voice actors in this. They are way too flamboyant. The groundskeeper's design paired with his last name had me rolling my eyes because of how corny it was. I couldn't believe how unfunny it was. They had used these jokes before in a much better way. Comedy is not in this movie, and acting talent is not either, besides the Scooby gang. Some of the cast feels like they aren't in there at all, and some suspects come in way too late/are hardly in the movie. If I didn't know any better I would say that Bobby and his little gang wrote this movie themselves. If so they belong back in the kitchen. The ways they found the clues were too rushed. The figurative gun on the wall (the lemon juice) was used and introduced way too late. If you want to show someone the magic of scooby doo movies I would not recommend this one. It feels like it should've been an episode for 'Scooby-Doo! And Guess Who, the art also looks like how they draw in that series.

I love Scooby Doo!

[lablancedean · 10/10 · 14 November 2018]

Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost is probably the best scooby doo original movie to come out in the past two years. The movie is very likeable with a well written story with some sudden twists and turns that keep you gessing who the Red Ghost. Fun for adults and their kids, great family movie. Also the movie gives us some new background information on Fred's family. Bobby Flay works really well in the Scooby doo crossover type film.

If Gordon Ramsay would've been into this movie, the movie would've been way better!

[stefanantonie · 3/10 · 11 April 2021]

Seriously? The movie is not so bad, but it lacks some things the movie should've had, for an example, Gordon Ramsay. Totally disappointed!

Culinary Scooby

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 26 April 2019]

Being a huge Scooby Doo fan for goodness knows how long, any new show, special or film would be watched with great anticipation. While 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' is still the jewel of the crown of the franchise, one where most of the shows and films are watchable and more, a vast majority of the Scooby Doo films have a huge amount to like and are worth watching at least once.

'Scooby Doo and the Gourmet Ghost' may not be one of my favourite Scooby Doo films, do prefer 'Zombie Island', 'Witch's Ghost', 'Big Top', 'Goblin King', 'Mask of Blue Falcon' and 'Stage Fright' in an extensive series of films where the only one to not do much for me was 'Monster of Mexico'. Do consider it one of the better recent Scooby Doo films though and a very strong contender for the best of the cross-over entries (my personal pick anyhow), with it feeling the most like a Scooby Doo film and the one that balanced mystery and guest stars the best, rather than the latter dominating the former or the gang. Maybe not an awful lot new excepting the setting in terms of story, but the entertainment value and quality is high here.

Maybe there are a few awkward transitions, emphasis on a few, and do have to agree that the shhh running gag repeats itself far too much, one that was slightly amusing the first couple of times, got tired very early on after that and then really grated the other times it was repeated.

Otherwise, there really is not an awful lot to criticise about 'Scooby Doo and the Gourmet Ghost'. The animation is great, colourful, suitably spooky and sometimes imaginative. Everything is beautifully drawn and meticulously detailed, with rich, atmospheric colours and a lot of care and time clearly went into how the characters were drawn and move. Music is both dynamic and groovy, with a lot of energy and a haunting undercurrent.

The writing is smart and clever, as well as very funny. There are some endearingly goofy jokes (in classic Scooby Doo fashion, while also feeling current) and witty quirkiness, lots of classic Scooby Doo elements (most of them in fact) and other nice little touches like Bobby and Giada's very cute cats and the valet. The story is mostly very compelling, with the right amount of upbeat goofiness and creepiness without being too cheesy or too scary. There are plenty of clues and surprises are plentiful too, thanks to the many twists being clever and not too foreseeable. Unlike most Scooby Doo films, the ending actually surprised me. Loved the culinary setting, which is so colourful and leaves one's mouths watering and wanting to dig in and learning more about Fred.

Really enjoyed Bobby and Giada and felt they added a lot to the film while not dominating too much. The ghost is awesomely spooky as well. The gang are on good form and true to character, especially Shaggy and Scooby. The voice acting is also very well done, Bobby and Giada put a lot of spirit into their voice-work while Matthew Lillard is particularly spot on as Shaggy.

Summarising, not quite delicious but very appetising and tasty all the same. 8/10

Interesting story but was kinda a bore

[mariaraluca-19590 · 5/10 · 20 December 2020]

I am a big scooby doo fan but ever since 2013 i feel like almost no good scooby doo movies have been relesed. Moon Monster Madness, 13th Ghost and the Halloween one we got this year and in 2018 i was still not as big of a scoob fan like i am now and it was only relesed a week after my birthday and also relesed on 9/11. on my first watch i remember loving it and i can see why, the animation was and still is great and the plot was pretty interesting but now it gets old quick. its pretty easy to figure out who it is if you are paying attention and i think having Scooby being friends with a cat is pretty bad writting. Better than the awful Brave And The Bold movie but not in any way a movie worth watching, i mean ofc you can watch it and form your own opinion on it but take it from me, watch the 1998-2010 movies, those are worth your time

Let's give credit where credit is Doo -

[lizpooole · 9/10 · 12 February 2021]

This Scooby-Doo is one of the better new age Scooby films. It follows classic plot structure and incorporates a fair amount of classic gags from the original series. 'Uncle Bobby' (Bobby Flay) is a fun crossover character who you don't need to have any background information on in order to enjoy his addition to this mystery. Scooby-Doo and the Gourmet Ghost is wonderfully animated and voiced, has a handful of 'blink and you miss it' visual gags and one-liners that will make you chuckle out loud, and is a coherent mystery for those who like to follow along at home.

The creaters did the gang right with this one. If you can get over the fact Scooby gets along with cats in this movie, this will be one to add to you watchlist.

Definitely one of the better entries

[Milk_Tray_Guy · 8/10 · 14 June 2022]

Scooby and the gang travel to New England, where Fred's uncle, celebrity (apparently?) chef Bobby Flay (voicing himself), has inherited a historic colonial inn and turned it into a state-of-the-art culinary resort. But as the grand opening approaches, it seems the ghost of Bobby's ancestor has other ideas, scaring away workers and sabotaging high-tech food preparation equipment. Good job a gang of 'teenage mystery solvers' are on hand!

Beautiful artwork and animation, very good story, atmospheric setting, and one really creepy looking ghost. Flay does well, as do fellow celebrities (?) Marcus Samuelsson, Giada De Laurentiis, and Maya Haile, all of whom voice themselves. Regular voice cast Frank Welker, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Kate Micucci are, of course, note perfect.

One gripe, sound mixing. A few times the tail-ends of comments made by the leads are lost to fade, or other speech/sound drowns them out. I had to replay them a few times to catch what was said. But the script is good. Shaggy and Velma get some great one-liners. At 77 minutes long, it could have done with another five minutes. But this is a solid entry in the Scooby-Doo canon (using that word loosely!). 8/10.