'Be Cool Scooby Doo' "Halloween" (2017)
Opening thoughts: Many Scooby Doo incarnations had at least one Halloween-set episode, with 'The Scooby Doo Show's' "The Headless Horseman of Halloween" immediately springing to mind. 'Zombie Island' and 'Witch's Ghost' are also Halloween film traditions. Whenever the franchise set episodes during Halloween, on the most part it was done incredibly well. 'Be Cool Scooby Doo's' "Halloween" also does it incredibly well, though for me it will never be a Halloween tradition. It is not one of the best episodes and other episodes have much stronger mysteries, but on the whole it is good fun.
Bad things: As said, the mystery is not particularly great here. Much too easy to figure out, with a prematurely obvious perpetrator and a trivial and "they did this for that" motive and a couple too many coincidences.
People are going to hate me about ragging on about the animation, but this was the one aspect that didn't impress me or improve. Apart from some creepy visuals and the character animation on the villain, the animation still looks scrappy and like being on some kind of acid trip.
Good things: However, there is a lot that is good about "Halloween". Absolutely loved the referencing and throwbacks to not just previous 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' episodes but also to previous incarnations. The Halloween atmosphere is also nailed, with a real creepiness and the costumes were really nostalgic and inspired. As are the character moments, Fred's flashbacks enhance his character, Shaggy and Scooby are still as witty and endearing as usual and Daphne's Halloween quirk was cute and funny.
The villain is derivative, with a clear reference of the Baba Yaga villain in 'Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated', but still gave me the creeps as did the well designed House on Chicken Legs that is associated with Baba Yaga. The music has a great quirky energy and some creepiness when necessary, while the writing is amusingly quirky and smart and the energy is constant. The voice acting is fine.
Concluding thoughts: Concluding, well done despite falling short on the mystery a bit.
7/10.
Opening thoughts: Many Scooby Doo incarnations had at least one Halloween-set episode, with 'The Scooby Doo Show's' "The Headless Horseman of Halloween" immediately springing to mind. 'Zombie Island' and 'Witch's Ghost' are also Halloween film traditions. Whenever the franchise set episodes during Halloween, on the most part it was done incredibly well. 'Be Cool Scooby Doo's' "Halloween" also does it incredibly well, though for me it will never be a Halloween tradition. It is not one of the best episodes and other episodes have much stronger mysteries, but on the whole it is good fun.
Bad things: As said, the mystery is not particularly great here. Much too easy to figure out, with a prematurely obvious perpetrator and a trivial and "they did this for that" motive and a couple too many coincidences.
People are going to hate me about ragging on about the animation, but this was the one aspect that didn't impress me or improve. Apart from some creepy visuals and the character animation on the villain, the animation still looks scrappy and like being on some kind of acid trip.
Good things: However, there is a lot that is good about "Halloween". Absolutely loved the referencing and throwbacks to not just previous 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' episodes but also to previous incarnations. The Halloween atmosphere is also nailed, with a real creepiness and the costumes were really nostalgic and inspired. As are the character moments, Fred's flashbacks enhance his character, Shaggy and Scooby are still as witty and endearing as usual and Daphne's Halloween quirk was cute and funny.
The villain is derivative, with a clear reference of the Baba Yaga villain in 'Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated', but still gave me the creeps as did the well designed House on Chicken Legs that is associated with Baba Yaga. The music has a great quirky energy and some creepiness when necessary, while the writing is amusingly quirky and smart and the energy is constant. The voice acting is fine.
Concluding thoughts: Concluding, well done despite falling short on the mystery a bit.
7/10.
