Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
For how “modern” a re-brand this seems, almost nothing about this feels like it was made to be released in 2020. Beyond the odd pop-culture reference it evokes a very distinct 2000’s direct-to-video vibe. What child in 2020 cares about a Hannah-Barbera Universe, or even Scooby Doo to a certain extent? Its “cool spy” rebranding isn’t even a new thing for an animated film franchise—a few recent examples that come to mind include Cars 2, Despicable Me 2 and Penguins of Madagascar.
The action animation is suitably (i.e. cartoonishly) elastic, but the textures are low-quality and some facial movements seem stiff (I’ve had this issue with a lot of big Disney or Pixar films, though). I normally don’t to complain about things like this that relate to possible limitations of budget and production value, but since the movie is otherwise lacking in genuine heart or flair, it seems fair in this case.
I didn’t like the casting. Few but the villain (and Forte’s Shaggy to a certain extent, who, though clearly not as perfect for the role as Lillard, at least had some vocal presence) had a voice that embodied (let alone matched) the characters they were performing. I don’t mind Zac Efron, but he’s an uninspired choice for Fred. Same goes for Daphne and Velma (whom they make Latina because of her voice actor, which maybe could have been interesting, but it’s mostly incidental).
That goes for the rest of the film—it’s not the worst or unfunniest thing I’ve seen, but it does feel pretty uninspired all-around. It feels like Warner Bros. wanted to make use of some Hanna-Barbera’s IPs and maybe start a cinematic universe, and everyone hired to do so was motivated by little else.
P.S. It would have been nice to see Kelly Fremon Craig’s take on the story. It would have been nice to see anyone’s fingerprints on this film.
I WATCH MOVIES 