In an era when Batman, Spider-man, Ninja Turtles, Speed Racer, and countless other cartoon icons of childhoods past have been killed and revived more times than a Dracula with a penchant for draining beloved memories dry, everyone has come to terms with the fact that nothing is sacred. There is no “classic” cartoon franchise that a studio won’t exhume if they think it means there’s potential to chop its corpse to pieces and paste it back together with updated cultural trends wedged awkwardly within. Hello, CGI Yogi Bear movie. Hello, superhero Looney Tunes. At one point, even Scooby-Doo was subjected to the indignity of this practice, but it looks like they finally got this right. Thank you, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
How do you continue the legacy of Mystery Inc. for those of us who grew up on the classic adventures of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!? If you said, ‘Add an obnoxious overzealous dog named Scrappy,’ then there are plenty of people who want to hurt you. If you said, ‘Make live-action movies,’ you’re hideously wrong. If you said, ‘Create a series devoted to the wacky non-mysterious adventures of versions of Scooby and Shaggy who like snowboarding,’ you made the same mistake as Warner Brothers. However, if you had the tact to update the animation to a sharp-looking modern style and palette with a clever mix of subversive humor that takes aim at many of the original show’s clichés and recurring tropes, then you managed to skip Warner Brothers’ first few mistakes and hit on one of the best ideas for a cartoon series revival in a long time.
Once you discover the new group dynamic of Scooby-Doo, as presented in this latest incarnation, you’ll wonder how you ever enjoyed the original series. Gone is latent sexual tension between Fred and Daphne. In its place? Daphne competing with Fred’s quasi-sexual obsession with traps; he scrapbooks them, fantasizes over them, and spends nearly every waking thought running his mind’s eye over their carefully crafted levers and pulleys. Gone is the alpha male dynamic of Fred leading with everyone else playing a basic role like damsel in distress (Daphne), essential nerd (Velma), or monster-bait (Shaggy and Scooby). Instead Fred spends all his time obsessing over traps; Daphne longs after Fred’s attention; Velma wants Shaggy to finally admit they’re an item (a good new addition to the group dynamic); and Scooby really hasn’t changed, still playing the lovable coward. The most important change of all is the addition of a genuine sense of humor. No more laugh tracks following horrifically corny one-liners by the gang. Now there are surprisingly biting lines such as Velma asking why a teacher would need to rob a bank, only to remember how horribly underpaid educators are. It’s a flawlessly written line and a totally unexpected golden comedy nugget – and it’s one of many. The show’s writing is impeccable when it comes to infusing its situations with the dark and the absurd. It’s priceless. Oh, and we finally get to meet the gang’s disapproving parents who view their hobby as a waste of time. Who can’t relate to that?
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated just might be one of the best and few new cartoons worth letting your kids watch.
The episodes in this four-episode first volume (for the record, I despise releases like this) are as follows:
“Beware the Beast from Below” – a gelatinous monster captures citizens of Crystal Cove in green cocoons. But why?
“The Creeping Creatures” – the gang gets stuck in Gatorsville, a ghost town with strange gator creatures scaring away tourists.
“Secret of the Ghost Rig” – a ghastly vehicle and disappearing crystal doorknobs lead the gang to the bottom of a mystery.
“Revenge of the Main Crab” – a giant crab monster terrorizes the beach of Crystal Cove.
Again, the writing in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is unexpectedly sharp, and the four episodes are great viewing for adults and kids alike. The superb voice cast includes the likes of Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard (reprising the role of Shaggy from the movies), Patrick Warburton, Gary Cole, Frances Conroy, Vivica A. Fox, andLewis Black. The only qualm about this DVD is that’s it’s one of 6 that’s going to be released for this season, so I would encourage frugal parents to hold-out for the complete season release in 6 months or so.
DVD Bonus Features
None.
"Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season 1, Volume 1" is on sale January 25, 2011 and is not rated. Animation, Children & Family, Comedy, Mystery. Directed by Curt Geda, Victor Cook. Written by Mitch Watson, Jed Elinoff, ScottThomas. Starring Frances Conroy, Frank Welker, Gary Cole, Grey Delisle, Matthew Lillard, Mindy Cohn, Patrick Warburton, Vivica A Fox.
