In the early ’90s, Scooby-Doo entered obscurity after “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo” ended in 1991. Ted Turner’s now defunct company Turner Broadcasting System bought Hanna-Barbera and created Cartoon Network in 1992. Reruns of Scooby-Doo introduced a whole new audience. Thanks to high ratings, WB’s home video company worked on an animated movie titled, “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” in order to bring old and new fans to the series. After Don Messick passed away from a stroke, Scott Innes takes over the late voice actor’s role as Scooby. Casey Kasem declines to reprise his role as Shaggy. Why? Because he doesn’t want Shaggy eating meat. Casey was a vegetarian in real life. So, Billy West (Fry & Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama) took over as Shaggy.
Mystery Inc. reunite to hunt down a real ghost instead of a crook wearing a costume. They head to New Orleans. A kind young woman named, Lena invites them to her employer’s pepper plantation. Rumor has it, ghosts are running amuck. Mystery Inc. encounter zombies. Scooby & Shaggy must overcome their fears (as usual) to save their pals.
Zombie Island opened in retail stores in 1998 (same year A Bug’s Life came out) becoming a critical and commercial hit. As a result, WB continues to make more direct-to-video movies. Last time I saw a non-theatrical Scooby-Doo movie was “Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase.” As of 2024, WB produced a grand total of 38 entries. As I recall, Zombie Island introduced me to Scooby-Doo. I used to watch reruns on Cartoon Network and “What’s New Scooby-Doo” on Kids WB. Say what you will about Scrappy, he’s my all-time favorite cartoon character.
It’s officially Halloween Month 2024. So I’ll be watching and reviewing spooky stuff throughout the whole month. What should I review next? Please leave a comment and don’t forget to subscribe.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS. I’m giving y’all a chance to see this gem.
Tasty & Stale Qualities
Tasty: Voice Actors including Scott Innes, Billy West, Frank Welker and the late Mary Kay Bergman all did a great job for their respective voiceover performances.
Other voice actors such as Jim Cummings & Mark Hamill both did a good job for their respective voiceover performances.
Animation is more polished with every detail, shading and good amount of lighting. It reminds me of “Batman: The Animated Series.” I prefer this animation style of digital ink. It would’ve been nice Zombie Island was released theatrically.
Unlike the show’s recycled plot, this doesn’t have a suspect wearing a mask. There are actual zombies. A breath of fresh air not repeating the same schtick on a constant loop.
Humor retains Scooby & Shaggy’s trademark quirks. They always have a big appetite, runaways from impending danger, overcoming their cowardice to save their friends and Scooby’s vocabulary almost speaks with an R in every sentence.
Meta humor regarding the show’s recycled structure. For instance, a guy wearing a mask is always the culprit.
The Tone’s slightly darker and edgier. That doesn’t mean it’s super serious. There’s still lighthearted scenes.
Pacing felt stable for a 77-minute animated movie.
We learn about the backstory of a pirate dating back 200 years ago. The source all makes sense.
Scooby & Shaggy eat hot peppers causing their mouths to get very hot. Same gag was later used in the 2002 live-action movie. You can tell James Gunn’s a fan of the cartoon. He wrote script.
Third Eye Blind performs the theme song.
Skycycle’s “It’s Terror Time Again” is played twice. The song earns Bonus Points. I always play it every Halloween to get into spooky mode.
The movie dedicates Don Messick’s memory.
Stale: Not really a con, but I wasn’t scared at an early age. Giant spiders like Shelob from “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy” and Aragog from “Harry Potter” gave me the creeps. I friggin hate spiders. Especially, tarantulas.
At the 59:52, one character’s lips doesn’t match his words.
The Final Verdict: A-
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is arguably the best installment in the direct-to-video series. Keep in mind, I haven’t seen The Witch’s Ghost, Alien Invaders & Cyber Chase since I was a kid. Someday, I’ll look back at ‘em. Skip Mindy Kaling’s Velma and introduce your kids to Zombie Land.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 