¡Truco o trato Scooby-Doo!

My kids and I watch Scooby Doo most weekends. Yesterday we rewatched the first Zombie Island which is my favorite! This week we also watched Happy Halloween Scooby Doo, the Sword and the Scoob to name a few.

This movie was just not entertaining. We had to force ourselves to keep watching. I don't normally have to do that for my 5 year old. The storyline reminds me of the Be Cool, Scooby Doo Tv show. They're using the old animation style and had a lot of call backs to old villains which may be its only positives. The movie was just trying to be too meta, made fun of it's own story model way farther than it needed to, and felt like it was just pushing an agenda that didn't feel natural. In fact, I felt like they betrayed Velma's character to not be okay with being herself.

Not sure who they were targeting with this one. Boring tale for kids and adults. I would love to see them go back to the writing from the early 2000s. Zombie Island and the Witch's Ghost were so good. But I also really enjoyed Happy Halloween from 2020 so it's not like good writing can't be found.

What do I want from a Scooby Doo movie? This! Scooby Doo trick or Treat is summed up perfectly by Fred in a very meta line in this movie. "It's not what I expected, but it's exactly what I expected." A franchise as old as time consistently breathes new life into itself and it's run of the mill plot and character archetype's by meddling with those kids and their dumb dog. This isn't your mom and dads Scooby Doo but it is still a pure and true Scooby Doo classic for the new age! Put away your fears of characters needing to stay the same and remember life goes on, things change and sometimes the biggest villains aren't the guys in a mask. It may just be the internet trolls leaving bad reviews cause made up characters get changed a little.

The gang solves the case of the Cat Man. They discover that many of their cases are related. The villains' costumes are all made by Coco Diablo. She tries to recruit someone to take out the gang, but they catch her in the act. Velma has a big crush on Coco. With Coco locked up, there just isn't any more big cases.

The big news in this one is Velma's sexual preferences. I'm racking my brain trying to remember any of her previous crushes in earlier iterations. It's not a big deal to me. Maybe it's a big deal for others. More than anything, I don't particularly like Coco. I would have liked a nicer partner for Velma whether male or female. I hope she's not a new constant contributor. This movie's comedy is broader than most Scooby adventures. It's definitely trying for something wackier and sillier. I do like it to some extent. I'm less fond of Coco and her sexual preference has nothing to do with it.

My daughter and I recently enjoyed Trick-or-Treat Scooby-Doo (2022) on Max. The plot revolves around Mystery Inc. Taking a vacation and slowing down their case solving activities since their arch-nemesis has been arrested, and business is quiet. However, their trip is disrupted by some mysterious ghouls, leading them to consider seeking help from their former foe to uncover the truth.

Directed by Audie Harrison (Uncle Grandpa), the film features the voices of Frank Welker (Mortal Kombat), Grey Griffin (Bumblebee), Matthew Lillard (Scream) and Anthony Carrigan (Gotham).

The storyline of this movie proves to be enjoyable and entertaining as it unfolds. The ghostly elements are well-executed, and the animation style maintains a nostalgic charm. While the inclusion of a Velma love story may not have been necessary, it doesn't significantly detract from the overall experience. The conclusion may be somewhat predictable, but it remains satisfying.

In summary, Trick-or-Treat Scooby-Doo may not be outstanding, but it's a fun addition to the Scooby-Doo universe. I would rate this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

I sat down here in 2022 to watch the new "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" animated movie with my son, as we both have been enjoying the "Scooby-Doo!" animated movies and series over the years. In fact, I grew up with the animated series on TV back in my childhood, so it is always a blast to return to watch the Mystery Gang on the screen.

Writers Daniel McLellan, Audie Harrison and Laura Pollak put together an enjoyable storyline, which definitely proved entertaining, and also very much felt like a proper "Scooby-Doo!" animated movie. So this was quite enjoyable to watch.

The animation in "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" is good, it looks like the good old classic style that we all love, while it still managed to incorporate new elements into the style. So it was a nice little change added to the animation and art style.

With "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" being an animated movie, of course it is important to have a good voice ensemble. And of course they had that for "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" as well, with the likes of long-time voice actors Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Matthew Lillard and also Kate Micucci.

If you enjoy the "Scooby-Doo!" franchise, then you will certainly also enjoy this 2022 animated movie from director Audie Harrison. And I will say that this 2022 movie definitely is a suitable animated movie to watch for Halloween.

My rating of "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" lands on a six out of ten stars.