Scooby-Doo (also known as Scooby-Doo: The Movie) is a 2002 American live-action/computer-animated supernatural adventure horror comedy film based on the long-running Hanna-Barbera animated television franchise of the same name. The first installment in the Scooby-Doo live-action film series, the film was directed by Raja Gosnell from a screenplay by James Gunn, and stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Isla Fisher and Rowan Atkinson. The plot revolves around Mystery Incorporated, a group of four young adults and a dog who solve mysteries, who reunite after a two-year disbandment, to investigate a mystery on a popular horror-themed beach resort.
Filming took place in and around Queensland, Australia, on a budget of $84 million.
The film was released on June 14, 2002, and despite negative reviews, grossed $275 million worldwide. Reggae artist Shaggy and rock group MxPx performed different versions of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! theme song. The Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster, a ride based on the film, was built in Warner Bros. Movie World in Gold Coast, Australia in 2003. This is the last time William Hanna served as an executive producer before his death on March 22, 2001. A sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, was released in March 2004.
Plot[]
The members of Mystery, Inc. solve the case of the Luna Ghost. However, long-time friction among Fred Jones, a glory hog; Daphne Blake, who is fed up with being kidnapped at every mystery; and Velma Dinkley, who is never credited for her ideas, boils over and the gang breaks up, leaving Shaggy Rogers and his dog Scooby-Doo heartbroken and caring for the gang's van, the Mystery Machine.
Two years later, Shaggy and Scooby are invited to solve a mystery on Spooky Island, owned by Emile Mondavarious. At the airport, they are reunited with the rest of Mystery, Inc. and learn that Fred has become a popular author, Velma works for NASA, and Daphne has undertaken martial arts to avoid kidnappers. Shaggy and Scooby unsuccessfully attempt to get Mystery, Inc. back together again, but the other three are still angry and refuse to work with each other.
On the flight over, Shaggy falls in love with a girl named Mary Jane, who loves Scooby Snacks like him, but is allergic to dogs. Upon arriving at the island, the gang meets Mondavarious, who claims the visiting tourists have been brainwashed. Velma attends a ritualistic performance hosted by N'Goo Tuana and his henchman, Zarkos, a famous luchador. N'Goo claims the island was once ruled by ancient demons that have been plotting their revenge ever since they were displaced by the resort.
After a misunderstanding with a local voodoo priest, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby venture into the resort's ghost ride and meet Fred and Velma inside, where they split up to look for clues. Fred and Velma come across a school designed to educate inhuman creatures about human culture, while Daphne discovers a pyramid-shaped artifact called the Daemon Ritus. The gang flees, but an army of demons attacks, kidnapping Fred, Velma, Mondavarious, and other tourists, while Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, and Mary Jane escape.
The next day, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby learn that demons have possessed Fred, Velma and the other tourists. Zarkos captures Daphne and steals the Daemon Ritus. Shaggy and Scooby encounter Mary Jane, but Scooby realizes she is possessed as well. Shaggy begins to argue, but is interrupted when Scooby falls through a hole into an underground chamber. While searching for him, Shaggy discovers a vat of protoplasm containing the souls of those possessed. He frees his friends’ souls, but Daphne and Fred's souls end up in each other's bodies. Velma discovers that sunlight destroys the demons. Shaggy steals back the Daemon Ritus, which randomly switches his, Velma, Fred, and Daphne's souls until all end up in the correct bodies. They come across the voodoo priest, who explains that the demons, led by Mondavarious, will rule the world for the next ten thousand years if a pure soul is offered as a sacrifice during their ritual. Shaggy realizes the pure soul is Scooby, who unwittingly accepts to be the sacrifice. Fred, Daphne, and Velma decide to put their Luna Ghost mystery fight behind them in order to help Shaggy save Scooby.
The gang plot to trap the demon cult, but it fails and only Daphne escapes capture. Mondavarious steals Scooby's soul using the Daemon Ritus. Shaggy pushes Mondavarious, causing Scooby's soul to be released. As Fred and Velma confront the defeated Mondavarious, they, Shaggy, Scooby, and N'Goo discovered he is a robot controlled by Scooby's estranged nephew Scrappy-Doo, who was abandoned by the gang years ago after he urinated on Daphne. Using the absorbed souls of the tourists, Scrappy transforms into a monster and tries to kill the gang.
Daphne is attacked and captured by Zarkos again, but defeats him by kicking him into the ritual chamber. This frees the possessed souls and the demons are exposed to a disco skull's sunlight reflection and die. Shaggy rips the Daemon Ritus from Scrappy's body to free the rest and finds out that the real Mondavarious is being kept imprisoned in a small underground cell, until they release him. The film ends as Scrappy-(locked up in a small dog crate), N'Goo, Zarkos and all the evil minions are arrested, while the reunited gang promise to continue solving mysteries together.
Cast[]
- Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred Jones
- Neil Fanning as Scooby-Doo
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne Blake
- Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers
- Scott Innes as Scrappy-Doo
- Linda Cardellini as Velma Dinkley
- Rowan Atkinson as Emile Mondavarious
- Isla Fisher as Mary Jane
- Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Voodoo Maestro
- Sam Greco as Zarkos
- Steven Grieves as N'Goo Tuana
- Holly Brisley as Training Video Woman
- Kristian Schmid as Brad
- Michala Banas as Carol
- J. P. Manoux as the voice of Scrappy Rex
- Jess Harnell as the voice of creatures
Sugar Ray, Pamela Anderson, and Nicholas Hope appeared in cameo roles.