With the Halloween season now in full swing, it seems only appropriate to find space for a Scooby-Doo movie. And what better Scooby-Doo movie could there be than one aimed squarely at Halloween?!
New to video-on-demand platforms this week, is the animated adventure, Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!. The movie – which features the vocal talents of Frank Welker, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, Kate Micucci and Myrna Velasco, sees Scoob and Co. stuck in a rut, after they solve all of their biggest cases.
In the film, Mystery Inc. are hard at work capturing bad guys and gals when they stumble across something very significant: Their latest villain wears a costume made by designer, Coco Diablo. And from doing a little bit of research, they realise that Diablo has provided costumes to all of their past foes, dating back to their very first case, when they found themselves up against the Black Knight.
After providing this information to the police, Coco Diablo is promptly arrested and all of Mystery Inc.’s villains are suddenly unable to buy new costumes. The gang have managed to crack arguably their greatest case, by stopping all future villains from getting their schemes off the ground, but this in turn has led to an unexpected problem.
Without villains to chase, Mystery Inc. no longer has a purpose. They do their best to find other work, but this largely involves locating missing wallets, unclogging drains, and searching for needles in haystacks.
Fed up and frustrated, Fred attempts to drum up new business by setting up a booth at the Coolsville fair. Although this does nothing to increase interest in Mystery Inc., the gang soon find themselves crossing paths with a new villain.
But unsure if they’ve still got what it takes to hunt down this latest adversary, the group enlist the aid of Coco Diablo. Will this new team-up prove fruitful or are Mystery Inc. finally in over their heads?
Colourful, comical, and a lot of fun, Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is a delightful cartoon caper which is perfect for young audiences at this time of the year. The film offers plenty of treats, no tricks (other than in the plot department), and enough laughs to keep things light and enjoyable.
And the even better news? If you’re a parent and you find yourself sitting down to watch this one with the kids, it’ll not bore you senseless or make you want to push your head through a pumpkin. Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! moves at a decent pace, doesn’t outstay its welcome, and includes a number of nods and winks to the past, that old school Scooby-Doo fans will be familiar with.
In terms of the story, it is fairly standard stuff, with Mystery Inc. solving a case involving spooky characters. There’s a villain, there are a number of suspects, and there’s a mystery along the way.
But to make this film a little different, there’s a side plot involving Fred stressing about the gang no longer being up to scratch, while another plot thread involves Velma fawning over Coco Diablo. And then there’s Scooby and Shaggy getting increasingly more annoyed and frustrated because it is Halloween and no one will let them go trick or treating.
Add to all this a revamped (and spooky) new version of The Mystery Machine; a chase sequence accompanied by the song, ‘The Ballroom Blitz’ by British glam rock band, The Sweet; and the introduction of some new characters. Plus, there is a sumptuous colour palette, which makes the animation simply pop off the screen, and all the usual hoopla one might expect from a Scooby-Doo film.
If you’re a long-time Scooby-Doo fan then you’ll be more than satisfied with this latest offering in Warner Bros.’ hugely successful run of straight-to-video Scooby-Doo movies, and if you’ve got kids who are looking for some seasonal viewing (which isn’t scary), treating them to this film is a no-brainer. There are plenty of great movies out there for younger viewers over the Halloween season, including the recently released Hocus Pocus 2, but Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is a good one to add into the mix.
Read more:
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a Reply