Review: Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery

Today is the 6th anniversary of Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery!! I have not seen this movie since it came out in 2015, on the 10th anniversary of the day my dad died. I remember walking through Walmart with tears in my eyes because that day, heck the whole month of July, was really hard for me. But I was determined to find the movie! (Oddly, I wasn't able to find my copy and I had to buy a new copy just so I could watch it again and write this review.) 

I have pretty much claimed that this is my least favorite movie, but I could not remember exactly why. It has been 6 years since I saw it, but I know that there was a reason...

Near the beginning of the movie, the gang are in the Mystery Machine dressed up like Kiss, all but Fred anyway. He wasn’t a fan of Kiss. The Ascot Five was more up his alley! It was kind of cool to see them dressed up and wearing the makeup. 

The cartoon intro of Kiss playing a show and the gang walking around aimlessly was kind of weird to see because the gang wasn't reacting to Kiss at all in the intro. They felt disconnected from each other. It was kind of weird.

Before I continue with the movie, let me just say that I like Kiss' music. I'm not a huge fan, but I have seen them in concert, and I enjoyed the show, with the exception of meeting Sebastian Bach from Skid Row at the show. It was at a time when they did half the show in makeup and the other half without. They were showy and larger than life in the makeup and without it they were laid back and played an acoustic set. It was kind of like night and day. 

Back to the movie…Can it be any more over the top? Confetti bombs every time Kiss enters and exits, the costume change sequence, their own theme park, the way they basically glow and the super powers that they had. Not to mention the huge guitar ship (which was also really cool) that came out of the ground when they started playing I Was Made For Lovin’ You and the Ferris Wheel being a portal to Kissteria. It was clear in this movie that Kiss (or at least Gene Simmons) have some huge egos!

I can get past the egos. I was enjoying the music and the over-the-top storyline, sort of. It was rubbing me the wrong way that Gene Simmons character, The Demon, was mean to the gang, especially Scooby and Shaggy. Pretty much as soon as they met, Gene Simmons told the gang that Kiss were the best mystery solvers, and the gang should scram. Simmons said to Scooby “Beat it mutt before you dent my armor” just because Scooby was trying to give him a hug for saving their lives.

There was a point when I thought that Gene Simmons was finally warming up to Scooby and Shaggy. He told them that the secret to breathing fire was swallowing your fears. Shaggy and Scooby ended up getting cornered by a statue that the Crimson Witch brought to life, and they thought about what Gene had said, and they swallowed their fears, and they were able to breathe fire and destroy the statue! It was their shining moment! Nothing could ruin this fo…no wait! Gene Simmons could ruin this for them, and he did! He showed up, gave them a thumbs up and he said, “well done, pathetic scum!” Let me type that again…Gene Simmons said to Shaggy and Scooby “WELL DONE, PATHETIC SCUM!” And that was the line that ruined this entire movie for me!

That line and the inappropriate flirting between Daphne and The Starchild had me not very thrilled about what I was watching. The gang are teenagers, Daphne being about 16 and a minor. At the time the movie was released Paul Stanley (The Starchild) was 63 years old. 63!!!! So we have a 16 year old and a 63 year old flirting throughout the whole movie, and no one thinks this is a problem? There was no outrage over this…but everyone practically lost their minds when Daphne was upset about being a size 8 in Frankencreepy. Daphne and The Starchild kissed at the end of this movie. Not just a little peck either. 

Yes, I am aware that this is a cartoon. However, I don’t think inappropriate relationships have any place in the Scoobyverse or in kids shows all together. We have talked a lot on the Scooby Panel about relationships within the gang and I have said that I don't like them at all. I felt like this crossed the line though. I can handle a Daphne/Fred relationship or Velma/Shaggy, but this Daphne/Starchild relationship creeped me out!

One other things annoyed me about this movie, though it was kind of funny at the same time. All the Kiss product ads! I know Gene Simmons will put the Kiss logo on just about anything to make money, so I got that it was a joke to put the ads all over, but it made me feel like I was watching a very long infomercial about Kiss products.  

My original assessment of the movie stands, and now I remember why I felt that way. I do tend to hold the unpopular opinion about this movie, and I’m ok with that. I just can’t allow anyone to call Scooby and Shaggy pathetic scum! Or have Daphne taken advantage of by a 63 year old man! These things go against everything I believe in! 

What did you think of the movie?

Getting a Little Personal...It Probably Won't Happen Again!

I don't usually post anything personal here, but I ate a fortune cookie today and I got this fortune and it made me think about how true it is.

"The small steps you take will ultimately bring you great fortune."

I have always been very shy and I don't typically put myself into the spotlight in any way, which is why I remained mostly anonymous for so long on my pages and why I didn't really do much with my YouTube channel. I've always felt like people won't care about what I have to say. Add in anxiety with talking to people I don't know or public speaking, and I have myself a recipe for holding myself back from doing the things I want to do. 

I have had so many ideas for so many years, Scooby Panel being one of them, that I kept saying how fun it would be or how cool it would be to do, but I'd always talk myself out of it. I'd tell myself that no one is going to care about my opinion or I'll never find people that would actually want to talk about Scooby-Doo with me. I even went as far as to write down a ton of topics that I'd want to discuss with people, thinking that I'd never really do anything with them. 

At the beginning of 2021, my husband convinced me that I should just start Scooby Panel, put myself out there, enjoy myself, and not worry about if anyone will care. So I reached out to a few Scooby friends (Wendy and Cameron) to see if they'd be interested in doing the panel, and they were super excited about it! As I reached out to other people, I was actually surprised how many of them were interested in doing the panel! 

I had thought all these years that the idea probably wouldn't go over too well and it would take me way out of my comfort zone, and here I am getting people excited about being on the panel. It was really fulfilling for me because I finally put myself out there and I didn't fall flat on my face. 

So how does the fortune from the cookie come in? The small steps I took - coming up with the idea, writing down topics, asking people in the Scooby community to be a part of it, actually recording episodes, and releasing those episodes - have brought me great joy and have helped me to be a bit more confident about my ideas. Plus, I have gotten to talk to some amazing people and even made some new friends in the Scooby community. 

Today, not only is Scooby Panel a YouTube web series, it's also available as a podcast on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer, and more. And while I still get nervous before we record, I feel great that I have finally made my idea a reality! 

If you have ideas, work at making them a reality. If I can do it, so can you!

Click here --> To listen to Scooby Panel as a podcast

Click here --> To watch Scooby Panel on YouTube 

Click here --> To support Scooby Panel

Press Release & Trailer: Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog

We got confirmation today that Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog will be released on DVD and digitally on September 14, 2021 for $14.99. Check out the trailer and press release below.

A bunch of people leaked the DVD cover the other day, and it appears to be official! The box art image and other images were sent to me by WB today.

STRAIGHT OUTTA NOWHERE:

SCOOBY-DOO MEETS COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG

AN ALL-NEW ORIGINAL ANIMATED FILM

AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL AND DVD

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Twitter Pitch: Teamwork makes the dreamwork as top dogs Scooby-Doo & Courage the Cowardly Dog join forces to uncover what makes the town of Nowhere so weird in STRAIGHT OUTTA NOWHERE: SCOOBY-DOO MEETS COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG. The all-new animated film from @WBHomeEnt is coming to Digital & DVD 9/14

BURBANK, CA (June 22, 2021) – Comedy is unleashed when two of animation’s most lovable canines team up in Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog a brand-new, full-length animated family film set for release on Digital and DVD on September 14, 2021 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.  Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog finds our favorite teen sleuths in the town of Nowhere, where they meet Courage the Cowardly Dog and investigate what makes Nowhere one of the weirdest places on Earth. The release includes three bonus classic Scooby-Doo! episodes. Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog retails for $14.99 SRP ($19.99 SRP Canada) for the DVD.

An original animated feature so exciting it’s scratching at the door! Comedy is unleashed when Scooby-Doo, your favorite mystery-solving mutt, teams up for the first time with Courage the Cowardly Dog. The canine colleagues sniff out a strange object in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas, the backwoods hometown of Courage and his owners, Eustace and Muriel Bagge. Soon, the mysterious discovery puts them on the trail of a giant cicada monster and her wacky winged warriors. Fred, Velma, Daphne and Shaggy know that this job is too big for a flyswatter. They’ll need the help of the doggy duo to piece together the puzzle. Can Scooby and Courage overcome their jitters and defeat the insect army before the whole world bugs out? Try not to get scared. We double-dog dare you!

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog features the familiar voice talents of Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo/Fred Jones, Grey Griffin as Daphne Blake, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers and Kate Micucci as Velma Dinkley. The film also features Jeff Bergman as Eustice Bagge, Marty Grabstein as Courage the Cowardly Dog and Thea White as Muriel Bagge. Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo  Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog was executive produced by Sam Register. The film was produced and directed by Cecilia Aranovich and was written by Mike Ryan.

Bonus Episodes:

• Scooby Doo, Where Are You! "Decoy for a Dognapper"
• The Scooby Doo/Dynomutt Hour, "The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul"
• The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, "Chiller Diller Movie Thriller"

Digital

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog will be available to own on Digital on September 14, 2021. Digital purchase allows consumers to instantly stream and download to watch anywhere and anytime on their favorite devices. Digital movies and TV shows are available from various digital retailers including Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu and others.

The Basics

Street Date:	September 14, 2021
SRP (United States):	$14.99 (SD)
SRP (Canada)	$19.99 (SD)
Running Time:	72 min. approx. (feature)

 

About Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Animaniacs for Hulu, Green Eggs and Ham for Netflix, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Batman: Caped Crusader, Batwheels, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Little Ellen, Looney Tunes Cartoons, My Adventures with Superman, Tiny Toons Looniversity, Tom and Jerry in New York, Velma and Young Justice for HBO Max, DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, ThunderCats Roar for Cartoon Network,  Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?, The Tom and Jerry Show and Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs! for Boomerang.  The studio is currently in production with New Line Cinema on the upcoming original anime feature film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.  WBA’s full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC Universe Movies — for DVD, Blu-ray^® and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

                                                                                                                             

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution and interactive entertainment businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

Scoob 2 Coming Soon

Image from Screenrant.com

Yesterday, comicbook.com posted that SCOOB! 2 is in the works, and we all posted that SCOOB! 2 has been confirmed. 

In an interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Tony Cervone, Director of the original SCOOB! movie, said:

"Actually, we are kicking the tires on a follow-up to Scoob! It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s something we’re all excited about. The whole creative team that made the first movie is still around and back and working on something new. It was neat to create this Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe, and it’s exciting to return to it."

This isn't the first time there was talk about making a 2nd film, and the possibility of a whole Hanna-Barbera Universe. In an interview with Den of Geek May 15, 2020, Bill Haller, head of animation for SCOOB! said:

"I think Brian, Dynomutt, and Dee Dee could have their own series. I want to see more of the Falcon Force. I want to watch that team grow because there’s definitely, even in the credits at the end, you could see that the team is growing."

What do you think about a 2nd SCOOB! movie? Are you looking forward to it? 

New Velma Series Starring Mindy Kaling

By now I'm sure you have heard about the new not-for-kids animated Velma series coming to HBO Max. There has been a lot of speculation as to how the series is going to be, if it will be any good, and what we can all expect. 

Image from Shape.com

I'm not going to go into my thoughts on the show, as I really need to see it to know what it's going to be like. So I'm just going to stick to the facts and let you decide how you feel about it. 

In February, 2021, it was announced that Mindy Kaling would be executive producing a show called Velma, and that it would be an adult animated comedy series that tells the origin story of Velma Dinkley. 

The 10-episode series is described as "an original and humorous spin that unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America's most beloved mystery solvers."

Image from HBO Max

Yesterday, we got a little more information about the new Velma series when Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, revealed new details at the TV Kids Summer Festival, a very odd place to reveal new information on a series that is not made for kids. 

“We have a not for children, Mindy Kaling project called Velma because she was excited to reimagine what Scooby-Doo would be like if Velma were of East Asian descent and lived in a different world. And in that version, which is going on HBO Max first, there’s no dog and no van but we have our 4 key characters through a different lens and I think it’s great. Allowing our creators to play with our IP is super powerful.” said Ascheim.

When Mindy Kaling was referring to the new Velma series, she said “I’m so excited about that. I’ve been wanting to do an animated show forever. I think I sound like a 15-year-old girl when I talk, so it’s great to finally be able to use it in a show. She is such an amazing character because she has this cult following,” Kaling added “She’s a queer icon for so many people. She’s the brains behind the Scooby gang. I just love her. She’s not skinny. She’s a huge nerd. She’s smart and unabashedly so. So I’m excited. I feel honored to portray her in an animated show. And it’s fun to play.”

That is all the information we have so far on the series. What are your thoughts? Are you excited for it? 

Is Frank Welker Retiring Soon?

 Let's talk Frank Welker! I mean, this man is a legend! With over 800 characters roles to his name, Frank is the most notable voice actor I know!

Frank Welker has been an active voice actor since 1962 when he voiced Orbity and Cosmo Spacely (as a child and teenager) in The Jetsons. In 1969, he took on the role of Fred Jones in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You! and he has voiced Fred ever since, with the exception of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, the live action movies and SCOOB! Frank has also voiced Scooby-Doo since 2002 and he has done additional voices for the series through the years.

He is the original voice actor for Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, which has me asking why wasn't he voicing Dynomutt in SCOOB!? They had him right there in the studio and yet they let someone else voice him. Big name actors aren't worth the money to me if they have the person that voiced the character in the beginning. Sometimes I wonder what WB is thinking. Oh, right, $$$. 

Some other notable characters Frank Welker has voiced are Jabberjaw, Hefty Smurf, Megatron, Slimer, Abu and so many more. I know I am missing some of his key roles, but you can find all of his credits on Behind the Voice Actors. 

I recently was able to watch the Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who? episode A Haunt of a Thousand Voices and it was a fantastic episode. I'm not going to do a review at the moment because I know a lot of people haven't seen it yet and all of the pictures that people posted online gave a lot of the episode away, which was a little disappointing. 

Anyway, I loved this episode, but it really made me think that maybe Frank Welker is looking to retire. (I mean, he is 75.) I say that because I felt like the episode was a tribute to him. There were so many amazing things said about Frank in the episode and it just felt like we were saying goodbye to the only Fred we have really known! It will be a sad, sad day when he announces his retirement. 

So what happens if Frank Welker does retire? Who would voice Fred? Scooby is easy, they could bring back Scott Innes. But Fred has been voiced by Frank for over 50 years and I can't think of anyone that could take over the role. 

I don't think Robbie Amell made a good Fred. He wouldn't even dye his hair or wear a wig. No offense to Robbie, but I have to say he doesn't fit the role for me. I didn't buy him as Fred in the movies. 

Zac Efron was just ok, but I don't think I'd want him to voice Fred either. It was hard for me to get used to his voice in the movie, but I guess that is normal because I'm so used to Frank.

Would Freddie Prinze Jr. come back to voice Fred, much like Matthew Lillard took over for Casey Kasem as Shaggy? I guess I could live with that, though I'm not sure if he is the best person for the job either. 

Fifty years of voicing a character is a long time. Frank put his heart and soul into Fred, he has a strong connection to the character and you can hear that in the series. Frank understands Fred. Anytime you bring in someone new, that connection is missing and the character isn't as lively. I felt that way with SCOOB! The voices sounded so off and I didn't feel like the actors really put much effort into the voices. I mean, WB only hired them for their names to draw in more of an audience and more money to the box office (which ended up being everyone's couch as the pandemic caused the movie to be released digitally.) 

So what do you think? Do you think Frank Welker is going to announce his retirement soon? Who would you want to hear voice Fred? 

Scooby-Doo Panel #2 - Collecting Scooby Merchandise & Why I Collect

We had an amazing discussion for Scooby Panel #2. It was so much fun talking about collecting merchandise. 

As a collector, most people don't understand why I collect, why I spend money on these items and what is so great about having all this Scooby stuff. Sometimes I feel like showing people my collection is a negative thing because people look at it and me as if there is something wrong. 

I touched very briefly on why I collect Scooby stuff in the discussion. I went through some traumatic experiences when I was a kid and into my teens. While these events have helped to shape who I am today, they also started my Scooby fascination. Scooby-Doo made me feel comfortable. While the show was on, I was able to focus on it, to feel safe and feel like I was in my own little world where I didn't have to care about what was going on in reality. 

As I got older, I started collecting Scooby merchandise and those items made me happy. I would display them all, which at the time fit on a couple shelves, and I'd be able to feel that happiness when I looked at them. Now, have a Scooby room and a ton of Scooby stuff that I have collected over the years. 

In the discussion, everyone agreed that collecting makes them happy. And Wendy pointed out that every person has their thing, whether they collect something, go to concerts, buy specialty foods, etc., everyone has that thing that they enjoy, that makes them happy and that they feel is worth their money. With us, it just happens to be collecting Scooby-Doo stuff. 

I hope you all enjoy Panel #2 as much as we enjoyed making it! And remember to do what makes you happy!