The New Scooby-Doo

   


 Scooby-doo is a classic cartoon. Almost everyone has seen an episode or watched a Scooby-doo movie. So how has Scooby-Doo managed to stay relevant since the 70s with barely an outfit change? 

One of Scooby-Doo’s biggest advantages is its formula. There is always a masked monster, Scooby and Shaggy eat snacks, Fred makes a trap, Velma solves the mystery, Daphne is pretty, and the villain says, “I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!” These simple tropes allow Scooby-Doo to be transferred into almost any medium. There are Scooby-Doo shows, movies, comics, and even books. The simplistic character models do the same thing, effectively allowing creators to explore characters differently. Each member of the gang comes from a different background and have wildly different personalities. But even with their differences, the Mystery Gang is composed of likable people with enjoyable dynamics. Watching the gang’s shenanigans is straight-up fun. A classic Scooby-Doo episode is never a miss and is enjoyable no matter what period you watch. Its simple formula is its superpower.

Just as sticking to the Scooby-Doo formula lends itself to good results, too much change to the formula makes a bad Scooby product. Movies and shows that tried to change Scooby-Doo too much have been some of the worst. On the other hand, keeping the same formula gets boring. The trick is finding a balance between the new and the old. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (Mystery Inc) and Trick-or-Treat Scooby-Doo! have a near-perfect balance. Both add new things to the Scooby-Doo universe without distracting from the show’s core. Mystery Inc adds plot and lore to the universe in an engaging way and is a fan favorite. Trick-or-Treat came out this month and slightly alters the
characters to give them more substance. Daphne becomes the leader of the team, and Scooby and Shaggy are shown choosing their friends over snacks. The movie also explores what would happen if the gang solved their catch-all mystery. Both of these shows added new things and perspectives but still kept their classic Scooby-Doo feel. In contrast, a movie like Scoob! attempts to introduce too much new, and doesn’t feel much like Scooby-Doo at all. Even the new Velma show, set to release in 2023, is causing some apprehension because of its radical character designs* and the decision to completely remove Scooby-Doo from the show. 


The decision to change Scooby-Doo characters' personalities and explore different dynamics can be good. In fact, changing and adding to the Scooby-Doo franchise can lead to amazing products. The problem is when the formula is changed too much, it feels less like Scooby-Doo and more like a bore. I hope that the Scooby-Doo franchise will continue to be released and changed. Hopefully, interesting concepts and more diversity will be an ongoing theme in new Scooby-Doo movies and shows. 


*Disclaimer: by radical, I do not mean changing the character's races. I have no issue with that; my issue lies where the characters don't look like themselves anymore. Specifically, Shaggy is very clean-cut and not very… shaggy. Also, the art style looks completely different on each character.

Comments

  1. Milo MOctober 26, 2022 at 5:15 AM

    I love how much effort and thought you put into every blog post. They're really interesting to read and really engages everyone into commenting and reading. Also, I didn't really realize how formulaic Scooby Doo was until you pointed it out, but it really is.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 4, 2022 at 5:30 AM

    I agree with your point on shows that follow a formula too much become boring. For instance Family Guy used to be a great show and now I don't like it as much because every episode seems the same. Older episodes followed less of a formula and were more funny.

    ReplyDelete

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