Zoinks! The First 'SCOOB' Teaser Trailer is Here
When it was first announced that Warner Animation Group were making a new movie based on the show- called SCOOB!- the reaction was, it's fair to say, mixed. Ruh-Roh! But now we have the first teaser trailer, and it's so charming that it's likely many doubters will be won over.
First off, you need to dispell the notion that this will be just like one of the TV movies with better animation. This is a reboot- and it's not afraid to break with conventions. For a start, this version of Scooby (voiced once again by the legendary Frank Welker) is decidedly more articulate and understandable than we are used to. Also, it seems that the threat they are up against (which seems to involve an alien abduction and a so-called "dogpocalypse,") is a bit tougher than their usual man-in-a-costume.
The trailer shows us how Shaggy (voiced by Will Forte) and Scooby first meet-including an amusing explanation for where his name came from. The pair then run into Fred, Daphne and Velma and the Mystery Inc gang is complete.
Visually, they've done a fantastic job of capturing the iconic look of the characters, while giving them a bit of extra movie-quality sheen. Welker is the only one of the original cast to reprise his role, but Forte seems to be doing a fine job as Shaggy. We only get much briefer tastes of the rest of the cast, but Zac Effron as Fred, Gina Rodriguez as Velma and particularly Amanda Seyfried as Daphne seem like they're going to be fun.
The film is directed by Tony Cervone, a 25-year plus veteran of Warner Bros and Hanna-Barbera animation. He has directed numerous TV episodes and several Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry and Flinstones TV movies, but is making his theatrical feature debut here. The script comes from Kelly Fremon Craig (writer/director of The Edge of Seventeen) and Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles).
The film is intended to launch an animated Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe, but there's no evidence of that on display here. What there is though suggests that SCOOB! will be a funny, smart and surprisingly sweet adaptation of one of the most beloved animation franchises in history.
SCOOB! is due to hit cinemas in the US and UK on May 15, 2019.
