Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

National Review Online ^ | 6/17/02 | Betsy Hart

[H.R. Gross]

June 17, 2002, 9:05 a.m.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Nothing like my childhood cartoon.

By Betsy Hart

In Hollywood "PG," of course, stands for "Parental Guidance" suggested. So, here's some parental guidance. Don't take your kids to see the new Warner Brothers Scooby-Doo movie.

The film, which opened on Friday, was this weekend's top box-office draw. That's probably because a lot of dopey parents (like me) took their little ones too see it the day it opened. After all, my kids had been waiting for it for weeks and the Washington Post review (also dopey) said it was definitely for children because the writers had dropped the drug references the movie had once contained. (I know, I know, there was always the suggestion, even with the cartoon, that Shaggy in particular was involved in recreational pharmaceuticals. But I for one didn't figure that out until watching reruns of it in college.)

Anyway, I grew up with Scooby-Doo. I wanted to see Shaggy and the gang too.

But, this is not your beloved Hanna Barbera cartoon come to life. The movie is entirely cynical, which means it might be just fine for the Gen-X crowd. But Scooby-Doo was targeted to kids — "A Must See Family Film" said one Warner Brothers promotion — and the theater was filled with 5 to 8-year-olds.

At the opening, the once happy mystery-solving group of handsome Fred, pretty Daphne, smart Velma, and cowardly Shaggy and Scooby are now just vain, sniping morons who break up early in the film. Between that and their successful reunion at the end, we are treated to a smorgasbord of nothing but heavy sarcasm, stupid attempts at humor, flatulence contests, breasts — including those of Pamela Anderson — and sexual innuendo.

In one scene, Fred and the voluptuous Daphne change bodies (it's complicated) and Fred is pretty happy about it as he starts feeling himself up.

My eight-year-old was upset that the villain turned out to be. . .well, a longtime trusted friend of the group, who puts a new profane twist on the old "and I would have gotten away with it, too, without those meddling youngsters. . ." before his words are muffled and he's stuffed into a police chopper. Now that's cynical.

What's so annoying is that I can't help but compare this film to the Warner Brothers blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone which just came out on video (which is why I just saw it for the first time.) Harry Potter is a true children's film — which means it's terrific for adults too. It's filled with wonder, fantasy, and clear lines between good and evil. Some folks don't like the witches, of course, but at least Harry and his friends are good wizards and witches.

What's so terrific about this film is that the children are delightful and actually respectful of the adults in their lives. And for once, the adults in a children's film are presented as generally wise, good, and necessary to the well being of their young charges. Harry's stepparents, actually his aunt and uncle, are a pathetic if amusing exception to this rule but evil stepparents — at least evil stepmothers — are an ancient literary device. And in this case it's necessary to get Harry to leave home and go to the Wizard's academy, Hogwarts. In any event, his deceased real parents are presented as brave, good, and sacrificial on Harry's behalf. And very much loved and admired by Harry.

But the best thing about Harry Potter was the relationship between the three 11-year-old children, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or rather, the lack of relationship. These kids, two boys and a girl, are friends. There is no hint whatsoever of any kind of romantic liaison between them. They are 11-year-olds and they are just kids I almost couldn't believe Hollywood made this film. Thankfully, British author J. K. Rowling maintained a great deal of control over the script. Otherwise I can't help but think there would have been some allusions, vague or otherwise, to a love triangle between the three with Hermione dressed like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys music to set the tone.

Given Warner Brothers grand-slam family-film hit Harry Potter, I more than ever found myself asking. . . good ol' lovable, trusted, sweet, Scooby-Doo. . . where are you?

It's a mystery.

— Betsy Hart is a nationally syndicated columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service.

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-hart061702.asp

[friday jones]

"Now why is it that Bones never made a move on Chapel? Could it be that Gene was protective of his wife? Hmmm...???"

Sher only had eyes for her Spockie-wockie....

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Today, when you say a film contains "adult references," that means sniggering innuendoes about drugs and homosexuality and seemingly endless "jokes" about urination, defecation and passing gas. These things are not adult references, they are adolescent references. So the problem with this film is that it is being presented as a children's film when it was obviously made for real adolescents by arrested adolescents.

Click here to see this idea applied to the behavior of the Clintons.

[Austin Willard Wright]

As I recall, I found it when skimming William Shatner's tell all book: Star Trek memories. It might, however, be from one of the several bio books by Star Trek actors.

[Plummz]

Sure, that's what they say now. Believe you me, they'll announce plans for an UNCUT! DVD a few months after the first DVD is released.

[FOOTY]

The above article was written by someone with nothing better to write about. She said the movie was cynical. From Websters, cynical- contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives. She didn't prove this case at all, in fact it's not even evident from the article that she knows what the word means. I saw the movie and there was nothing cynical about it. Yes, Fred did become a little full of himself which angered Velma and Daphne causing the group to go their separate ways. This had to happen to advance the plot and give the movie some tension.
I think the movie was as good as it could have been. Even the movie-length Scooby-Doo cartoons (like Zombie Island and Alien Invaders) show growth/change in the characters.
The anecdotes from the movie she describes poorly in order to make a point that wasn't valid (I'm cynical regarding the author's motives). She says Fred, while in Daphne's body, "feels himself up". Yes, he does briefly put his hands on his (Daphne's)chest and briefly peaks down his dress saying, "I can see myself naked!" It's brief and the camera shot only shows half of his hands while on his chest, not what one might think from reading the article. Except for a cameo by Pamela Anderson, cleavage was at a minimum and Velma showed more than Daphne since Daphne, frankly, doesn't have much to show; I would hardly call Daphne voluptuous in sense of having a fullness that's pleasing to the senses (in fact the voodoo man derides her skinny aerobicized butt).
I saw zero in the way of lesbian references, maybe I just missed them. The only references to dope use by Shaggy were when the camera is on the van and Shaggy is heard saying, "let's fire this up". Of course there was a barbeque grill in the van, not marijuana. Shaggy's love interest is named Mary-Jane which Shaggy comments is his favorite name. Both of these references surely went right over the heads of any 3 to 8 year old.
I was disappointed that Scrappy was the villian and worried about my age 3 daughter's reaction since she likes Scrappy. She was not bothered by it at all and had a positive reaction to Scrappy on the Scooby show later in the day on TV.
This movie is a very good for the Scooby fan. If you don't like Scooby cartoons you probably won't like the movie. If you do like the cartoons, you should like the movie unless you're a cynical nitpicker will no good ideas for a real column.

[FOOTY]

I took my 3 year old daughter to see Scooby today. She lives for Scooby Doo. She watches the old cartoons on video over and over as well as the movie length versions of the cartoons. She can't get enough of it. To me, it just was plain annoying. I was so sick of Scooby Doo. However, I must have gotten used to it and find myself quoting lines right along with her and my husband. When the movie came out the two of them went to see it because I just wasn't that interested. My husband was really hoping they didn't ruin it. When he came back with rave reviews I decided to check it out after all. My daughter happily went along for a second viewing. I really enjoyed the movie. Any innuendo of any sort would not be picked up by young kids (which is who the movie has been geared to) and I barely noticed them myself except for the fact that I was half looking for them after hearing everyone's reviews. I give Scooby two thumbs up. Just take it at face value, enjoy yourself and let the kids see a fun, action-packed, silly movie. Lighten up!

[tinacart]

"I always thought that I would very much prefer being locked in the Mystery Machine with Velma than with Daphne..."

Yeah, you're probably one of those crazies that thought Mary Ann was more attractive than Ginger, too :)

[Richard Kimball]

Okay, might as well finish the test: "Betty or Wilma?"

[null and void]

"Well, I'd do Betty, but I'd be thinking of Wilma..."

[BlueLancer]

"Yeah, you're probably one of those crazies that thought Mary Ann was more attractive than Ginger, too :)"

Have you been reading my diary again?

[tinacart]

I like, no I LOVE, your profile page :)

Take care!

[Da_Shrimp]

Saw it last night, thought it was great fun... exactly what it should be.

It was obvious that the film makers were real Scooby fans, as they made Scrappy-Doo the villain. I loved to watch Scooby-Doo in the 70s, until they introduced that irritating little twerp Scrappy!

[Da_Shrimp]

Saw it last night, thought it was great fun... exactly what it should be.

It was obvious that the film makers were real Scooby fans, as they made Scrappy-Doo the villain. I loved to watch Scooby-Doo in the 70s, until they introduced that irritating little twerp Scrappy!

[Da_Shrimp]

Saw it last night, thought it was great fun... exactly what it should be.

It was obvious that the film makers were real Scooby fans, as they made Scrappy-Doo the villain. I loved to watch Scooby-Doo in the 70s, until they introduced that irritating little twerp Scrappy!

[Da_Shrimp]

Sorry for the triple post... proxy problems!

[tang-soo]

I didn't like the movie for another reason. That being all the occultic imagery. Amidst all the sexual, druggy ... etc
criticism, this was not mentioned. I was suprised.