Now being a hardcore Scooby-Doo fan I can safely say I've had more good experiences than bad experiences with this series, but with Happy Halloween I couldn't feel more conflicted. Cause it's not...bad, not really at all but there were several elements that kinda threw me off and while it did certainly make me laugh and I was digging certain parts this feels like a very mixed bag, slightly slap dash plot, that ultimately results in some Scooby fluff. I love fluff, it doesn't have to be amazing to be enjoyable but this is absolutely one of those cases where you're really not gonna remember much about it in a few days. We start off at the tail end of a mystery with the gang halting The Scarecrow, yes Dr. Jonathan Crane himself from trashing a Halloween parade led by the Mistress Of The Dark herself Elvira, before something wicked this way comes in the form of radioactive pumpkins which not only is a call back to The Witch's Ghost but for you lads and lasses out there of a certain generation gave me hard flashbacks to Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy with the Jacked Up Halloween special which makes it even more surreal cause this was directed by the creator Maxwell Atoms, sending the gang on mostly the backpedal as they try to work out just how to stop these ghoulish creatures. You can kinda tell from that brief synopsis this is all over the place, I mean I can fully accept Elvira being a part of the Scooby-Doo world I mean shit if Vincent Price can be she certainly can too. I know Mystery Incorporated have indeed crossed paths with the Caped Crusaders on several occasions but does it really do a damn thing for the story? And worst of all despite my love for the man, Bill Nye the science guy is here for....absolutely no good reason, he's barely in it, barely does anything, and contributes a whopping plate of nothing with a side order of zilch to any of the proceedings. Like what was the plan here guys?? They really just went too off the tracks here and tried to do too much. Between this and Return To Zombie Island Cassandra Peterson is becoming a ill omen for Scooby-Doo and that's horseshit because she is the bomb man, she has such wit and good comedic timing, I actually really enjoyed her little storyline with Daphne they were great together and got a good few laughs from me! But it just feels off, something feels wrong with this production and I can't pinpoint why! It bugs the hell out of me cause this isn't a hard story to tell but they just commit to certain things that leaves me feeling adrift with nothing concrete to cling on. I mean the animation is solid I have zero issues with that, with good use of color, could use a bit more emphasis on Halloween but nothing deal breaking as we get some nice visuals, and they have some good sight gags in there. Voice cast just, damn dude I don't wanna say this but it did not feel like they were on their A-game, but I truly feel that's more due to the shiftless writing and direction than the actual voice actors fault. Cause all of them, even just once, have their moments! I honestly feel like it's me that's off center here because almost from the word go I wasn't feeling this too much, but it is how I feel and I can assuredly say it didn't pick up much as it continued. Is it horrible? No I wouldn't say that at all, maybe a bit scatter brained and exceedingly average but you know it's for kids, you can throw this on as a bit of background noise while they gear up for tricks or treats or just something to keep them entertained for barely over an hour. It has moments, it has a good look, it's not a waste of time but in the pantheon of Scooby-Doo movies this is maybe a mid-tier movie and I'm hoping that the week will indeed improve before the October festivities go into high gear. 2 stars, 6/10, we're going back in time to the second classic era of Scooby-Doo movies in my humble opinion.
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