Scooby Doo and Guess Who? - General Discussion

[Twilight Man]

The thirteenth season of Scooby Doo decides to pay homage to The New Scooby Doo Movies,

as modern day special guests (some real, some from other CN shows) help Scooby and the gang solve mysteries.

So far, the following guest stars (as themselves) has been confirmed:

As Themselves:   Chris Paul, Sia, Halsey, Ricky Gervais, Kenan Thompson, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mark Hamill, and Penn & Teller.

along with characters such as Steve Urkel (voiced by Jaleel White), Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy), Sherlock Holmes, the Flash and Wonder Woman.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Twilight Man

[magicdog]

Finally we have a trailer and a date:

The trailer:

It'll start streaming Thursday June 27, on the Boomerang streaming service. New episodes will roll out weekly, with the season finale streaming Thursday, Sept. 19.

Color me surprised when I saw the gang from The Funky Phantom in this promo!  I wonder if Micky Dolenz will reprise his role as Skip?  He still has a good voice and sounds younger than he is.  

[magicdog]

Freshly uploaded, we have our first clip with basketball star Chris Paul:

[magicdog]

Having just watched the first episode with the gang solving a mystery with Chris Paul, I must say this incarnation is a winner!  SDMI will still be my favorite incarnation post SDWAY, but this version definitely brings back a combination of call backs from past incarnations, in jokes and a genuine likability.  For what it is, it doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's still enjoyable.

I think it's good the show keeps it to 30 minutes rather than the 60 minutes the 70s version of the show, as we get no filler, the story is tight (so far) and a few scenes and quips that actually make me smile.   The artwork is back to the classic Scooby designs including the gang's 60s duds, and the look of the show overall is clean, bright and the animation fluid. 

I can't wait to see the rest of the season - too bad they're only releasing one episode a week.

[Kromm]

I always loved the New Scooby Doo Myteries period, with the wacky nonsensical celeb guest stars like Vincent Price or The Harlem Globetrotters.  If they can ACTUALLY successfully harness that spirit successfully... I'm in.  I do think they need to go more oddball with the guest stars.  Campy but famous is the key more than just famous.

[magicdog]

On 6/30/2019 at 6:45 AM, Kromm said:

I do think they need to go more oddball with the guest stars. 

Well in episode 2, they meet up with the ghost of Abe Lincoln!  Well, technically, they meet up with the gang from The Funky Phantom and we get a few shout outs to that show.  I was disappointed Micky Dolenz didn't reprise his VA role as Skip, but I was not crazy about the VA used for him or Augie.  They just didn't seem to fit the characters IMO.  I think David Kaufman (Danny Phantom) would have made a better VA for Skip and Augie perhaps could have been voiced by S. Scott Bullock (who voiced Dash in DP).

Skip was also characterized here as the "Velma" of their group even though I don't recall him being such in the original cartoon.  Augie was ok - he was maybe a notch above "dumb muscle" from the original show.  April barely got any characterization at all - and we also curiously never saw Augie and Skip competing over her (something also from the original show).  I remember lots of threesome jokes about that show.

Elmo the dog seemed more orange in color;  I seem to remember him as being more yellow/brown.  Also, no teasing by Boo, although he seemed to focus more on Shaggy and Scooby.  Plus Tom Kenny voiced him again, as he did in SDMI.

I also enjoyed that little Speed Buggy cameo at the end - even though Speedy used to deal with "take over the world" villains not ghosts. 

[magicdog]

Finally got to see the Ricky Gervais episode - probably the funniest one yet!  I wonder if he was allowed to improvise or add any jokes to suit his style to the script?  He did seem like a natural.

There were a few throwbacks to past episodes of the original show:

Professor Hyde-White as the villain!

A mummy - who howls "Statue!" (whereas, the original mummy howled, "Coin!")

Several suits of armor (The Black Knight)

Velma tripping and losing her glasses!  Too bad she didn't actually say the phrase.

Gervais making all those in jokes about having catch phrases and referencing that he's in a Scooby Doo episode to the point he encouraged the villain to say the "meddling kids" line!

The luxury kitty carrier for Ollie - complete with flush toilet!

The puppet show at the beginning, which gave no indication it really was a cry for help - in Ricky Gervais' way of course!

The not so great:

I was disappointed in the snot joke.  SD is not about snot jokes any more than he's about fart jokes (like the live action film).

The end joke about Gervais shooing the gang out of his place to be with the cats -  it was weird to say the least and it didn't work for me. 

Ollie constantly biting her owner.  Bad kitty!  Plus, that joke got old fast.

Ancient catnip?  Uh-huh.

Overall, I think this series should have hour long episodes, because it seems better pacing and clues to each mystery (not to mention adding more suspects) is needed.  Not to mention more time for the celeb guest star to interact more with the gang.  The original show (SDWAY) did more of that in its 30 minute run time, and The New Scooby Doo Movies (which this show is essentially a modern resurrection of) seemed to be better at it, even though the writing on that show was a bit sub par.

[Twilight Man]

If you grew up during the 80s, then you remember the Ruby-Spears logo.

Joe Ruby, the co-creator of Scooby-Doo, and the writer of several of the episodes

(of several incarnations) has passed away at the age of 87.

In addition to Scooby Doo, Ruby-Spears Productions is also responsible for:

Dynomutt, Fangface, the Plastic Man cartoon, Mighty Man and Yukk,

Thundarr the Barbarian, Goldie Gold and Action Jack, that cartoon about a Rubik's Cube (???),

the Mr. T cartoon, the 80s Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon,

remember all those cartoons about 80s video games

(Kangaroo, Frogger, Pitfall, Donkey Kong, Dragon's Lair and Space Ace)

The Sectaurs, the Punky Brewster cartoon, the Centurions, 

the Rambo cartoon, that cartoon about Chuck Norris, the Police Academy cartoon,

and that really weird cartoon about actual cows being cowboys (?????????)

 

Thank you, Mr. Ruby, for creating my childhood.

[Twilight Man]

and now, goodbye, Mr. Spears.

I pretty much said it all just above a few months ago.

These two gentlemen are responsible for many cartoons of my childhood.

May both of you rest in peace, and thank you once again.

 

[Twilight Man]

Not very much chatter about the second season.

 

Morgan Freeman, Tara Lipinski, Axl Rose,

The Flash loses the coin toss between him and Superman

(You lost, Barry.  Besides, I had to appear on the stupid Brady Bunch cartoon)

and Sandy Duncan still looks the same (sic) after forty years.