Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (2007) ****/*****
For those keeping track, this is the 11th of the long running DTV series featuring Hanna-Barbera's most iconic and enduring franchise.
The gang's vacation to Paris takes a wrong turn when Scooby and Shaggy miss their flight and end up on a skydiving expedition in the Himalayas. To make matters worse, upon arrival they must outrun the Abominable Snowmonster..
Apparently, I have watched this one before, but didn't have any clear memory of it. Although the opening few minutes gave me a strong case of deja-vu. So I headed over to IMDB to see if I at least rated it previously. I had, and gave it a 6/10., which seems a little too harsh.
Scooby & Shaggy get Shanghaied by a big game hunter to serve as bait for the legendary adorable, er.. irritable.. abdominal? To heck with it... Bigfoot's Himalayan cousin. Whew! Anyway from that auspicious beginning, we get a truly classic Scooby adventure that serves as a perfect showcase for the shenanigans of the iconic duo if Scooby & Shaggy.
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| Alphonse Lefleur voiced by Rene Auberjonois |
2 things keep this from being perfect, the criminal underutilization of James Hong and the lack of a chase theme. Other than that, this is nearly everything you'd want from a classic pre-Zombie Island Scooby adventure. James Hong is NEVER not an asset, if you have him, USE HIM! This man is a treasure. Give him more to DO!
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| The criminally underused James Hong |
The story isn't particularly complicated, nor is it too frightening for the wee ones to enjoy. The motive for the monster is a fairly unique one in the Scooby cannon and a first for the the DTV series.
Casey Kasem is nearly back on top of his game here, and even manages to slip in his radio voice (He was a legendary disc jockey as well as a voice actor) in a nice easter egg to his other career.
This also features the return of a character from "Loch Ness Monster", in the form of Del Chillman an amatuer cryptozoologist trying to prove the existence of various mythical creatures. This time he is pulling double duty as a weather reporter. It's also his final appearance in the franchise to date. Which is a shame because he's a fun character. Hopefully they use him again.
Surprisingly Thomas Chase Jones provides an enjoyable score for the the movie, definitely leagues ahead of his last effort. Consistently the worst thing about these movies is the lack of strong chase music. At least something that is definitively Scooby. However "Off the Track" is pretty decent, andy far my favorite (Non-Scooby theme version) thus far.
| Song | Credits | Performed by | Character performance by |
|---|---|---|---|
| "You Better Run" | Music by Thomas Chase Jones Lyrics by Thomas Chase Jones and Joe Sichta Produced by Thomas Chase Jones | Randy Crenshaw | N/A |
| "Off the Track" | |||
| "Ahead of the Yeti" | Written and produced by Thomas Chase Jones | N/A |
One thing I really like about the Scooby DTV series is the authenticity (Or as close as they can get) they go about casting the supporting roles. That is usually the strongest part of the DTV series so far.
Voice Cast
Mystery, Inc. (No Change)
- Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo and Fred Jones
- Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
- Mindy Cohn as Velma Dinkley
- Grey DeLisle as Daphne Blake
- James Sie as Pemba Sherpa
- Jeff Bennett as Del Chillman and Pilot
- René Auberjonois as Alphonse LaFleur
- Alfred Molina as Professor Jeffries
- Kim Mai Guest as Minga Sherpa
- James Hong as The High Lama
- Zombie Island
- Alien Invaders
- Chill Out, Scooby-Doo
- Where's My Mummy?
- Pirates Ahoy!
- Monster of Mexico
- Witch's Ghost
- Aloha, Scooby-Doo
- Loch Ness Monster
- Cyberchase
- Legend of the Vampire
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