Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009)

 Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) */*****

Well, here we are... the 40th anniversary and the farewell performance of Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers. A return that lasted 6 years and 9 movies culminates in this, the 13th movie in the DTV series. Is it a worthy send-off? We'll find out. 

The Mystery Inc. crew travels the globe on a transcontinental treasure hunt to solve a series of ancient riddles. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are indoctrinated by an unlikely Sword Master.

Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King (2008)

 Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King (2008) ****/*****

With spooky season right around the corner, join me as we venture into the realm of "The Goblin King". 

For those keeping track, this is the 12th movie in the long running DTV series that launched in the year 1998. 

Scooby-Doo and Shaggy must go into the underworld ruled by the Goblin King in order to stop a mortal named The Amazing Krudsky who wants power and is a threat to their pals, Fred, Velma and Daphne.

                                                              

Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (2007)

 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-Doo: Pirates Ahoy! (2006)

 Scooby-Doo: Pirates Ahoy! (2006)  ****/*****

AAARGH, me mateys, 

This is the tenth entry of the DTV series. Is it worthy of that slot, or will we have to make it walk the plank?

Only one way to find out, join me as I sail this uncharted animated high seas adventure! YOHO! YOHO! it's a pirate's life and a box Scooby Snax for me!  

The Mystery, Inc. gang are caught in the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, while vacationing on a cruise, courtesy of Fred's parents for his birthday.

Aloha, Scooby-Doo (2005)

 Aloha, Scooby-Doo (2005) **/*****

Before we get started, I have to give a shout out to a fantastic resource for screencaps I stumbled upon while looking for pics for this review.

Animation Screencaps.com

Over on IMDB, I gave this a 4, but I honestly don't remember a lot about it. I have some vague recollections but nothing definitive. Lets see if this viewing can change my mind.  For those keeping track this is DTV #8 of 35.

Scooby Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003)

 Scooby Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003) ****/*****

We've made it to the sixth entry in the DTV series! Only thirty more to go! 

Much love to Scoobypedia for their excellent Wiki, that has been an invaluable resource for me. I suggest you give them visit and be amazed at the depth of information.

 

This one marks the final teaming of the surviving cast of the 1969 series. Both Nicole Jaffe and Heather North departed the series  before the next movie. 

Scooby and the gang are in Mexico for the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) when they discover a frightening Chupacabra on the loose!

When I first saw this movie upon its debut over 2 decades ago, it struck me as a series finale, though I don't remember why. And a rewatch awhile back didn't give the same bittersweet farewell vibe, so I have no idea what I was thinking. Pretty sure I was just stupid.

At any rate, this is far superior to the previous 2 entries. The writer (Douglas Wood) of this movie understands not only the characters, but how to write for the medium as well. Which isn't surprising considering he was the story editor for the original Tiny Toons among other things for Amblin animation in the 90's. 

It's a fast paced story, with a catchy soundtrack and pleasant early 00's TV animation. Still nowhere near the first three in terms of tone and production values, but sure as heck a huge step up from the 4th and 5th ones.  

I'm not entirely sure what happened between the cast recording of Legend of the Vampire and this movie, but Daphne's voice aged like 40 years. She's hesitant and almost sounds as if she has vocal fatigue. Granted, she's in her late 50's, but considering that at least Casey Kasem and Rita Moreno were in their early 70's at the time this was released, they still sound relatively youthful. Only Daphne sounds like she's aged.

I think the soundtrack is my favorite part of this movie, it's a shame it was never released. 

The plot is a simple land grab scheme by a greedy developer and his accomplice. They want the land and use El Chupacabra to scare them into selling. 

It's a premise that makes excellent use of setting and characters.  

The absence of the "Where Are You?" theme, or any identifiable theme is kinda jarring to say the least, instead, what we have is nice, catchy, and has fantastic rhythm, but nothing suitable for the chase scene. It's  weird.

What we do have is a gathering of some nice Latin American influenced songs that are really good.  

"Viva Mexico"	Written by Rich Dickerson & Gigi Meroni	Maria Carmen Diaz
"Scooby Cha Cha Doo"		Maria Carmen Diaz & Rich Dickerson
"Sol (Batucada)"	Written by Gilberto Cerezo, Ulises Lozano, Carlos Chairez, Omar Gongora, and Cesar Pliego	Kinky
"A Donde Vas"	Written by Kike Santander & Javier Gaviria	Carolina
"Mueve Mi Sangre"	Written by Artro Santillanes & Janko Rodriguez	Plastiko

Cast

Mystery Inc. (No change)

Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo, Fred Jones, El Chupacabra
Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
Heather North as Daphne Blake (final film role)
Nicole Jaffe as Velma Dinkley (final film role)

Supporting Cast                                                      Other Scooby Projects

Eddie Santiago as Alejo Otero                            What's New, Scooby Doo? 112. Lights, Camera, Mayhem!

Jesse Borrego as Luis Otero                               What's New, Scooby Doo? 102. 3-D Struction 
Candi Milo as Charlene/Museum Guide             Alien Invaders, Big Top Scooby-Doo!,  Stage Fright,                                                                                                                        Frankencreepy,  Be Cool, Scooby Doo: 202, There Wolf
Rita Moreno as Doña Dolores
Maria Canals as Sofia Otero / Old Woman
Brandon Gonzalez as Jorge Otero
Rip Taylor as Mr. Smiley / Ghost of Señor Otero   Scooby Goes Hollywood, 

                                                                                                    What's New, Scooby Doo? 106. Riva Ras Regas
Cástulo Guerra as Señor Fuente
Benito Martinez as El Curandero                       What's New, Scooby Doo? 204. High-Tech House of Horrors 

Current DTV rankings. Based on how much I enjoyed them, not necessarily the quality of the production

1. Zombie Island
2. Alien Invaders
3. Monster of Mexico
4. Witch's Ghost
5. Cyberchase 
6. Legend of the Vampire

The next movie in the series is "....and the Loch Ness Monster" which is at least partially written by Mark Turosz, who penned my least favorite entries so far. It also features one returning voice actor, and one debuting in the DTV series. In the roles of Daphne and Velma, respectively.