Top five Scooby-Doo adaptations to grace cinematic history
Photo courtesy of Thibault / Wikimedia Commons
Scooby-Doo and the mystery gang have unmasked hundreds of villains over the last 50 years. They continue to bring the best mysteries around!
The Scooby-Doo franchise is one for the ages. The children’s show, first airing in 1969, has entertained generations of viewers with lovable characters, inventive villains, and an endless variety of crazy stories. Even though Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Gang have traversed 48 movies and 13 television adaptations spanning 426 episodes, there’s always a new mystery to solve. Never mind the fact that Scooby-Doo is arguably one of the most recognizable and nostalgic television programs of the past five decades.
As a long-time Scooby-Doo fanatic (check out my sock collection), avid re-watcher, and loudly opinionated critic, I have compiled the most valid, non-negotiable ranking of the top five Scooby-Doo adaptations to ever hit the air.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969-1978)
You’re lying to yourself if you don’t believe that the original Mystery Gang is not the inception, sum, and culmination of the entire franchise. This adaptation gave us icons like Miner 49er, Captain Cutler, the Spooky Space Kook, and the Tar Monster. Season one is hit, after hit, after hit, without a single miss— but you can’t go wrong with any episode out of three seasons. The second those screeching bats fly out of the castle in the opening credits, a nostalgia daze is inevitable, and the older the animation becomes, the more fun it is to spot which objects of the painted backgrounds are animated.
Scooby-Doo: The Movie (2002)
This live-action film starring none other than Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Linda Cardellini, and Rowan Atkinson is one of cinematography’s most perfect creations. Spooky Island itself is a conceptual masterpiece, and the 2000s grunge-teenager aesthetic and soundtrack really bring the viewing experience to the next level (I almost want to spike my frosted tips and bring back Bermuda shorts). It would be a sin to discuss Scooby-Doo: The Movie (2002) without mentioning that it is the work of a comedic genius. From dogs dressed as grandmas, monsters dressed as people, and a luchador whom Daphne knocks out, you’ll never know what’s coming next, but you can be sure it’ll make you laugh. Don't want to pay $3.99 to rent it— no worries —I can recite the entire script from memory!
What’s New Scooby-Doo (2002-2006)
The early 2000s gifted us another knockout with this three-season-long reboot. No lowlights, only highlights, with episodes such as “High Tech House of Horrors,” “Big Appetite in Little Tokyo,” “Camp Comeoniwannascareya,” “Big Scare in the Big Easy,” and, of course, “The Vampire Strikes Back,” which gave us the hottest rock trio: The Hex Girls— you either wanted to be them or wanted to be with them. This adaptation is the pinnacle of Gen-Z’s childhood, and the theme song still transports me back to a balmy 2008 afternoon watching Cartoon Network from the carpet.
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
Perhaps a shot out of left field, but this movie definitely makes it to the top five. At a boarding school for young monsters, Scooby, Scrappy, and a red-shirted Shaggy must overcome their terror and save the school without the rest of the Mystery Gang. The entire film feels like a fever dream, but it successfully diverts from the typical format without abandoning vital and familiar characterization or the spooky atmosphere. This is arguably one of the most impressive and captivating spinoffs to come out of the Scooby-Doo franchise, yet it never gets enough attention.
Honorable Mentions
I have to credit Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost (1999) for another show-stopping, jaw-dropping Hex Girls appearance, as well as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013) for its modern animation style and continuous plot.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
The late ‘90s were cranking out animated stand-alone films, and Zombie Island (1998) is nearly perfect. Don’t let the voodoo dolls or furry-esque she-wolves turn you away from this haunting story because, for one of the first times in franchise history, the monsters are actually real, and it’ll cause some serious goosebumps! This film also has one of the most memorable running gags with a catfish named Big Mona.å