Dat Time, Duh Monstuhs Wuh Reel

Greetings to you, hoping you're having an outstanding October. Recently, I received some fantastical news. We're going to celebrate by exalting a 1998 animated film. It was a direct-to-video release that later aired on television. It revitalized a franchise and spawned an actually worthy sequel in 1999. I refer to Scooby-Doo! on Zombie Island.

This film's production values were top-tier. For instance, the musical aspects. Steven Bramson scored this film like a horror movie, full marks to those who enacted the score. Semi-Charmed Life's Third Eye Blind sang the theme song, their rendition is dope. The Ghost is Here and It's Terror Time Again are songs of righteousness. Skycycle rocked at performing them. They're darker versions of the Austin Roberts ditties from the original show's 2nd season.

I've got to shoutout the animation, too. Mook Co.'s animation services were stellar. Given the cinematography, it's evident that the storyboard artists were crafty. The backgrounds are sumptuous, partially the ones in the bayou. Major credit to the character designers' handiworks, too. They particularly thrived at updating Mystery Inc. and designing the supernatural aspects. The film is crisply editing by Paul Douglas. The foley work's nicely executed, too.

The voice cast is something to admire. Collette Sunderman had astutability when casting the characters, Kriss Zimmerman was an able voice-director. Ed Gilbert's efficient at delivering the "meddling kids" line. Jennifer Leigh Warren had talk show hostess cadence as Chris. Cam Clarke exhibited grumbly charm and machoness as Beau. Snakebite Scruggs is a favourite Mark Hamill voice role, Mark was versatile at voicing 3 other roles, too. Jim Cummings' eerie, Cajun Jacques is seemingly jovial (Jim provided crucial zombie sounds). As Lena, Tara Strong was so apt at portraying an alluring, enigmatic, flirty Southern Belle. Adrienne Barbeau's Simone had performative benevolence and irritability! She was quite pertinent for the role. Frank Welker evolved his portrayal of Fred and kept it consistent (naturally, Frank also supplied animal noises). Though I'm sad that Heather North Kenney was replaced during production, Mary Kay Bergman was qualified, enthusiastic, proficient and deserving of voicing Daphne. Returning from Johnny Bravo, B.J. Ward's Velma is introspective, observant, likeable and articulate. Sorry, but Casey Kasem missed out on a righteous project! Thankfully, Billy West was an efficacious successor and sufficient as Shaggy. Scott Innes (a friend of original voice Don Messick) supplied endearability as Scooby, Scott had prosperity as our title-character.

When tasked with writing the film, Glen Leopold and Dennis Doi were in their elements. We open with an atmospheric titles sequence and chase scene. I appreciate how the gang's parting was amicable, it's nice when they're reunited. Pacing, exposition and montaging are strong suits of the story. There's a lot of needed, appropriately used humor. This movie is unapologetically dark, which is refreshing. It doesn't Mollycoddle kids. There are a ton of nods to the original show. The twist is heavily hinted. There's an epic climax, perfect ending and a cute post-credits scene.

Thanks to director Jim Stenstrum and producer Cosmo Anzilotti, Scooby-Doo! on Zombie Island is groovy movie. It indulged in some revamping. Unsurprisingly, its home video release was lucrative. The movie's been lauded, too. It's one of my favourite spooky movies to watch around Halloween. I still traysure it. You should so give it a watch this Halloween season.