Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back again. It is October, the scariest month of the year! People are marathoning horror movies, chowing down on candy and getting their Halloween costumes prim and ready. Meanwhile your Shaman has created a new tradition in hour of this month. So welcome peeps to Scooby-Doo Month: where I spend the month of October looking at the MANY movies of The Great Dane. Today we're kicking things off with a bang with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island!
Bored from dealing with guys in masks pretending to be monsters, The gang disbanded and went their separate ways. A couple of years later (At least I think it is...) Daphne makes plans to head to New Orleans in hopes of finding real ghosts for her T.V. show. This leads to Fred getting Mystery Inc. back together. Their journey leads them to Lena who invites them to Moonscar Island, where her employer Simone lives. Moonscar Island is haunted by the ghost of the pirate Morgan Moonscar and he, along with some Zombies, want the gang off, no matter what it takes.
To those who're very unfortunate as to never seeing this movie, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island carries itself in a fashion that had never been done in the franchise before up to that point. It's a much more serious and darker take on the Scooby formula. The movie's very atmospheric; from the get go, it does a great job of setting the tone and even keeping the viewers on their feet. Seeing Fred and Velma trying to rationalize the supernatural situations that occurred in Simone's home gave the film a realistic type of feel to it.
To continue from the realistic point, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was the first time in the Scooby Franchise where the danger presented to the gang in a serious manner. The villains of the Franchise up to that point were more slimy kind of guys that just wanted to scare off their victims for money or jewelry. This movie has Fred getting slashed at by some guy while he's holding Velma and Daphne to keep them from falling to their deaths. Not to mention the titled zombies in this picture when they appear give off very creepy vibes, especially when they're coming to life and stalking the characters, which is only assisted by the great design and animation that perfectly captures what it would probably be like if the undead came towards you; and when the motives of the villains are revealed, you're convinced that the gang could be killed by these characters. The excellent plotting of this movie creates a feeling of tension that's never been experienced before from Scooby. It's something that'll definitely frighten nearby kids.
Something that I love about this movie even to this day is the music to the film. Like this movie's rendition of the theme to 'Scooby Doo: Where Are You?' and of course the two biggest songs of the movie: "The Ghost is Here" and the most memorable song in the movie: "It's Terror Time Again". After you hear these two songs, they'll be stuck in your head and you'll be singing them for a long time.
Scooby Doo on Zombie Island has been credited as the movie to breathe life back into the Franchise after years of inactivity and it shows. Its great presentation brought something to The Great Dane that wouldn't be matched until 2010 when "Mystery Incorporated" premiered. I wholeheartedly recommend it for fans of not only Scooby-Doo but for fans of Supernatural elements and mysteries alike. I think it has something that all audiences can enjoy.
Till Next Time Folks, I'm the Shaman of Animation and I'll see you guys back here as Scooby-Doo Month continues!
Take Care...
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