The 'Scooby-Doo' franchise is still going strong after 50 years thanks to a general appeal among each generation along with its ability to innovate and keep up with the times in each incarnation. A perfect example is from 1998 to 2001 four direct to video movies were released which began with 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island'. These were not cheap productions either, they were very high quality for the time making me wonder why these couldn't have been theatrical films. The films also presented real monsters and dangerous situations which was first explored with 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo' but with 'Zombie Island' onward these would provide genuine scares for the kids but still retain that playful tone Scooby and the gang are known for.
The plot takes place after the Mystery Inc. group have disbanded after growing tired of never catching a real ghost or monster. We see that alone, the gang aren't really themselves and when Daphne begins a haunted tour through Louisiana with Fred, he invites the gang to get back together and heading for the mysterious Moonscar Island which is said to contain real restless spirits. Once the gang arrives they slowly begin to realize that they are in real danger and something far more sinister is plaguing the island than ghosts.
As I said, the production value on this flick is really top notch with beautiful animation that really stood out at the time and even today it holds up compared to the modern Scooby films. The recent 2019 sequel 'Return to Zombie Island' has that cheap computerized animated look and the film overall felt more like a cash grab for the 50th anniversary. The 1998 film however still holds up as not just the best 'Scooby-Doo' movie in my opinion but one of the best animated films of the 1990's. The voice cast is also full of talent though sadly most of the main cast would not return to reprise their roles with the exception of Frank Welker as Fred. The new cast does well however with Billy West's Shaggy being a very spot on impression and Mary Kay Bergman's Daphne giving the character much more depth than her previous incarnations. Other major actors include Mark Hamill, Adrienne Barbeau, and Jim Cummings.
'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' was the film that really got me into the show. Though reruns were frequent throughout the 90's, I never really got into the original series. 'A Pup Named Scooby-Doo' I would say was my first real foray into the franchise, but this movie really got me to look back at everything I missed. It was nice to see a kids movie that could be spooky and have some edge while also being family friendly. I'm not sure if I'd recommend the film to very young children but if you want something to ease them into the horror genre, this is an excellent pick. Happy 50th Birthday Scooby-Doo and let's hope you're around for many more years to come.
5/5
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