SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED
(Cartoon Network, April 5, 2010-April 5, 2013)
Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network UK
For background information on Scooby-Doo, check out the post here.
The 11th incarnation of
the Scooby-Doo franchise and the
first not to air on Saturday mornings where Scooby had lived since his 1969
debut (at least until it began airing in reruns). Developed by Mitch
Watson, Spike
Brandt and Tony Cervone,
the series sought to do a few new things while also paying respect to what came
before. It took a tongue-in-cheek approach to the classic Scooby formula by
giving outlandish technology and backstories to the villains which utilized a
character design reminiscent of the original Hanna-Barbera
models with modern flourishes and several design tweaks. It was also done in a
more semi-serious and darker tone, like the original entries in the concurrent
direct-to-video movie series, with a serialized ongoing story arc (with
elements recycled from an unproduced cartoon based on The Goonies). There was a greater focus placed on the
characters’ personal relationships; including seeing Fred and Daphne and Shaggy
and Velma ending up romantically involved.
Sometimes you don't have to leave home for a good mystery. |
Unlike the other Scooby shows, instead of
traveling around the country/world, the Mystery, Inc. gang was mostly located
in their hometown of Crystal Cove (replacing Coolsville as established in A
Pup Named Scooby-Doo); the self-proclaimed “Most Hauntedest Place on
Earth”. With that came the reintroduction of genuine supernatural elements to
the television franchise for the first time since The
13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. Frank Welker,
Grey Griffin
and Mindy
Cohn
continued to voice Fred and Scooby, Daphne and Velma, respectively. However,
this marked the animated debut of Matthew Lillard
as Shaggy after having portrayed him in the first two live-action movies.
Original Shaggy Casey
Kasem, who had retired from voice acting in 2009, played
Shaggy’s father in several episodes in what would be his final animation role
before his death in 2014. The series aired on an inconsistent schedule on Cartoon Network;
taking frequent hiatuses after airing blocks of episodes. The ultimate fate of
the show was left in question until it
was finally revealed that it would be ending after 2 seasons and 52
episodes.
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