Despite being a massive Scooby Doo fan for goodness knows how long, expectations were somehow not high for 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' prior to giving it a chance. The advertising in my mind was terrible and the animation style, one of the franchise's least appealing, was very off putting. Still gave it a chance as a fan of the franchise and of animation in general and there are films and shows that have bad advertising but turn out to be good.
The previous two episodes were very promising though not perfect, a few big shortcomings but also a lot of great things. "All Paws on Deck" is the best of the three up to this point of this still very early stage. Not perfect and not quite great, with it being held back by the predictability and the animation quality, but very good all the same with it being compensated namely by the humour (which continues to impress substantially). Up to this point, 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' was a case of never judging something by its advertising.
"All Paws on Deck" isn't perfect. My negative thoughts on the animation have sadly not changed all that much. The flat and garish colours don't appeal, neither do the sparse backgrounds. Even less appealing are the character designs that have such a rushed drugged out look and it looks ugly.
Did think too that the reveal was too obvious, with the suspects being too few.
However, there is a lot to like about "All Paws on Deck". Shaggy and Scooby are as funny and endearing as ever and their friendship has so much charm, but again Daphne (who has come on such a long way since the franchise first started) and her quirkiness stands out when it comes to the character writing. Also standing out is the humour, which was consistently one of the show's strengths. The dolphin and spooky van jokes are very funny and never forced or cheesy and Daphne with the dolphins is great fun. Not to mention the pretty priceless coda.
Furthermore the monsters (very reminiscent of the monster in 'The Scooby Doo Show's' "The Beast is Awaks in Bottomless Lake") are genuinely creepy and the mystery is full of energy and atmosphere, while the chase song is creative and infectious. Can't fault the voice acting, with Matthew Lillard's Shaggy continuing to be pitch perfect and by far the best of Casey Kasem's replacements. There is a light hearted, quirky energy that was great to watch. The chemistry within the gang charms and entertains and doesn't stray too far from the earlier incarnations' character dynamic. The music is very cool and fits the show's tone very well.
Overall, very well done. 8/10.
The previous two episodes were very promising though not perfect, a few big shortcomings but also a lot of great things. "All Paws on Deck" is the best of the three up to this point of this still very early stage. Not perfect and not quite great, with it being held back by the predictability and the animation quality, but very good all the same with it being compensated namely by the humour (which continues to impress substantially). Up to this point, 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' was a case of never judging something by its advertising.
"All Paws on Deck" isn't perfect. My negative thoughts on the animation have sadly not changed all that much. The flat and garish colours don't appeal, neither do the sparse backgrounds. Even less appealing are the character designs that have such a rushed drugged out look and it looks ugly.
Did think too that the reveal was too obvious, with the suspects being too few.
However, there is a lot to like about "All Paws on Deck". Shaggy and Scooby are as funny and endearing as ever and their friendship has so much charm, but again Daphne (who has come on such a long way since the franchise first started) and her quirkiness stands out when it comes to the character writing. Also standing out is the humour, which was consistently one of the show's strengths. The dolphin and spooky van jokes are very funny and never forced or cheesy and Daphne with the dolphins is great fun. Not to mention the pretty priceless coda.
Furthermore the monsters (very reminiscent of the monster in 'The Scooby Doo Show's' "The Beast is Awaks in Bottomless Lake") are genuinely creepy and the mystery is full of energy and atmosphere, while the chase song is creative and infectious. Can't fault the voice acting, with Matthew Lillard's Shaggy continuing to be pitch perfect and by far the best of Casey Kasem's replacements. There is a light hearted, quirky energy that was great to watch. The chemistry within the gang charms and entertains and doesn't stray too far from the earlier incarnations' character dynamic. The music is very cool and fits the show's tone very well.
Overall, very well done. 8/10.
