Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Will Forte, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Isaac, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Kiersey Clemons, Ken Jeong, Tracy Morgan, Frank Welker, Iain Armitage, McKenna Grace, Pierce Gagnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Simon Cowell, Christina Hendricks, Henry Winkler, Harry Perry, John DiMaggio, Kevin Heffernan, Ira Glass, Henry Kaufman, Maya Erskine, Billy West, Don Messick, Fred Tatasciore, Justina Machado, Kennedy Peil, John McDaniel, Ryan Folsey, Pam Coats, Tony Cervone, Adam Sztykiel, Alex Kauffman, Vanara Taing, Sarah Lancia, Maven Morgan, Eric Cowell Michael Kurinsky.

Pop Culture has played an important role in society since the end of World War Two, indeed it is the perceived irreverence and anarchy that has guided it that made the previous generation wonder what they had fought for, if their view of the world was to be so easily dismissed by those that followed in their wake.

Anarchy takes different forms, and not so long back every child that was framed by the tag of being part of Generation X had to suffer the constant demonisation of their own culture with phrases that went along the lines of, “Cartoons are evil, they hold no worth; and were the basest of means of art.”                    what the critics of the time forgot was how effective a communications device these animated shorts were, and whilst some have found themselves on the wrong end of what is deemed as acceptable behaviour and even thought, it is to the beauty of the medium that some of the animated stars of the 60s and 70s have retained their classic, and often cult, status.

It was only ever time that stood in the way of the backstory of Shaggy and Scooby Doo’s formation of a great double act was explored, and in Scoob! that story is replete with more than a nod to the classic era of the show, it also brings the animation of Hanna-Barbera that was influential and productive, bang up to date.

Previous generations may have decried the exultation of the classic era of cartoons, but Scoob! shows its lasting power off with creative ingenuity, the inclusion of one of the great cartoon villains of all time in Dick Dastardly is perfect, the presence of Captain Caveman, The Falcon and Dyno-Mutt are inspired, and all this captivates the screen, and yet doesn’t detract from the way that the inhabitants of the Mystery Machine are seen, and their company valued.

With any animation, the voice actors are normally side-lined in favour of the creative team behind them, and whilst there is no sidestepping the enormity of what the artists and programmers have achieved in this particular film, it must be mentioned the authority of the characters is excelled by the appearance of the likes of Will Forte, Jason Isaacs, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried in their respective roles,

Anarchy comes in many different forms, but in the image of a talking Great Dane, it is the richest of revolutions. A film of luxury, of contentment of nostalgic providence that has undergone its own series of transformations across the years and one that still holds audiences together in its presentation.

Ian D. Hall