‘Scoob!’ was meant to be the kick-off to a shared universe of Hanna-Barbera animated movies on the big screen, but it has now been shifted away from multiplexes thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following in the footsteps of ‘Trolls World Tour’, ‘Scoob!’ is now going straight to PVOD (Paid Video On Demand), meaning it will likely be offered for about $20 for a 48-hour rental. Some poo-pooed this roll-out format, but ‘Trolls World Tour’ set records for streams in its opening weekend, as many folks are craving new forms of entertainment (especially for kids) as they shelter-in-place, and in the case of ‘Trolls’, Universal kept up with their planned promotional campaign just as though that animated sequel was opening in theaters. Like ‘Trolls’, commercial tie-ins for ‘Scoob!’ were set to roll out probably a year ago, at least, as toys are now available in stores… if you can get to one.
‘Scoob!’ tells the origin of the beloved Mystery, Inc. team, as young Norville “Shaggy” Rogers comes to own Scooby, and the duo team up with tween versions of Daphne Blake, Fred Jones, and Velma Dinkley. As teens, the crime-solvers find themselves teamed with other Hanna-Barbera crime-busters Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt, and Captain Caveman and his Teen Angel, Deedee Skyes. They must pool their talents to foil the machinations of Dick Dastardly and Muttley. (There is also some artwork that has surfaced online that hints that other HB characters like Atom Ant and Penelope Pitstop could also appear.)
Presumably, if this movie goes over well and the secondary characters prove to be a hit with kids, Warner Brothers, who own the HB library, will move forward and make additional movies with them as well.
‘Scoob!’ features an all-star cast with Shaggy Rogers voiced by Will Forte (adult) and Iain Armitage (child), Zac Efron and Pierce Gagnon as Fred, Amanda Seyfried and Mckenna Grace as Daphne, Gina Rodriguez and Ariana Greenblatt as Velma, and Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo. Jason Isaacs voices Dick Dastardly, with Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon, Ken Jeong as Dyno-Mutt, Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman, and Kiesey Clemons as Deedee.
‘Scoob!’ will become available on PVOD on the same day it was supposed to open in theaters– May 15. Its estimated rental price is $20-24.
Are you disappointed that ‘Scoob!’ won’t be available on the big screen? Or are you happy to see it ASAP?
Source: Deadline
