Scavenger
07-22-2010, 07:32 AM
Well no one's started a thread about the new series on Cartoon Network so I will.
I'm loving it. It's 2 episodes in and it may be my favorite incarnation of the show yet.
The art style mimics the original, but with a modern flair, a bit more angular, and it works well.
The show has high levels of snark and self-awareness, almost mocking the stories it has traditionally used (a plot to run people out of town so the bad guys plan to sell imitation gator products goes undetected).
As is the vogue, there's a season long arc, involving an unknown person known as Mr. E. and the secret of Crystal Cove (the gang's home town..the Hauntiedst Place on Earth).
Also, as the vogue, the show's a reboot, putting the gang back in high school and living with their parents. It's a different set up then the current year one live action movies. (and for those that keep track, the Mystery Machine is once again Fred's).
The town of Crystal Cove is, as mentioned, the Hauntediest Place on Earth...with a past that involves pirates and lost colonists. It also has had a spate of encounters with hoax supernatural encounters...the Miner 49er, the Haunted Robot, Space Kook...all of the classic villains plagued the town at sometime in the past, and are now part of the haunting tour run by Velma's parents....Tourism is Crystal Cove's #1 buisness, and a new supernatural event is another attraction.
What really stands out for me is the gang's been developed in some fun ways.
Scooby-Doo is Scooby-Doo..he's the constant, though with his insistent that he's not a pet, left over from some of the animated movies.
Fred is finally defined. As Daphne describes him "Fred is one of those great genius's that no one appreciates until they're dead. He sees strange things that no one else does, and he wants to trap them." Fred is the son of the mayor and is obsessed with building traps...complicated, rube-goldsberg traps, that so far on the two episodes has a 66% success rate. His obsession, though leaves him blind to....
Daphne. So far, her main characteristic is that she's majorly crushing on Fred, and yet he barely notices her as something other than one of the guys. As typical, her family is rich (though pretty much everyone's is) and she has 4 older sisters who's appearance I swear are refrences to older Hanna Barbera characters. She's not "danger prone" nor is she the athletics wiz she was in the SMG movies...she's just spunky and sweet, as opposed to ....
Velma. Velma is the show's master of snark, openly deriding the goofiness of the past and the situations they find themselves in. Continuing the more recent characterization, she's the super brain smart one. A new element that's been added though is she's, unbeknown to the gang, dating...
Shaggy. Yes, Norville Rogers has himself a girlfriend. But unfortunately for her, he's trying to keep it a secret so Scooby doesn't get upset. Unfortunately for him, Velma isn't too keen on waiting to go public much longer. Otherwise, Shaggy is Shaggy, appetite and fear in tact.
The first two have been great, with me laughing out loud throughout. As opposed to What's New Scooby-Doo, which was a modern take on the series..I'd say this might be a post-modern take...with characters and costumes thrown back to the original Where are You series, but with a very modern writing style that's bringing the fun to all ages.
I'm loving it. It's 2 episodes in and it may be my favorite incarnation of the show yet.
The art style mimics the original, but with a modern flair, a bit more angular, and it works well.
The show has high levels of snark and self-awareness, almost mocking the stories it has traditionally used (a plot to run people out of town so the bad guys plan to sell imitation gator products goes undetected).
As is the vogue, there's a season long arc, involving an unknown person known as Mr. E. and the secret of Crystal Cove (the gang's home town..the Hauntiedst Place on Earth).
Also, as the vogue, the show's a reboot, putting the gang back in high school and living with their parents. It's a different set up then the current year one live action movies. (and for those that keep track, the Mystery Machine is once again Fred's).
The town of Crystal Cove is, as mentioned, the Hauntediest Place on Earth...with a past that involves pirates and lost colonists. It also has had a spate of encounters with hoax supernatural encounters...the Miner 49er, the Haunted Robot, Space Kook...all of the classic villains plagued the town at sometime in the past, and are now part of the haunting tour run by Velma's parents....Tourism is Crystal Cove's #1 buisness, and a new supernatural event is another attraction.
What really stands out for me is the gang's been developed in some fun ways.
Scooby-Doo is Scooby-Doo..he's the constant, though with his insistent that he's not a pet, left over from some of the animated movies.
Fred is finally defined. As Daphne describes him "Fred is one of those great genius's that no one appreciates until they're dead. He sees strange things that no one else does, and he wants to trap them." Fred is the son of the mayor and is obsessed with building traps...complicated, rube-goldsberg traps, that so far on the two episodes has a 66% success rate. His obsession, though leaves him blind to....
Daphne. So far, her main characteristic is that she's majorly crushing on Fred, and yet he barely notices her as something other than one of the guys. As typical, her family is rich (though pretty much everyone's is) and she has 4 older sisters who's appearance I swear are refrences to older Hanna Barbera characters. She's not "danger prone" nor is she the athletics wiz she was in the SMG movies...she's just spunky and sweet, as opposed to ....
Velma. Velma is the show's master of snark, openly deriding the goofiness of the past and the situations they find themselves in. Continuing the more recent characterization, she's the super brain smart one. A new element that's been added though is she's, unbeknown to the gang, dating...
Shaggy. Yes, Norville Rogers has himself a girlfriend. But unfortunately for her, he's trying to keep it a secret so Scooby doesn't get upset. Unfortunately for him, Velma isn't too keen on waiting to go public much longer. Otherwise, Shaggy is Shaggy, appetite and fear in tact.
The first two have been great, with me laughing out loud throughout. As opposed to What's New Scooby-Doo, which was a modern take on the series..I'd say this might be a post-modern take...with characters and costumes thrown back to the original Where are You series, but with a very modern writing style that's bringing the fun to all ages.