Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006)

It hurts!!!! It hurts!!!! Turn it off it hurts!!!!! OK, so it's not THAT bad, but there are parts of it that do make you feel like you're Linda Blair, strapped to a bed, and getting doused with holy water.So much of it is a big old FAIL that it's hard to believe they released it as a movie and not as, well, a throw away episode of one of the shows.Just run away from this one.

Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006) *** (out of 4) Scooby and the gang are invited on a cruise by Fred's parents but soon the ship is taken over by dead pirates. They kidnap Fred's parents so the gang must go after them and try to learn why they've come back from the dead. When reviewing these Scooby movies I have to keep in mind not only my opinion but that of my three-year-old son. His opinion of this movie is that it quickly became his favorite of the series and each time I asked which one he wants to watch it's this here. In fact, I think we're working on about fifteen times in a row he has selected this one so obviously kids should love it. I've seen the film on a number of occasions with him and I do think it's one of the best out there. The actual story here is a very good one and I really liked how they took the pirate theme and mixed it with zombies as well as the entire Bermuda Triangle thing. The animation is top-notch from start to finish and also shows a lot of imagination. The actual look of the pirates is without question the highlight of the film as the detail in the costumes and their look is great. This one here also features a lot of famous names doing vocal work including Tim Conway, Arsenio Hall, Freddy Rodriquez, Ron Perlman and Kathy Najimy. SCOOBY-DOO! PIRATES AHOY! will certainly entertain fans of the series and kids should really enjoy it as well.

If you don't like the What's New Scooby-Doo? series, you probably won't like this much. I'm pleased to say I love the series, and this film was one of the best I've seen.It's Fred's birthday, and his parents have invited him and the rest of Mystery Inc. along on a 'Mystery' cruise, but are suspicious travellers joining them? As the title suggests, pirates are not far behind - and they're of the ghostly variety.The recent Scooby-Doo films (from 2000 onwards) combine quality animation and great voice acting. What I've come to expect from Scooby-Doo films is the storyline involving real ghosts or magic of some sort, like 'Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King'. What on earth was that film all about? Pardon me for being a party pooper, but isn't that sort of completely the opposite of what Scooby-Doo is all about? Scooby-Doo is about finding a logical explanation; finding clues and using intuition. It's like a watered down version of Miss Marple; small mysteries that the audience can try and solve before the gang do. The mystery in this film, and one of the main reasons why I liked it so much, has a logical explanation. It's just like old times with the gang - like a real episode.This film is for all ages too. The colourful animation and slapstick should appeal to younger viewers - though they usually miss most of the dialogue. If you're older, you'll be able to appreciate it - because it sure needs appreciating. It involves much more Scooby than most of the other films, but each member of Mystery Inc is represented equally and all are hilarious - I mean, isn't Daphne usually the picky, whiny one? One of the funniest scenes is down to her. And Fred is beautifully protective of his 'Fred-ness'; many moments are fan based jokes, which I must say I felt very special to be able to understand.I know this is different from the old Scooby-Doo series, but I can't help thinking that this is much, much funnier and so much better put together; the animation is so smooth. The facial expressions are, well, expressive, and the gang are so much more lovable this way; they're silly and human (even Scooby, if you think about it) and it's a breath of fresh air to watch a mystery that seems to make some kind of sense (another hint that this isn't just for kids - they never understand the story line anyway).Again, let me say that if you don't like the new Scooby-Doo, then you probably won't want to try this. But if you think that Mystery Inc. are supposed to be funny, endearing and above all, logical, you may as well give it a go. So, What's New Scooby-Doo? A pretty good straight to DVD film, that's what.

I can honestly admit that I don't like "What's New Scooby-Doo" at all, as well as the direct-to-video Scooby movies from 2004 to the present. The last two direct-to-video Scooby movies were not that good. They mostly focused more on Fred, Daphne and Velma, rather than Scooby-Doo himself(who is actually my favorite character!). However, this movie is a slight improvement over the last two. It's still basically an extended-length episode of "What's New Scooby-Doo," but not much like "Aloha Scooby-Doo!" or "Scooby-Doo in Where's My Mummy." In this installment, Scooby-Doo is given more attention and screen time than the last two in the series! He also has plenty of dialogue, too. When I noticed this as I was watching, I couldn't believe it! The only flaw is, as usual, Frank Welker's Scooby-Doo voice (you know, like Brain from "Inspector Gadget!") I sure hope this isn't Casey Kasem's last time he does Shaggy's voice, what with Scott Menville (aka Robin from "Teen Titans," Larry and Steve from "Rugrats," etc.) starting to do a horrible Shaggy impersonation. However, it's not like Daphne, who sounds a bit like Vicky from "The Fairly Oddparents," and Mindy Cohn providing Velma's newer, slightly dark-sounding voice. However, I thought Fred's parents were pretty goofy (I loved the running gag with their camera flash temporarily blinding people!), and there was that crazy tour guide who reminded me of Ms. Frizzle from "The Magic School Bus." However, they STILL didn't use the old "Castle Thunder" sound effects, like the last three movies! I mean, they used it on a couple of episodes of "What's New Scooby-Doo" and on "Loonatics Unleashed," and since pirate movies tend to have thunderstorms in them, this would've been perfect for it! But I also enjoyed seeing references to classic Scooby villains (not Redbeard, thankfully, but Captain Cutler, the Ghost Clown and a werewolf from an older episode). Also, I am very grateful that they didn't use the gawd-awful new designs from "Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue." That would've sucked! But I am still find it weird they keep using the old 70s Hanna-Barbera logo at the end of the movies. I will say it again: HANNA-BARBERA DID NOT PRODUCE THIS MOVIE! It was all TERMITE TERRACE! Nonetheless, if you liked "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase" or are just a fan of the new series, you will like this then.