Night of the Living Doo (2001)

"Night of the Living Doo" is an American animated short film from 2001 written and directed by Kelly and Olsen. The voice cast includes some familiar names (like Welker most of all), but the most known here are of course the late Gary Coleman, Arrested Development's David Cross and of course Mark Hamill from Star Wars all playing animated versions of themselves. It's a special for Halloween and runs for approximately 15 minutes only, not counting credits, which makes it still shorter than a regular Scooby Doo episode (the old ones) or basically all of the more recent TV specials. Story-wise with the focus on the trio of actors plaxing themselves, it is also not just another generic Scooby Doo episode. I must say it was a nice idea and it would be solid to make episodes like this with famous guest stars on a regular basis, like what about a Scooby Doo Ozzy Osbourne episode for example. Anyway, the comedy and jokes also take a completely new direction as a consequence like for example Cross' uncomfortable hugging of the nerdy gang member near the end. And still there are several aspects that make it enjoyable to check out for bigger fans than myself of the old show because the animation is very retro for example. A nice choice by the Annies to hand this some awards recognition here, even if it is of course difficult to compete with a legend like Harryhausen. Another thing I want to say finally is that there wasn't a single weakly executed component here and this refers to voice acting, animation, story, comedy and other production values in the center of it all. Maybe not best of the year material, but a creative idea executed with precision. A definite thumbs-up from me. One example of how Scooby and the bunch are still very relevant in the 21st century. Go see it.

As some people may know from reading my other reviews, I love animation and I am a big fan of Scooby Doo for the timeless characters and funny humour. Night of the Living Doo seemed like a fun way to spend 30 minutes or so, and after seeing it, I think it is 30 minutes well spent.The animation is very good. It has the atmospheric, classic feel, in colour that is, of Scooby Doo Where are You and the shows of the early 70s, primarily The New Scooby Doo Movies(which I understand was what it was spoofing). However, I find in general here the character designs are a little smoother and the backgrounds more fluid, which I actually appreciated.Musically, Night of the Living Doo scores too. It is haunting and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, yet it never feels gimmicky. Thankfully the sound effects, which is another asset that helps me remind me of the old classic Scooby Doo, are well-placed and used while not cheapening the effect.Night of the Living Doo's story is a delight. It is brisk, fun and credible, if occasionally on the predictable side. The build up to the final solution is a tad rushed, however the solution itself, as it should be, is unexpected, amusing and also quite bizarre.The writing helps hugely, there are plenty of hilarious quotes to savour here, the best coming from Shaggy and Gary Coleman. In fact the last real time I genuinely laughed at anything to do with Scooby Doo was when Scooby Doo and the gang meet Johnny Bravo. It is full of witty quips, goofy sayings and actually feels as though I was watching the Scooby Doo shows of the late 60s-early 70s, when you feel that you know Night of the Living Doo has done its job well.Voice-acting wise, Night of the Living Doo is solid across the board. All the voice actors are different, but all do a great job in making an effort to sound like the original voice actors without coming across as too imitative. Frank Welker is as good as ever as Fred, and while Scott Innes had big shoes to fill considering he is replacing the two definitive voice actors for the characters of both Shaggy and Scooby he does manage to pull it off. Gary Coleman is very funny and not irritating, and David Cross also makes an impression and despite the fact he is not quite as pivotal as the gang and Coleman he manages not to be too bland and too in the background.Overall, a hugely enjoyable TV special. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This Cartoon Network Halloween Special has the Mystery Inc. gang pick up a hitchhiker, who just happens to be Gary Coleman and crash the Mystery Machine into a tree outside a spooky, old castle, run by David Cross of all people.David kindly lets the gang stay overnight and desperately tries to play down rumors of zombies started by his weirdo butler Shifty. But there is some kind of ghoul running around the castle, so the gang make it their mission to solve the mystery.The humor and animation style is very similar to Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law with loads of bizarre, crazy moments and self-aware sarcasm. If you are a fan of either show then this TV special is a must-watch.