A Love Letter to Scooby-Doo (2002)

by Morgan Stone

   

“This movie is somewhere between a live-action cartoon that's much too scary for most kids and a Saturday Night Live sketch that goes on too long for most teens.” 

- Neil Minnow, Common Sense Media, 2002

 

If you haven’t seen Scooby-Doo (2002) directed by Raja Gosnell and written by James Gunn, then you need to close the computer, watch all 86 minutes of bliss, then return back to this blog. Because Scooby-Doo (2002) is the best movie ever. According to me.  

 

Everything about the movie is so good, despite it being far from perfect. There is some unknown quality about this movie that drew me in and compelled me to write a 12-page research paper about it. And then turn that 12-page paper into a 30-minute video essay. In which I uncover the mystery to why the movie’s plot seems so disjointed. Because why not. There is a reason why I have listed Scooby-Doo (2002) as 3 out of 4 of my favorite movies on Letterboxd.  

 

 

 

Part is that it’s hard for me to let go of long-standing bits, but it’s mostly because this movie is something special.

 

While I have researched and written at length about this film, I haven’t outlined why exactly I love the thing so much. It’s perplexing for sure, because on the surface it isn’t that great. There’s an abruptly fast-paced plot, garish sets and costumes, and the most horrifying CGI monsters that I have ever seen in my entire life.  

 

 

 

But while there are such horrors, there are also things that make me love it with my whole heart. The casting is truly brilliant. Rumor has it they were going to hire Mike Meyers for the role of Shaggy, and thank god that didn’t happen. Spooky Island just wouldn’t be the same without Matthew Lillard in a green shirt and brown corduroys. He truly embodied Shaggy. As did the rest of the cast. Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Linda Cardellini (babe alert) weren’t just acting as the Scooby-Doo gang; they were them. Any other live-action adaption attempt will never be able to recreate that magic. 

 

And while the sets and costumes may be garish, I think they perfectly tow the line between the real world and the world of the original Scooby-Doo cartoon. I love the bright colors, the fantastic set designs, and the vintage fabrics used to construct their costumes.

 

But what really gets me about this movie is the writing. The film started in 1994 as a treatment by Charles Roven, then it was given to Craig Titley. This first draft of the script had a completely different plot and was nothing like the final product. Who really transformed this live-action Scooby-Doo film into something was James Gunn, now of various cinematic universes fame. That man is primed to create blockbuster franchises. 

 

This script is so much fun. It feels like an old Scooby-Doo mystery, while still feeling fresh and poking fun at troupes and themes of the original show. There are jokes for everyone in it, including less “child-friendly” jokes about Shaggy loving the name Mary-Jane, and more obscure jokes such as Scooby “cleaning his beans at Don Knotts’ Christmas party.”  I could break down why that second joke is funny beyond them talking about Scooby licking his balls, but that may take too much time and too much elaboration. And of course, there is my favorite joke of the entire film: 

 

This script is good. Sure, it seems like half the story is missing, but that isn’t James Gunn’s fault! Half of the story actually is missing! But that’s a story for another time. Go watch a 30-minute video essay about it if need be. 

 

I love the mystery. I love the anti-establishment message where the teens are turned into this faux copy of what an outsider assumes young people are like. I love that Daphne isn’t the damsel in distress. And I, of course, love that the movie culminates in friendship and teamwork being the answer. Because they are such absolute brats about it for the entrie runtime, that when they finally work together, it’s very satisfying. The script is funny, the story is sweet, and for the most part, the plot is intriguing. There’s some shoe-horning of Scrappy-Doo that was added at the end so kids understood who he was, but that’s inconsequential. The movie is fun. And what’s wrong with that?

 

You may be thinking this far into the post: “Wow, she must be joking. She’s committing to the bit of loving this fever dream children’s movie.” NO! I love this thing. I love it so much. Nothing will be able to stop my love for it. Maybe I just tricked myself into loving it by watching it like 60 times or something but it doesn’t matter! I love Scooby-Doo (2002)! 

 

Now I will not stand here and say that this is the best movie ever made. Because I’m not standing anywhere, you’re reading this on a computer or phone. 

 

But I will not claim that this is the best movie, or even that it’s a good movie. But I think it’s perfect. And I think that movies should not all be judged by the same metric. Like yeah, of course the Godfather is a better movie than Scooby-Doo (2002), one is a saga of betrayal and interpersonal drama and the other is the Godfather.  

 

But in all seriousness, something can be perfect for what it is, and that’s what Scooby-Doo (2002) is to me. It is a good adaptation of a children’s cartoon. I may love it desperately, but ultimately it's not really my favorite movie. That's a secret for me to know and you to not.  

 

But I will contend that Scooby-Doo (2002) is fantastic and should be treated as such. If you don’t like it? Well that’s just too bad. I once nearly didn’t go on a date with someone because they rated it poorly on Letterboxd and said it was terrible. That’s how seriously I feel about the integrity of this film. But if I can make you watch all 86 minutes of it with me, I can change your mind. I can convince you to love Scooby-Doo (2002)... 

 

...or at least just tolerate it.