An excellent Scooby-Doo! and Courage the Cowardly Dog, crossover film.
In some ways a crossover between these two cartoon franchises seems like a natural. Bothe have as their title character a dog who is afraid of everything having to face up against ghosts and monsters. Despite this there are some key differences. The most obvious one is that the monsters Courage faces are most often real where the ones Scooby faces are most often fake (though there are exceptions in both cases). However this is not the only key difference. Another major one is the use of animated exaggeration. Courage characters would often do large over the top Tex Avery like takes. Eye ball popping out and body parts briefly flying off were commonly used just for the sake of gags in Courage. Courage also had the ability to physically change himself into pretty much anything as a way of communication. Such exaggerations would feel out of place in Scooby's world, where the body is treated more solidly. With this it makes sense to be a little worried about how well these two franchises could come together in this film. Luckily it is done very well. In fact this movie may rank among one of my favorite cartoon crossovers.
The movie begins with the Mystery Inc. Gang having solved another mystery. Much to everyone's surprise Scooby and Shaggy take a picture with the spooky clown they just captured. Ends up they are using an app on their phone to overcome their fears. Just then Scooby hears strange noises that freak him out and send him running. He runs into Nowhere, Kansas where Courage is hearing the same noises and panicking as well. The two dogs start a fast friendship. When the rest of the Mystery Inc. Gang show up, so do some giant bugs. Fascinated by the strange goings on in Nowhere, the Mystery Inc. Gang with the help of Courage and his owners Eustace and Muriel must get to the bottom of why such strange happenings take place in Nowhere. This storyline is perfect for a feature length cartoon as it feels larger than a TV episode but does so while still keeping all the charm of a Saturday morning cartoon.
This movie perfectly combines the two franchises. Like a Scooby-Doo! cartoon, there is a mystery to solve, various chase scenes and there being more than meets the eye behind the supernatural happenings. Like a Courage cartoon, there are real supernatural experiences that can not be logically explained, highly exaggerated Tex Avery inspired takes and a very offbeat strange sense of humor. None of these elements work against each other, but rather with each other to make a stronger film. The filmmakers know what to take from one franchise and what to take from another and how far to go with each. Plus there is something very fun about seeing Scooby-Doo! do a huge Tex Avery like take. In fact the humor in the film is often excellent.
All the characters from both franchises are treated very well here and are at their most likable. The filmmakers know that a highlight of this movie for cartoon fans would be how the characters interact and these interactions are fantastic. There is no way the film can disappoint in this department and I honestly wouldn't mind seeing them together again.
On the downside Eustace has a rap that comes out of nowhere (pun intended) and is as bad as it sounds. Yet this is a brief scene in an otherwise excellent movie.
If you are a fan of either franchise then this film will be a pure delight for you.
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