Night of the Living Doo

I was lucky to see this special, as it aired on Cartoon Network in a time when the great dane was the major focus (a focus that lead to the franchise being revived with direct-to-video movies like Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island). Sadly, this special has been lost to time, as it has never been released on home video, or reaired (only put on Adult Swim's website for some time).

Based on The New Scooby-Doo Movies (the show where Mystery Inc. teamed up with celebrities and fictional characters from the time it was airing), the special sees the gang in a new mystery, as on their way to a Halloween film festival, they pick up Gary Coleman, and end up at a creepy castle, which actually is a hotel run by David Cross. However, things get scary when a zombie is on the loose, and Gary disappears.

A neat special, it's a Scooby-Doo special that pokes fun at itself. At times, the special will poke fun at certain gags and plot holes (like Fred and David arguing about who goes with who when splitting up). Also, it manages to keep most of the characters animated in a retro style, and it even has a chase scene with music performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (which could be the reason why it was never released on home video). This is a neat Scooby-Doo special that is not afraid to make fun of its formula, and the ending will surprise you.

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.

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