Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico

This movie had a lot going for it. The voice cast, sound effects and smoother animation felt more like the original Scooby Doo and I appreciated the classic feel. I really liked that Scott Innes was not voicing Shaggy. Velma is good for relating some good Mexican history. The behind-the-scenes, blooper reel and cast commentary on the DVD are great! There were definitely parts where the plot was interesting and a lot of vintage Shaggy/Scooby comedy that made us all laugh.

That being said, the plot didn't hold together very well for me. Somewhere in the middle, things get a little TOO confusing and far-fetched, even for Scooby. The story seems to slow down and then jump ahead making the movie lurch along awkwardly. Daphne's voice seems slow and... old! The dialog really dragged in parts. The extra characters didn't have much personality or add interest to the movie, they were just... there.

Overall the movie was OK and my kids enjoy it now and then. Not the greatest... but pretty good.

Back again in the brand new slicker animation form, the Mystery Inc gang head down to Mexico to visit Fred's e-mail pal but get caught up in the Chupacapra mystery as said beast begins terrorising the locals. It's not very good as the plot is practically discarded in favor of endless running around scenes and over-indulgence in set pieces.

The recent Scooby Doo feature-length animations have had decent stories, nice atmospheres and a couple red-herrings. It's very post modern and has certainly help revamp the franchise. But Monster of Mexico feels very dated and 60's. The gang are back wearing their old clothes instead of the modern gear they wore in the first four animated movies.

The ending is no surprise and completely unsatisfying. I don't like it. I wish for the next one to be a little more sophisticated. I mean children are intelligent and they deserve intelligent entertainment. Monster of Mexico may have been okay back in the 60's but in the modern day it's quite poor.

The DVD has a great 1.33:1 picture and a rather good Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. The extras are rubbish apart from the commentary by Shaggy and Scooby which is actually a really neat touch. I was excited at the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman trailer featured here but it's 20 seconds long and shows you nothing. What's the point?

The Monster of Mexico borrows elements from the classic Scooby-Doo era. The Mystery Machine, the outfits and the soundtrack are all back in this entry. For me this one is better than the similarly styled Legend of the Vampire.

The soundtrack is heard almost all the time again, but it does not distract from the excellent voice cast. There are a lot of funny moments and lines, a staple of Scooby-Doo. The story, characters and setting are all charming. I didn't see the end coming either.

This one is hard to find on Blu-Ray now but is available in HD via streaming services. Highly recommended.

Essentially when you have seen one Scooby-Doo animated movie, then you have virtually already seen them all, as they are all cut from the same mold. But isn't that part of the charm of the Hanna-Barbera franchise? And while "Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico" is indeed an animated movie that follows the blueprint to the letter, then it still turned out to be one of the more entertaining and fun of the adventures of the Mystery Gang.

This time Scooby-Doo and the friends are in Mexico, where they have a face to face encounter with local Mexican legend El Chubacabra. I found the story to be fun and entertaining to watch, and the take on the mysterious El Chubacabra was actually nice.

The animation is good and the art style is good. I love the consistency of the franchise, that they stick to what was initially established back in the early days and continue on with the same style.

As an animated movie, then having a proper cast for the voice acting is very essential, and "Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico" is true to the legacy of Scooby-Doo and brandishes some great talents on the voice acting cast. It is, as always, a real treat to have Casey Kasem and Frank Welker do voices in the animated movies.

"Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico" is definitely one of the better of the numerous animated Scooby-Doo movies that I have seen. If you are a fan of the franchise, then this is definitely a good addition to the Collection.

Some redeeming factors include that the location is a different country, the movie keeps the series running, will keep child fans entertained, and the music is above average. Perhaps the the best and surprising part is finding out that Scooby ends up having a gal in Mexico. Otherwise, I'm thinking this one could've used more comedy, twists, and better cultural immersion. The Chupacabra was the biggest puzzle, they should've gone for the gollum-like vampiric creature instead of grape ape.