Revisits an old favourite
Belated sequel to the short-lived TV show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985), made for the franchise's fiftieth anniversary. That show, although not hugely popular at the time (it was cancelled early), later acquired a cult following as an early example of Scooby-Doo encountering the genuine supernatural. No sequel so long afterwards was going to please everybody, and when it was announced fan reactions ranged from 'OMG! I've waited so long for this!' to 'I won't hold my breath for this to be decent, let alone good'.
The 13 Ghosts TV show focused on Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby (no Fred or Velma), assisted by Scrappy (Scooby's nephew), Flim-Flam (a young con artist), and a warlock named Vincent Van Ghoul (voiced by the legendary Vincent Price), and the first thing most people wanted to know was whether this would do the same. It doesn't. Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby all feature - plus Vincent Van Ghoul and Flim-Flam, but no Scrappy. The second thing people wanted to know was whether the ghosts would again be real - I won't spoil that one.
The first half of the movie is very good. It quickly recaps the original show, reintroduces Vincent (now voiced by the excellent Maurice LaMarche) and has some very funny moments (not least Shaggy and Scooby's response when they realise they've got to go back and capture the 13th ghost that slipped through their grasp last time). There are also a whole load of visual nods to Scooby's adventures back to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969. But by the half-way point the initial quick-fire pace starts to ease off, with fewer callbacks to the original. It's not that it's bad from then on, but it feels less of a continuation and more like its own thing. The conclusion (again, I won't spoil) has fans divided, with some loving it, and some not so much.
At the end of the day it's as wacky as you'd expect. The regular voice cast (Frank Welker, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Kate Micucci) are on top form. The character interplay is as strong as ever, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments. It's not quite what I'd hoped it would be, but it's still enjoyable. 7/10.