Scooby-Doo Origin Movie Goes to Home Video

Warner Bros. has announced that Scoob!, the first full-length animated Scooby-Doo movie intended for theaters, will instead be available through home video services beginning on May 15. Or, as they put it, “available for both Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) and for premium digital ownership in the U.S. and Canada… while theaters remain closed due to the current global health crisis.” I don’t know why “premium” keeps popping up, unless it’s to make us feel better about the pricing, or to indicate this is a special exception.

A 48-hour rental will be $19.99 US, while “ownership” costs $24.99 on a variety of the usual digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and FandangoNow. That’s somewhat standard for new content, and I suppose it’s a good deal for a family compared to movie tickets, but it seems pricey compared to a month’s worth of a full video service. Still, the costs of original content have to be covered somehow.

Here’s the official plot description:

Scoob! reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse,” the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.

But I’m interested because the voice cast also includes several other famous WB animated characters, indicating this would be quite the crossover. The casting includes all-new voices for the characters, famous stars instead of experienced voiceovers, except for the immortal Frank Welker as the title character, Scooby-Doo.

• Shaggy – Will Forte
• Fred – Zac Efron
• Daphne – Amanda Seyfried
• Velma – Gina Rodriguez
• Blue Falcon – Mark Wahlberg
• Dynomutt – Ken Jeong
• Dick Dastardly – Jason Isaacs
• Captain Caveman – Tracy Morgan

Scoob! is directed by Tony Cervone, Annie Award nominee for the feature Space Jam (and isn’t that a memory?).