tek's rating: ½

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (not rated)
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This came out in 2003, but I didn't see it until 2023. It's the fifth direct-to-video Scooby-Doo movie, and the first one in the DTV series that actually didn't have any supernatural or sci-fi elements. Fred is still voiced by Frank Welker, but now he also voices Scooby-Doo. Shaggy is voiced by Casey Kasem, Daphne by Heather North, and Velma by Nicole Jaffe. (This is almost exactly the same voice cast as in the original TV series, except for Scooby, whose original VA died in 1997.)

The Mystery Inc. gang go to Australia for a vacation. While there, they decide to check out a music festival/competition, run by a couple of guys named Daniel (Phil LaMarr) and Russell. Before the gang arrived, one of the musicians who was going to perform in the competition was kidnapped, apparently by vampires. After the gang arrives, another band, the Bad Omens, is kidnapped. The main vampire is a giant creature called the Yowie Yahoo, and his minions are believed to be the members of a band called Wildwind, who had disappeared the previous year. Both Wildwind and the Bad Omens were managed by a guy named Jasper Ridgeway (Jeff Bennett). Another important character is Daniel's grandfather, Malcolm (Kevin Michael Richardson), who believes in the legend of the Yowie Yahoo, while Daniel does not. Also, the Hex Girls, a band previously seen in The Witch's Ghost, are the opening act for the festival.

Well, I don't want to say too much more. I won't spoil who all is behind the kidnappings and why, even though I already spoiled the fact that the vampires aren't real, in my opening paragraph. But of course the gang solves the mystery in the end. It was nice to see the Hex Girls again. And it was nice to see Daphne in a bikini, early in the movie. And... other than that, I guess the story was just sort of okay. Not bad, but not something I feel the need to ever see again.


Scooby-Doo index

Scooby-Doo franchise
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TV: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! * Night of the Living Doo * The Mystery Begins
movies: animated DTV * Scooby-Doo * Monsters Unleashed * Daphne & Velma