Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (not rated)
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This is the 35th direct to video Scooby-Doo movie (37th if you count the Lego movies, which I don't). But it's only the fourth one I've seen. I wanted to watch it the year it came out, 2022, mainly because in the weeks before its release, there was a lot of attention to it for Velma being portrayed as a lesbian. (She's been voiced for several years now by Kate Micucci, but this is the first time I've seen her voiced by Micucci). At the start of the movie, the Mystery Inc. gang solve a mystery that provides them with a clue (a rather redundant clue) that leads them to the costume designer who has been creating costumes for all the villains the gang has ever busted: Coco Diablo. She goes to prison, but not before Velma develops a crush on her. (I feel like if the crush had been reciprocated, it would have been a bit creepy, considering Velma is supposed to be a teenager, despite having solved crimes for many years. But that's how cartoons work, people just don't age. Kind of a shame, really. But I digress. At one point later in the movie, Coco does call her cute, but nothing actually comes of it. But despite my not wanting Velma to hook up with a character who I presume is meant to be an adult, I do think this is a nice development for her.)
Anyway, for like a year after busting Coco, the gang has no more serious mysteries to solve, which really upsets Fred, but Shaggy and Scooby are happy about it (since they're no longer constantly being chased by ghosts and monsters). (Shaggy is now voiced by Matthew Lillard, who I know for having played him in the live-action movies, though he's also been voicing him in in animated movies for several years, but this is the first one I've heard him in. Scooby and Fred are both voiced by Frank Welker.) Meanwhile, Daphne (Grey DeLisle, who has been voicing her for years, but again, this is the first Scooby-Doo movie I've heard her in) develops something of an identity crisis, as she doesn't really know what she contributes to the gang. However, there's a pretty sweet payoff for that subplot at the end of the movie, but I won't spoil that. Um... so, Fred comes up with the idea of setting up a Mystery Inc. booth at Coolsville's Halloween festival, to try and attract new clients. But Shaggy and Scooby just want to go trick-or-treating, so they're not happy about having to put that off. After awhile, a ghost shows up and chases the whole gang, and even blows up their van. (I mean, it still works, but not very well.) They decide to seek help from Coco Diablo, whom the warden (a big fan of Mystery Inc.) agrees to release from prison, temporarily.
And... I don't think I want to spoil any more of the plot. The movie has some good music, a lot of self-aware humor that I enjoyed, some interesting twists, and I really liked Coco. I think this is my favorite animated Scooby-Doo movie I've seen so far, though it kind of pains me to think I liked "Witch's Ghost" less than this (and "Zombie Island"). And I guess I don't know what else to tell you.
TV: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! *
Night of the Living Doo * The Mystery Begins
movies: animated DTV * Scooby-Doo * Monsters Unleashed * Daphne & Velma