Scoob!

Heavy doses of nostalgia intermi­ngle with adventure in Scoob!, the first theatrical CG-reimagining of Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Freddy, in what is the launch pad for Scooby-verse.

I kid you not. “Verses” — as in film universes/franchises — are, apparently, still a big thing in movies.

Scoob!, as late an entry as Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot (who belongs to another comic-book universe), is quite a bit better than other cartoon or comic port-overs. It’s an origin story with a slight twist. Scooby is a stray pup on the run from the law, who bumps into Shaggy. The two hit it off immediately. One scene later, the two best buds become fast friends with Fred, Daphne and Velma, and the kids untangle their first mystery.

Years go by in a montage of homages from classic Scooby episodes, until the Scooby gang is torn apart by Simon Cowell (the music-producer-cum-loud mouth host of talent shows), who wants to turn the gang’s mystery-solving skills into a legitimate business. According to Cowell, Scooby and Shaggy are dead weights who may hinder the success of the group.

The two leave the group, are promptly attacked by robot puppies, and saved in the nick of time by Dynomutt and Blue Falcon (the two are classic Hannah-Barbera characters who once had their own cartoon show). The villain is another name from the past: Dick Dastardly (from the Whacky Races, another Hannah-Barbera classic), who wants to gather a set of ancient skulls that will lead him to a fabled treasure.

Surprisingly, Muttly, Dastardly’s conniving canine who often chews his leg off and braves the villain’s experiments and follies, is nowhere to be found. The mystery in the film untangles itself quite late but, if it were up to me, I would have left the film at a cliffhanger.

Other than that, the story, by itself, is short and adequate. In fact, the word adequate applies to a lot of things — from the CGI and rendering, to the animation, to the critical response I’m assuming the film will get.

Scoob! is good enough for the kiddies who may not know the difference between this and a real Pixar product. The Michelle Obama documentary Becoming is a showcase for her charisma but carries a strong scent of sanitisation

Scoob! is by no means an expensive film, but it’s good enough for the kiddies who may not know the difference between this and a Pixar product. The adults, meanwhile, will appreciate the over-abundance of cameos of classic cartoon characters.

This isn’t the best reinterpretation of Scooby and the gang — that accolade belongs to Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, which airs on Cartoon Network — but it is quite faithful to the original source material. One has to appreciate the fact that the filmmakers didn’t scratch the itch to do something dramatically different.

Scoob! is directed by Tony Cervone with screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Jack Donaldson, Derek Elliott and Matt Lieberman. The film stars the voices of Frank Welker (Scooby), Will Forte (Shaggy), Mark Wahlberg (Blue Falcon), Jason Isaacs (Dick Dastardly), Gina Rodriguez (Velma), Zac Efron (Fred Jones), Amanda Seyfried (Daphne), Kiersey Clemons (Dee Dee Sykes), Ken Jeong, (Dynomutt the Dog Wonder), with voice acting also from Tracy Morgan, Billy West and Simon Cowell.

Scoob! is rated PG for a few cartoonish scares that don’t scare anyone really, and is available for rent online.

Becoming

In Becoming, a documentary on Michelle Obama’s book tour, we learn that the former First Lady of the US has an eclectic taste in music. “It depends on the mood: whether I want to be inspired, or I just want to…thump it out,” she says, sitting in the backseat of the car taking her to an event. Hit me, she tells her phone, and Kirk Franklin’s A God Like You starts thumping it out.

This insight on Michelle Obama may be news, but it is news of a lesser degree. Or rather, it’s that little bit of insight that is convenient enough to share, but not really damaging to someone’s career.

Becoming is a fine interview of sorts — a personal collection of snip-bits that carry a strong scent of sanitisation. It’s almost too squeaky clean at times but, perhaps, that is how the Obamas lived their lives.

Throughout the documentary, Michelle moves from one destination to the next of her book tour (also titled Becoming), acting and reacting, quite visibly, at the same set of questions from different celebrity hosts moderating her events in each state. Beginning with Oprah and ending with Stephen Colbert as moderators, each venue holding tens of thousands is sold-out. There’s little doubt that the real celebrity of each event is Michelle, even when Barack Obama makes an unexpected cameo.

Before and after each Q&A session, Michelle either spends time with her family, where we learn about her past, attends book-signing conventions, or has stopovers in local churches and schools to talk to young and old alike. The intent is to inspire, guide, listen and make eye contact, so that people know one is being taken seriously.

It’s an inspirational story of developing good morals, really it is — and I was already a fan of the Obamas’ charisma. At times, however, the tour feels like a primer for an election campaign — and debuting on Netflix, right now the most-watched platform on Earth, the subconsciously placed image of a squeaky clean eventual presidential candidate, is hard to brush off … even though no one mentions anything of the sort during the documentary.

Becoming is a virtuous, well-mannered, mild-mannered, documentary produced by the Obamas through their Netflix deal. We learn much, without learning much at all.

Directed by Nadia Hallgren, Becoming is rated 7+ and is suitable for all ages.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2020