The latest Scooby Doo movie, “Scoob!”, is an artificial neo-liberal take on the “pup named Scooby Doo” series. 

 “Scoob!” was meant to be the first entry into the Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe, whatever that is supposed to mean. In the early scenes, Shaggy (Will Forte) is a lonely kid, desperate for friendship. He finds it in a stray dog that he names Scooby (Frank Welker). On one Halloween, they run into Fred Jones (Zac Efron), Daphne Blake (Amanda Seyfried) and Velma Dinkley (Gina Rodriguez) and form the famous Mystery Incorporated detective crew. They age in a cliché montage and eventually Scooby and Shaggy run into some problems at a bowling alley, where the superhero crew led by Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) saves them.

When they age, the animation takes a notable turn for the worse. The lines on the outside of the characters become more defined, and combined with the more realistic-looking adults, it creates an uneasy feeling — it’s not the “uncanny valley” but it has the same effect.

The animation gives off a faux feeling: it’s like something authentic but not quite. The politics of “Scoob!” function the same. 

The full review can be read at CalvinChimes.org.