Who better to celebrate Halloween than the Scooby Gang? “Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo!” is the thirty first animated movie in the long running franchise. It’s a long running franchise that, to its credit, doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. This installment is firmly a Halloween oriented movie, revolving around the idea of fear, and Velma trying to ignore her emotional response to fear in favor of rationality. What she ultimately comes to realize is that fear can be a good thing; it can even help us survive in perilous situations.
On Halloween night, at Elvira’s Halloween of Horrors Parade in Crystal Cove, Mystery Incorporated is captures the dreaded Haunted Scarecrow, also known as Johnathan Crane, one of Batman’s most dreaded foes. After having him arrested, the group are stuck in town and are fleeing a large horde of supernatural demonic rabid pumpkins known as “Jackal Lanterns,” all of whom are anxious to demolish the group. Paired with Bill Nye, a new Mystery Machine, Elvira, and a hapless dad and daughter, Velma seeks the origin of the pumpkins, while the group fends them off, attempting to survive.
“Happy Halloween,…” Is surprisingly very funny, considering sometimes the Scooby animated movies can feel flat, especially with the tendency to bring on endless guest stars. Thankfully, not only do the guest stars here make a lot of sense, but the writers also have a great time giving them their own things to do, while also committing to some sharp self satirizing. I loved Elvira’s sheer sense of vanity that often competed with Daphne’s own, as well as Bill Nye’s habit for rambling about science. There’s an especially hysterical gag involving him fact checking trick or treaters about their animal costumes at his doorstep. It’s no surprise that this installment is directed by one Maxwell Atoms, as his “Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” is still quintessential horror animation.
Director-writer Atoms carries much of that over in to this film where everyone gets a chance to draw out some genuine laughs. Along with the usual great cast of voice actors, Bumper Robinson is especially hysterical as dad Mike, a kind trick or treater who becomes an unwitting ally with the Mystery Inc. group. As a bonus, as with a lot of the latter day “Scooby Doo” movies, there’s also a ton of blink and you’ll miss it winks and nods to classic Hanna Barbera properties, and DC Comics. I also found the tribute to “First Blood” with Freddy absolutely hilarious. “Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo!” is a fun treat for the Halloween season that will delight fans with its sheer celebration of the holiday, and great sense of humor.
Heck, perhaps it might even introduce a new generation of fans to Elvira.