An Exercise In Nonsense

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Scooby-Doo is one of those animated series that was never REALLY funny in the first place, but its charm made it worth watching (also the plot of the originals were better) but the problem is that Scooby-Doo and the reluctant werewolf tries to cater to really young audiences and has no plot to it whatsoever other than Shaggy is racing monsters in a race. One of the big issues in this is that is reuses the same footage over and over again for the racing sequences. This means instead of watching an animated race with diversity, it shows pretty much the same animations (clips) over and over again to keep within budget restraints. The humor in this Scooby-Doo gives me a headache... they use puns... really really lame puns for almost the ENTIRE film. And since this "episode" is 45 minutes longer than it needs to be, the puns start to really get to you. In summary: Scooby-Doo and the reluctant werewolf isn't funny, is too long, has no mystery, and has no reason to be watched. Oh yeah and Scooby and Shaggy are the only main characters in it. Scappy (sadly) is in it along with some random girlfriend named Googie. Ugh...

Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf is an underrated masterpiece in the Scooby-Doo saga*SPOLIERS AHEAD*Plot: Dracula turns Shaggy into a werewolf and kidnaps him, Scooby-Doo, Scrabby-Doo, and his girlfriend Googie. In order for Shaggy to return to being a human he most compete in the Monster Road Race and win first place.The Good News: The film may have an effect of nausea on you. It's from 1988 and everything reeks 1988. From Scrabby-Doo from at the time hit T.V. show to Shaggy's old red shirt and the cartoon animation it reminds you what has happened over the years to the recent What's New Scooby-Doo? The story is fresh and hasn't been done before. The three repeated ways to turn Shaggy into a werewolf are pretty original and my favorite one has to be at the supermarket. Going for a midnight snack Shaggy and Scooby are shopping and a hand pops out from behind the shelf and hands Scobby a snack and then the person emerges from behind the shelf and takes off with the cart without Scooby and plows into Shaggy who falls in the cart and they roll him outside to the designated spot for the transformation, but a melon truck pulls up just in the nick of time at the exact spot. The drive in movie scene was also a long and fun sequence and the idea that the hiccups cured a werewolf and turns the victim from a werewolf and then to a person and so on and so on was pretty neat and used to great degree. Shaggy's girlfriend was a good character and the movie surprisingly didn't need the rest of the gang. The monsters at the castle, while nothing new, it was nice to see them all together. Casey Kasem voices Shaggy and you can't find a lot of fault in his performance. Don Messic voices Scooby-Doo greatly and Scrabby-Doo is actually likable here and makes me kind of mad that he turned evil in Scooby-Doo (2002). The way the whole castle is rigged and every escape and hope turns out to be a trap is pretty smart and something most kid movies don't think of. If all else reason to see this fails then the practice round and the actual race are standout sequences which are action packed and fully entertaining from beginning to end and is a great way to end a film. That is the major highlight of the film and is worth to see it as a stand alone scene. The long running time also helps this out because it seems more natural than it would if it was over in five minutes. The failed plans by Dracula to stop Shaggy from winning the race provide much of the action and it also provides a few laughs and a lot of giggles by Dracula's bride as she does commentary on the race. The Bad News: I don't see how anybody can dislike this. It's fast, entertaining, action packed, and has a slam bang ending.Conclusion: Recommend to everyone and especially for Scooby-Doo fans. Recommend.Rated: Not Rated

I saw this like a hundred times when I was a kid and I did not think I would laugh at it as much as I did then. Especially considering this is old school Scooby animation and not the sleeker, brighter animation of recent years. I was surprised at how much I still enjoy this. Reluctant Werewolf is very fast moving and funny thanks to a tight script cartoon vetran Jim Ryan.There is no Mystery Inc or Mystery Machine in this movie. It's just Shaggy (wearing a red shirt instead of a green one), now making a living as a racecar driver, Scooby, and Scrappy (in his last appearance) and Shag's girlfriend Googy. Shaggy lives in an alarmingly large, mansion-esque house and is chosen by Count Dracula to become a werewolf so he can take part in a race for monsters.Despite looking cute and cuddly as a Werewolf, Shaggy obviously doesn't want to do it but Dracula promises to change him back to human if he wins. What follows is a Scooby Doo version of the Wacky Races as insane customized cars battle it out on an anything-goes Transylvanian race-course. The majority of laughs come from Dracula, ever so desperate to keep his wicked plan from falling apart and always making a complete idiot of himself. It's also new to see Shaggy not jump into Scooby's arms every time he sees a monster, and this time they're real too, not just some guy in a mask.I would definitely recommend this to Scooby fans and casual viewers (like me). It's very funny and totally rewatchable.

There are three problems I have with this movie. One deals with breaking character. When we first see Shaggy in this film, he apparently now has a career as a race car driver. At first, I thought, "Oh, that's a cool professional for a non-conformist like him!" Then I remembered something: Shaggy is a self-professed coward. What coward would take on the dangerous line of professional auto racing?The second problem is romantic. Who is this Googie girl? Why is she Shaggy's girlfriend? I would have much rather have had Daphne, or even Velma, in the role.The third problem is boredom. Once the big monster car race gets started, it turns into an extended version of Hanna-Barbera's other show, "The Wacky Races", and is really very tedious.