Just caught the premiere of Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated on Cartoon Network. I'm sure it's a bit preemptive to be singing its praises after just one episode, but I could easily see this show going on to become my favorite Scooby series.
This show does a great job of taking the "essence" of Scooby Doo and modernizing it. By this I mean having the whole gang together (after too many series starring just Scooby and Shaggy and adding new characters like Scooby Dum or Scrappy) solving mysteries with a healthy balance of comedy, just like the original series. The show has been tweaked in a number of ways from Scooby Doo, Where Are You? The most apparent change would be the awesome new art style, made more awesome by the upgrade to HD. Another big change comes in the humor that if actually funny, a first for Scooby Doo, in my opinion.
While the characters still play the same roles in the group, their personalities have been more developed. Fred is humanized and not played out to be Mr. Perfect, and has an interest in traps, Velma is sarcastic and even flirtatious (!) , Daphne seems to be more emotional, especially in regards to her relationship with Fred. Scooby and Shaggy, from what I've seen so far, are mostly the same, but this is not a problem, because they were always the two most fleshed-out characters. We were also introduced to the families of each of the characters, which helps fill in their backstories. But probably the most exciting change of all is the introduction of an extended plot arc. The episode was titled Chapter One and introduced several plot points and characters I'm sure we'll be seeing again later on in the season. I'm so excited for the possibilities! One disappointment I had stemmed from the focus on making the most out of said changes, with less emphasis being placed on the mystery itself. When it came time to explain the methods and motives of the criminal, I thought the explanation was a bit lacking. Having said this, this could have been am episode-specific problem, but we'll see how it plays out in subsequent episodes.
Tl;dr: Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated is shaping up to be my favorite series ever, and you should watch it! Mondays at 8 on Cartoon Network.
This show does a great job of taking the "essence" of Scooby Doo and modernizing it. By this I mean having the whole gang together (after too many series starring just Scooby and Shaggy and adding new characters like Scooby Dum or Scrappy) solving mysteries with a healthy balance of comedy, just like the original series. The show has been tweaked in a number of ways from Scooby Doo, Where Are You? The most apparent change would be the awesome new art style, made more awesome by the upgrade to HD. Another big change comes in the humor that if actually funny, a first for Scooby Doo, in my opinion.
While the characters still play the same roles in the group, their personalities have been more developed. Fred is humanized and not played out to be Mr. Perfect, and has an interest in traps, Velma is sarcastic and even flirtatious (!) , Daphne seems to be more emotional, especially in regards to her relationship with Fred. Scooby and Shaggy, from what I've seen so far, are mostly the same, but this is not a problem, because they were always the two most fleshed-out characters. We were also introduced to the families of each of the characters, which helps fill in their backstories. But probably the most exciting change of all is the introduction of an extended plot arc. The episode was titled Chapter One and introduced several plot points and characters I'm sure we'll be seeing again later on in the season. I'm so excited for the possibilities! One disappointment I had stemmed from the focus on making the most out of said changes, with less emphasis being placed on the mystery itself. When it came time to explain the methods and motives of the criminal, I thought the explanation was a bit lacking. Having said this, this could have been am episode-specific problem, but we'll see how it plays out in subsequent episodes.
Tl;dr: Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated is shaping up to be my favorite series ever, and you should watch it! Mondays at 8 on Cartoon Network.
