''Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'' is a 2009 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by

Brian Levant Brian Michael Levant (born August 6, 1952) is an American filmmaker. Early life and career Born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Jewish family, Levant started his career in 1976 as a writer for the TV series ''Happy Days''. He also wrote for, ...

. It is based on the cartoon series ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

''. The film reveals how the Mystery Inc. gang met and the events of their first case. The

live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

cast features Nick Palatas as Shaggy,

Robbie Amell Robert Patrick Amell IV (born April 21, 1988) is a Canadian-American actor and producer. He is best-known for his roles as Stephen Jameson on The CW series ''The Tomorrow People'' (2013–2014), Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm on The CW series ''Th ...

Fred Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Fred ...

Hayley Kiyoko Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft (born April 3, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and author. As a child model and actress, she appeared in a variety of films, including '' Lemonade Mouth'' (2011), '' Jem and the Holograms'' (2015), '' Insidi ...

as Velma, and Kate Melton as

Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...

. Scooby-Doo was created using

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...

and his voice is provided by

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

, who was a cast member of the original animated series. A sequel, ''

Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster ''Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster'' is a 2010 American made-for-television comedy horror mystery film directed by Brian Levant for Cartoon Network and based on the Saturday morning cartoon series ''Scooby-Doo'' by Hanna-Barbera. It is a se ...

'', was released in October 2010.

Plot

In Coolsville,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, a pet adoption fair is held.

is up for adoption, but nobody wants him. Later, on the way back to the pound, Scooby is accidentally left behind when the crate he is in falls off a truck. Seeking shelter from a rainstorm, he comes across a graveyard where he witnesses two ghosts rise from their graves. Scooby panics and runs away, ending up in the bedroom of Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, a clumsy and geeky outcast. The two quickly bond and Shaggy decides to adopt Scooby. Later, Shaggy tries to smuggle Scooby-Doo onto the school bus, but a fight between Shaggy, Scooby, and a bully breaks out which causes the bus to crash into a flagpole, which falls on Vice Principal Grimes' car, damaging its windshield. Because of the fight on the bus and the damage to Grimes' car, Shaggy is sent to the library for detention, along with three others: Fred Jones, the quarterback of the football team;

Velma Dinkley Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she ...

, a science nerd; and

Daphne Blake Daphne Blake is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is a core member of Mystery Incorporated and is depicted as coming from a wealthy family. She is noted for her beauty, fashion sense, and her knack for getting into dan ...

, a wealthy drama club student. They bond somewhat over a shared interest in mysteries, but quickly get on each other's nerves. The ghosts suddenly appear and chase them to the gym where a pep rally is taking place. A masked figure in a cloak known as the Specter appears, demanding everyone to leave. The stamp-collecting Principal Deedle decides to close the school, but Grimes deems it a prank and suspends the quartet as he refuses to believe that there are ghosts in the school. The gang try to clear their names by investigating the ghosts at it, but Shaggy and Scooby-Doo end up being locked in the cafeteria freezers. They are freed the next morning by Grimes, who expels them from the school, and threatens to have them arrested for trespassing if they set foot on school property again. Assuming the school librarian and janitor might be trying to close the school after Shaggy remembered overhearing them complaining about it, they use Daphne's knowledge of theatrical costuming to sneak into the school, but they are exonerated when Velma discovers a spell book was recently checked out by Grimes, making them think Grimes is their prime suspect. Searching at night at Grimes' house, they learn that the school grounds were once used by Coolsville Academy, a prep school that was destroyed during a flood the same day they intended to bury a time capsule of the school's history; the gang concludes the ghosts are trying to get their school shut down so they can search for the time capsule unimpeded. The ghosts attack again, and the teens are knocked out. The Specter, keeping Scooby and Grimes as prisoners, forces the gang to search underground for the time capsule. Unable to find the capsule, they trick the Specter into coming down to carry the capsule out of the hole, but the plan backfires when they try to lock him up in a flooded room, and the Specter acquires the capsule. Stealing the capsule back, the gang uses the spell book to banish the ghosts. Scooby breaks free of his restraints and arrives just in time to subdue the Specter, who is soon revealed to be Deedle. It is then revealed that a stamp misprint was hidden within the time capsule, something that would have been worth a fortune. Determined to obtain the misprint, Deedle used the spell book to summon the ghosts to have the school evacuated so he can accomplish his goal. After Deedle is arrested for his crimes, the group is re-instated to Coolsville High and publicly congratulated by Grimes, who becomes the new principal. He apologizes to them for not believing them before announcing the official burial of the time capsule. Just as they begin digging, Shaggy accidentally throws his shovel, which lands on Grimes' car, once again damaging its windshield. Instead of giving him another detention, Grimes forgives Shaggy, stating that accidents happen. The group decide to stay together and solve mysteries, and they head off to "investigate some strange goings-on at the Coolsville museum", a reference to the first episode of ''

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on Septem ...

'' and their first villain, the Black Knight Ghost.

Cast

* Kate Melton as

as Fred Jones * Nick Palatas as

Shaggy Rogers Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. He is characterized as an amateur detective, and the long-time best friend of his dog, Scooby-Doo. Character description Shaggy ...

as the voice of

* Shawn Macdonald as Principal Deedle/Dark Specter * Gary Chalk as Vice Principal Grimes * Leah James as Prudence Prufrock * Brian Sutton as Ezekiel Gallows * C. Ernst Harth as Otis the Janitor *

Lorena Gale Lorena Gale (May 9, 1958 – June 21, 2009) was a Canadian actress, playwright and theatre director. She was active onstage and in films and television since the 1980s. She also authored two award-winning plays, ''Angélique'' and ''Je me so ...

as Librarian

Production

Filming took place in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, British Columbia, Canada, including

Templeton Secondary School Templeton Secondary School is a Public education, public secondary school located in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood on the East Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its student teams won the SmartAsk competition in 2004, the junior ''Reach Fo ...

from August 4, 2008. The music is scored by David Newman, who had previously scored the theatrical films ''

'' (2002) and '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (2004). The band

Anarbor Anarbor is an American rock band from Phoenix which was formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist/bassist Slade Echeverria and guitarist Danny Stravers. Initially known as "Troop 101", the band changed their name to "Anarbor" late ...

recorded the " What's New Scooby-Doo?" theme, as well as the song and music video "You and I" for the film's soundtrack.

Release

''Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'' aired on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

on September 13, 2009.

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

released it on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

on September 22, 2009.

Reception

''Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'' was the most-watched telecast in

history. It had 6.1 million viewers, outdistancing the previous high of 3.9 million viewers that tuned into the premiere of the animated series '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars''. The film received more favorable reviews compared to its theatrical counterparts. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it a "surprisingly effective origin story", and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote that it is "a first-rate family film and an excellent, faithful take on ''Scooby-Doo'' rounded out by a surprising amount of human feeling".

Sequel

Due to the success of ''Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'', a sequel went into development in October 2009. Titled ''

'', principal photography commenced on March 15, 2010, in various locations around Southern California. The sequel aired on October 16, 2010, and was released on DVD in 2011.

References

External links

* * *
Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins Official Site
{{Brian Levant 2009 television films 2009 films 2000s adventure comedy films 2000s ghost films 2009 comedy horror films American adventure comedy films American comedy television films 2000s comedy mystery films American ghost films Films directed by Brian Levant Films set in 2009 Films set in Ohio Films shot in Vancouver Scooby-Doo live-action films Reboot films Warner Bros. direct-to-video films Films scored by David Newman (composer) 2000s English-language films 2000s American films American mystery television films English-language comedy horror films English-language adventure comedy films English-language comedy mystery films