Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) Reviews

• The Best Scooby Movie ever.

  cbarley2005-07-04

  Out of all the Scooby movies that have been made over the years (including the two live action ones), Zombie Island is by far the best; the characters are older, the plot line is much more sophisticated than previous attempts, is even a little scary, and by far LOOKS the best (even though it was a direct-to-video movie, it has the quality of a major motion picture, a big plus). Although Scooby and Shaggy haven't changed much, Fred, Velma, and especially Daphne were revamped - Velma is still calculating, but suspicious to a fault; Fred takes shotgun to Daphne as the leader, and "is in denial," about supernatural things; Daphne is no longer just the pretty face of the group, she's also intelligent, brave, completely independent, and the undisputed leader. Had Hanna Barbera and Warner Bros. actually kept up with this kind of material, Scooby would still be alive and kicking more so than it is; but, alas, they copped out for the "bad guy wearing a mask" routine, reverting the characters back to their original archetypes. Maybe someday someone will recreate the show using the characters and basic events, but for now, Zombie Island remains the absolute pinnacle of the Scooby World.

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• One of, if not the greatest Scooby Doo movie ever conceived!!

  cannonfallsmoney2019-03-23

  This is the movie that started it all. The reunion, the return, the comeback! Without this there is no witches ghost, no cyber chase, no legend of the vampire, etc. It remains one of the greatest even to this day. Very strong characters throughout and memorable ones at that. These were not shallow step ins used to fill up the suspect list; these were real characters. Leena might be my fav side character to date. This was one of the first ever scooby doos where the gang was actually given real personas and character development (to an extent). Really enjoyed the revamp and thought a lot of the traits/background info was fitting to their characters. Daphne as leader? Way ahead of its time. It's super boring watching the same "let's split up Gang" scenario every single ep./movie. Hands down this is the most sophisticated, well written plot of any scooby doo movie. In terms of creativity and storytelling, nothing in the scooby doo universe really compares except maybe the overall story arc from mystery incorporated. This was a real mystery, with a real threat. Some trash review really tried dumbing the plot down to the concept of real ghosts ... when it's so much more complex than that. I'm literally laughing at the bias. This was probably the only scooby doo I have ever watched and they didn't blatantly give away the bad guy in the first 30 mins. Lastly, the soundtrack is untouchable. The first song that plays when they start traveling across the country is A1. And then they really went and outdid themselves with the chase scene song, "Terror Time Again". Not to mention all the background music without any lyrics is spooky and very fitting for the Louisiana bayou setting. Yes, I will admit shaggy's voice is horrendous. But it's that classic late 90's version of shaggy and scooby. God those were the days. And if you want to cry about Hannah Barbara not being present on the project, go for it. But don't come on here all in your feelings and leave a very bad, distasteful, and obviously biased review. Yes, nothing will ever compare to the original scooby doo where are you. But some of you need to stop living in the past smh.

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• Enjoyable film with more knowing wit than the series

  bob the moo2003-03-09

  Tired of chasing old men in masks, Daphne and Fred go off to start a successful TV series, Velma opens a mystery bookstore and Scooby and Shaggy works as customs officers at an airport. However when Fred decides that the next episode of their show should be about real ghosts, the gang get back together to travel across the deep south. After many `men in masks' they arrive in New Orleans to be invited to a house haunted by a dead pirates and an island full of zombies. However the gang discover that everything is not quite as it's seems on the island. The nineties film version of the animated Scooby Doo are quite different from the original series. Instead of being cheesy, they are knowingly cheesy and contain a lot more jokes aimed at themselves for adults. While it is not quite as adult orientated as the Simpsons for example, it is still pretty amusing. Daphne and Fred both being slightly jealous of the other having opposite-sex interest is one example of this that worked quite well. Also the film's go harder for scares from their ghosts, I'm not saying it's scary but it has a lot more action than the series! The zombie have real menace and are not just comedy characters. The voice work is good considering it is not the original cast by and large. Mark Hamil is probably the biggest name on the list and does OK but all the cast do well – even if some of them are really doing impressions instead of performances! Overall this will please kids but will also be enjoyable for adults who do enjoy Scooby. The wit is a little more than just pratfalls and there are some nice self-depreciating touches that are funny. The zombies and all are quite effective and the film is enjoyable. Don't expect art – it does what it does and does it quite well.

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• A little to frightening for very young children, but still a great film!

  TheLittleSongbird2009-04-24

  I love Zombie Island very much, one of the best Scooby Doo movies easily along with Witch's Ghost. The animation was very good(one of the best-looking Scooby films), and so was the very 90s soundtrack, Terror Time's extremely catchy. The voice talents, while not as great as the ones in the two films I mentioned, are extremely good. The standouts are Billy West and Adrienne Barbeau.(with a great french-sounding accent), I also really liked Tara Charendoff as Lena, so much better than she was in the Little Mermaid sequel, where her character was very annoying. I also really liked the sophisticated and very atmospheric plot, which was refreshingly different also, about a pirate's ghost haunting a Louisianna plantation, the scenes with the zombies are genuinely unsettling(at times too much so perhaps). I never predicted the ending, I really didn't, no other ending in a Scooby Doo has been more creepy or had as much staying power. I especially loved the scenes with Scooby chasing the cats(the peppers gags were even funnier), they were funny and captures the spirit of classic Scooby very well. My only real criticism was that very young children will find it very frightening, as my sister did when she was 7, so much so she refused to see it for ages. All in all, a very good film, that is up there with Witch's Ghost, Alien Invaders and Goblin King. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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• Night of the Living Dead

  DarthBill2004-04-07

  The gang is back, with better animation and a different wardrobe for Fred & Daphne. Like the live action film, the gang reunites after a few years apart, but not because of a clash of egos. Daphne is now a talk show host, Fred is her producer and personal camera man, Velma runs a mystery book store and Shaggy and Scooby work at an airport checking luggage. But they miss each other and reunite on Daphne's birthday to set out on a cross country journey looking for "real" ghosts, only to find more "nut jobs in Halloween costumes". Then they head to the Bayou where they crash at an old house run by a creepy woman. Something fishy is clearly going on, but who's behind it all? Is it the creepy old woman who owns the house, her daughter who has a thing for Fred, the rugged gardener who Daphne seems to have a thing for, the fisherman, the ferry man, or something much, much worse? Before you can say "Scooby snack!" the gang is up to their neck in trouble battling zombies and cat people! Will they survive? By far the best of the new Scooby Doo animated films on video, this one explores certain themes that kind of developed but were never explored in the old show - like is there something going on between Fred & Daphne, and what would the gang do with themselves if they were apart. It also explores what happens when the gang finally encounters the real deal and not a guy in a mask, so it's basically "Night of the Living Dead" with the Mystery Inc gang. Frank Welker, voice of Fred, is the only member of the original series on hand. Don Messick, voice of Scooby, died before this one was put into the works, and for some reason Casey Kasem wasn't available as Shaggy. Shaggy is voiced instead by Billy West (, Geek-er from "Geek-er", Fry from "Futurama") and he is a capable Shaggy. Scooby is voiced perfectly by Scott Innes. Daphne is voiced with girlish perkiness by the late Mary Kay Bergman (Really horrible what happened to her; I hope she's found peace in the next world) and BJ Ward (Scarlet from the GI Joe cartoons) is the geeky Velma. Cam Clarke, the voice of Leonardo from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and the new voice of He-Man, plays the gardener, and Mark Hamill does another creepy vocal characterization. Don't miss Fred trying to yank the head off a zombie grumbling "It's the gardener... it's the fisherman... it's the ferryman!"

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