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Shaggy Dog

Every superhero eventually gets their own origin story, so why not Shaggy, Scooby-Doo and the rest of the gang? The new animated film "Scoob!" charts the meet-cute, of sorts, between a young Shaggy and the stray dog that would go on to become his best friend. Director Tony Cervone - and a host of writers - have created a lively enough, though not entirely successful, new film to keep the family entertained in these trying times.

The movie opens in California, with a young Shaggy (Iain Armitage) wandering along the beach and eventually claiming ownership of a stray dog. The police are after the dog, but Shaggy convinces them the dog belongs to him and comes up with the name Scoob-Dooby-Doo on the spot. An instant friendship is formed over sandwiches on the beach and the rest, as they say, will go on to be history.

Shaggy (voiced as an adult by Will Forte), Scooby (voiced by longtime "Scooby-Doo" voice actor Frank Welker) and their friends, Velma (Gina Rodriguez), Fred (Zac Efron) and Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) have now formed their close-knit group. They are out having lunch and Simon Cowell (yes, that Simon Cowell, who voices himself) joins them and suggest Shaggy and Scoob are the weak links of the group (after they perform a rendition of "Shallow" from 2018's "A Star is Born," of course), which doesn't sit well with Shaggy or Scooby. The duo decides to go out on their own and end up teaming with Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) in an effort to stop the evil Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs) from releasing a ghost dog named Cerberus into the world.

"Scoob!" has a bit of a chaotic story, and its attempt to include a lot of plot in a mere 90 minutes quickly turns its lively energy from infectious to exhausting. Still, the crisp and colorful animation is a wonderful visual, and the pratfalls and playful spirit is likely to keep the entire family entertained. Often, animated movies try to strike the balance of silly humor for children and the occasional pop culture reference aimed directly at the parents for their own amusement. "Scoob!" is a bit too heavy on the references, with jokes covering things like Tinder, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, and Gérard Depardieu. All these jokes will fly over every kids' head and there are times when the screenplay leans on these moments for laughs and they land awkwardly. However, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is referenced, and it's never too early to teach your children about her.

The movie is clearly trying to walk a tightrope of engaging young kids while also appealing to those who have nostalgic feelings towards the entire Scooby-Doo enterprise. "Scoob!" can't seem to make up its mind a times, but for families trying to find new forms of entertainment with limited options, "Scoob!" is likely to fit the bill.