LET’S TALK ABOUT “SCOOBY-DOO! RETURN TO ZOMBIE ISLAND”
The 50th Anniversary for the Scooby-Doo franchise has been interesting so far and it just started. We’re beginning to see a fancy “50th Anniversary” logo popping up on Scooby merchandise, we received a movie that attempted to bring closure to “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo”, and Shaggy suddenly became an all-powerful meme lord. But something that hasn’t been discussed as prominently or been in the spotlight as much is the potential sequel we are going to be seeing this year to “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island”.
Yes, you read that right. Evidence is emerging on the Internet and in Scooby-Doo media that suggest an upcoming “Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island” movie. It hasn’t been a huge discussion topic and I find that shocking.Â
I’ve talked about this with other Scooby-Doo fans including the moderator for Scoobypedia. Jesse Silver is an animator and cartoon artist who has a history (on LinkedIn) of work on various Scooby-Doo projects including direct-to-video movies and “Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!”. He wrote a most in July on his LinkedIn page stating that he had just finished work on “Return to Zombie Island”. He had this project listed in his work experience along with a potential King Arthur-themed Scooby-Doo movie (both of these items have since been removed from his experience yet this screenshotted post remains).
Then Tumblr user @scoobyescubidu​ made a post regarding “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” easter eggs appearing in the two most recent DTV Scooby-Doo movies (”Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost” and “Scooby-Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost”). I have yet to watch “Gourmet Ghost” myself but I did notice the “Zombie Island” reference in the “The Curse of the 13th Ghost” movie (reference my review of that movie).
In “Gourmet Ghost” we can see a painting on the wall portraying what appears to be the Moonscar Mansion. And in “The Curse of the 13th Ghost” we see the unmasking of the Moat Monster in a photograph in Daphne’s bedroom. They’re very uncanny references to “Zombie Island”. Something to remember too is how the original four DTV Scooby-Doo movies (”Zombie Island”, “Witch’s Ghost”, “Alien Invaders”, and “Cyber Chase”) aren’t often referenced if at all outside of those movies. If I remember correctly, the only movie that does reference those four movies aside from “Gourmet Ghost” and “The Curse of the 13th Ghost” is “Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire”. The Hex Girls make an appearance in that movie and Shaggy and Scooby are seen playing what appears to be a “Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase” video game in the Mystery Machine.
But “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” isn’t referenced again anytime after “Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost”. So why now?
Based on these recent references to that movie, Jesse Silver’s LinkedIn page, and the fact that the 50th Anniversary is the perfect time to celebrate the most celebrated and appreciated Scooby-Doo movie in the franchise, “Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island” makes sense.
Let’s face it: it’s coming.
I’m admittedly weary about this for multiple reasons…
“Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” is one of the most important pieces of Scooby-Doo media ever made. It’s reignited a new generation of love for the cartoon after a stagnant period in the 1990′s. It held Scooby-Doo to a new standard (for the time). It took the existence of supernatural phenomena in the Scooby-world (which wasn’t new) and engineered it to create a compelling, dark, and complex mystery. It was also of great importance to my childhood.
I don’t want to reject a sequel to this movie because it’ll “ruin my childhood”. I’m not the target audience for Scooby-Doo anymore so that’s out of my control. But I don’t think a sequel to this movie is all that necessary or justifiable. Something that made “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” a really memorable movie was its art style and mood. The animation was beautiful and masterfully set the tone for a cartoon that up until this point had been innocent spooky fun. Trying to reinvent the magic of “Zombie Island” in the fashion of a modern Scooby-Doo movie would be challenging and likely non-complimentary to the original.
Another problem is the voice actors. The voice for Daphne in “Zombie Island” has passed away and every other character besides Fred had voices provided by actors who haven’t been affiliated with Scooby-Doo projects in recent years. (And I doubt Warner Bros. would go to the trouble of bringing them back – even if those actors were at all interested).
It’s not often a sequel or reboot of a classic movie or franchise goes well. That goes for Scooby-Doo movies too. “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” made about $9.5 million less than “Scooby-Doo”. And “Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins” had a rating of 6.1 million on its premiere night while its sequel the following year had 5.1 on its premiere. (And let’s face it, who even cares about “Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster?)
Maybe the fact it’s a sequel won’t doom the movie from the beginning. But what about the story? “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” had awesome characters, villains, settings, and mysteries. And the movie concluded pretty neatly with the cat creatures dying, the zombies being able to rest, and the curse of the Harvest Moon being broken. What else is there to say? What could the gang possibly be returning to Moonscar Island for? What could be bringing them back? I just don’t see a sequel being able to wow me when there doesn’t seem to be anything that would revive the story without suggesting that Simone, Lina, and Jacques somehow didn’t die.
What if it’s a reboot though? Or a remastered version of “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island”? Would that be at all desirable or needed? That’s up for debate I guess but I don’t think we need it.
What do you think of the idea of “Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island”? Is this something you want to see or are you wanting it not to happen? Or do you not care either way? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this because “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” is a special part of the Scooby-Doo world. Let’s talk about it!
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