Yea. Too bad the people who make the new movies are just too scared to be dark and give children a scared feeling. Like ok i get that but come on, the dark gritty moments is what made the 90's scooby doo movies so damn good! 😊
Yep, to bad this movie is tainted by its an awful sequel called “return to zombie island” that retcons everything that happened on zombie island. Seriously avoid that sequel like the plague.
The twist was that since the movie is called Zombie Island, the zombies would be the main threat, but the main threat was the werecats. The zombies were just victims of the werecats
It's a shame nothing looks like this anymore. Even more of a shame that this isn't how legacy cartoons are handled when studios try to reboot them. I always loved the flash forward type stories in cartoons where the gangs older and on to different things and for Scooby doo it just works so well.
As far as the actual animation goes, I'm not certain but I'm pretty sure that there are limitations in place as to what art style you're allowed to make your stuff look like. Like if your animation looks too much like a different property or is a straight up copy of it I think you can get sued. I could be mistaken, but that could be why so many cartoons today have such weird and different art styles.
@@steveoconnivo9666 nah everything in the West is basically some sort of calarts offshoot these days. Classic animation died with Princess and the Frog
Fred's "Doesn't anybody want a beignet?" makes me laugh every time for some reason....I think it's just the timing of it, like he spaced out on what the girls were talking about and suddenly clicked back to reality
This is probably my favorite Scooby Doo movie. I loved the idea of the gang not being teens but like in their mid 20's nd seeing how they actually moved on past high school. And the twist is so cool too. Zombied weren't overplayed at that point but having them be the good guys in the story was cool to me
IMO, Zombie Island is how to properly do a mature Scooby-Doo film/media. The art work, the characters, the story, the themes, and even some mature topics that come up (The truth/fate of the zombies and some of the identities of the zombies). It’s all beautifully dark. Heck, even the infamous chase song “Terror Time Again” is darker. The other songs from other Scooby-Media sing about silly stuff, love, silly scary stuff, etc. However, for “Terror Time Again?” If you truly listen to the lyrics it’s describing the horror and danger the Scooby gang are in. “All the trees begin to moan And the monsters grunt and groan Rotting faces full of slime Don't you know it's terror time?” Absolutely scary. This movie man. As much as I love my favorite Alien Invaders, this movie is the superior one out of all the Scooby-Doo movies. I feel that it gets the franchise, which is something I feel some of the much later movies don't as much.
The cat cult isn't that out of place. When you've seen the film and know it's coming, there's so much subtext you pick up on. Big Mona is a catfish, Simone keeps cats who don't get along with Scooby, the general tradition of cats and dogs being opposites who fight and Scooby being a dog, it all makes perfect sense.
It comes as a bit of a surprise that the Cat Gods are apparently the true religion in Scooby-Doo. What kind of effects should that knowledge have on the gang? How can they ever celebrate Christmas again?
@@Blokewood3 I wouldn’t take it quite literally, Simone said they were settlers and had a French accent. They simply worshipped a locally known religion that had been brought with them, once discovered, it became custom to the island.
To be honest, there can easily be more than one God or Goddess around. The Cat Cult can easily be a group of Werecats who believe in a higher power. Also, I do get how the voodoo thing can be appropriated as Louisiana never invented Voodoo in the first place. It can also be whatever you want it to be. Japan has their version of ghost sand dragons which differ to the English. This cultural appropriation thing is tedious.
I think the real twist was them actually being the good guys, although foreshadowing is there (they never actually do anything harmful or threatening).
This was the only Scooby-Doo movie/episode that legitimately creeped me out. And only one of 2, along with The Cyber Chase movie, that is extremely memorable to me still in my mid 20s
Excellent review. And to add something else about Lena’s character, I think this is the first time I (and I’m sure many other young cartoon watchers) ever heard the voice of Tara Chanderdof (who later changed her last name to Strong by 2000 or 2001 I think). So it was so weird hearing a new VO person I’ve never heard before voicing a seemingly nice character, then having that same character turn into a psycho monster near the film’s end. That certainly left an impression on me with how she’d voice future characters. I’m pretty sure along with the original Powerpuff Girls, this was one of her major American voice roles that got Tara SUPER popular and noticed by the animation casting Industry. Just a thought I felt like sharing. Lol.
I can't believe I never noticed how these films all focused on different members of the gang, I learned a lot from this retrospective. Also Terror Time is the best chase song period.
Zombie Island is such a masterclass of how to make Scooby-Doo a serious property (along with Mystery Inc). I think Zombie Island might be one of the earliest Scooby things that I remember watching and its what got me to love the franchise as a whole. The fact that it still holds up after this long is a testament to how great it is. I've really appreciated this retrospective look on these films that I loved so much as a kid. Hearing about the behind the scenes trouble that happened after ZI makes me kind of appreciate all of the films a little more in a way. Maybe its just the nostalgia speaking. Either way, this has been a wonderful series and I'm glad that I fully jumped into your content with them!
**edit: Cartoon Network just uploaded it today on YT *edit: it was pointed out to me that the Scooby Doo project aired in 1999. I was 8 when this movie came out, and thanks to having older siblings, I had watched the Blair Witch Project. In preparation for Zombie Island, Cartoon Network would air promos parodying the found footage classic. It was so surreal yet so hilarious 😂
Just wanted to say that I deeply appreciate your little venture into such a nostalgic series for so many. I certainly have found memories of them. I actually hadn’t seen any of your stuff before this series but I’m definitely going to stick around. Love the chill vibe of your vids and the scope of your analysis. Quality content all around.
When the zombie confederate soldiers were actually helping Shaggy it makes sense why they were helping Shaggy specifically, besides making sure he wasn’t another victim. Years before in a Scooby Doo special called: Scooby Doo and the Boo Brothers, it reveals that Shaggy had an uncle who was a general on the confederate side. Maybe the soldiers thought it was his uncle and were fulfilling their duties in protecting him.
That's impossible. If Shaggy's uncle fought in the Civil War he would be far too old to have ever met Shaggy (and in Boo Brothers he left a message for Shaggy, so the Colonel had to at least know Shaggy existed). Maybe he was a reenactor?
Oh yeah! I remember Scooby Doo and the Boo Brothers too! The soldiers looked kinda like a mixture of a ghoul & a zombie to me personally. Zombghouls? Anyways yeah, I specifically remember those grey uniforms & everything to! That hasn't crossed my mind in forever but the moment I saw "the Boo Brothers", it all came back to me😅 That's pretty cool❤
If it weren't for Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, I never would've gotten inspired to write my Scooby Doomsday fanfic! This will always be one of my favorite movies!
@@ShadowAgent94 __ Thanks, I'm currently working on other projects at the moment, but that's still something I wanna do! Once I'm able to write it, it'll be up on AO3. The link to my stories is on my RU-vid channel!
@@ShadowAgent94__ Thanks, that Doctor Doom fanfic is still being worked on and I'm really excited to share with you guys what happens next! I've just been really burnt out with my other job before I left and didn't have the energy to update it. But now that I'm planning on being on RU-vid for fulltime, which is gonna be a lot of trial and error, I'll be making more time for my fanfic! I've also got a Hellboy x Owl House crossover coming up in the future!
This is my favorite Scooby-Doo movie, precisely because it is the only genuinely scary one. This movie terrified me as a kid, and I still love it to this day.
Gosh I remember the first time I watched this. You can imagine the slowly setting horror when you realise all your fore knowledge that it had to be someone in a mask was a lie. That scene where everyone realises that there were real monsters with the audience and then terror time kicking in sent chills down my spine. Best movie!
This movie exists for basically only one reason: the fact that, eventually, you get sick of watching the gang pull masks off of people and want to see them catch a real monster.
By far the most memorable Scooby Doo film for me. The dead captain carving the message in the wall freaked me tf out as a kid. Second would be the one where the woman is an actual alien 👌
Ghoul school was one of my favorite movies as a kid. And the hex sisters is a core memory. I loved these movies. Why yes, i did have a goth thing when i became an adult, how did you know?
I loved this video series! Zombie Island & Alien Invaders were fictures of my childhood. Your critiques are insightful and informed. Its also super cute and nostalgic that you include the old ads right before your ad segments! On the wardrobe note: if they redesigned Fred to look more at home in Louisiana -they definitely should've considered Velma's turtleneck would have been insufferably hot in the swampy humidity. 🤷♀️
You have to be careful with that. Scooby-Doo has played around with the formula from time to time and has had real monsters both before and after Zombie island. But at its core, Scooby-Doo is about mystery. Zombie island works well because it has a good mystery, but if real monsters became a regular thing, that would just be a new formula. It's best to use them sparingly.
It truly is kinda heartbreaking that HBO Max doesn’t have these streaming. But then again, they wouldn’t have the incredibly nostalgic VHS trailers like your essays do. Glad this whole month of videos paid off for ya, Keeks! Hoping this leads to bigger and better things :)
That little ad for Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theater was a blast of nostalgia I honestly didn't think I was capable of feeling anymore... I remember being so excited for this movie when I was a kid. It ended up absolutely terrifying me as a kid and I still love it to this day. I remember the following TV show What's New Scooby Doo being a huge disappointment after all these movies by going back to people in costumes formula. Either way I know what I'm going to be watching when I have some more free time.
I really loved this series! It's so cool to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of the animation world, especially for a franchise like Scooby-Doo that's stuck around for so long. I would love to see more Scooby-Doo content and I'm excited to see what you do next!
The tv reruns being sped up makes a lot of sense in retrospect. I recently revisited the original series and I was surprised at how much slower the theme and episode title songs were compared to what I remembered growing up.
Im at 0:04 and I just wanted to stop and say…. This is my first time coming across your channel snd yout intro vibe? Yeah i belong here. I literally subscribed for the intro. Amd its a scooby vid? Keep up the great work man 🤌🏽 chefs kiss
Loved this series!! Thanks for making these! I’d love to hear your take on the Alvin and the Chipmunks Halloween movies next year if possible? Those also played a huge role in shaping so many peoples childhoods.
I talked to many of the crew members when I was making my own Retrospective of the film including Chris Bracher who was an employee at Hanna Barbera in the 90s, he informed me that the Zombie island was suppose to have a theatrical release but WB changed their minds cause they originally wanted this to be a dual format release (VHS and DVD) for some reason, it wasnt released on DVD until 2001.
Correct if I'm wrong, didn't that also to Wakko's Wish and Batman Sub-Zero? Also, I so wish Zombie Island had a theatrical release that would have been cool, but then again what you said is understandable considering Warner Bros in the 90s to early 2000s did a terrible job handling their animated movies.
I’m a 90’s kid. Firstly, these cartoons/movies/direct to video sequels were probably the best. Secondly, I can no longer see how this is the world I originally grew up in. (Movies/kids shows)
I do think this is probably the best of the lot in an objective way but the weird jump to voodoo catgirls always gave me huge whiplash. Personally, I still think that, despite it's flaws, The Witch's Ghost is the most satisfying story of them all. I just can't say no to Tim Curry.
I first had the VHS tape in the summer of 2001, I was 5. Its dark and sinister atmosphere (cudos to the composer for that too) is spectacular. It is something bigger than a movie for kids. This masterpiece made me fall in love with the paranormal.
I remember finding this movie at a yard sell as a kid. It quickly became my favorite Scooby doo movie, honestly the whole time I was waiting for the mask to be pulled off
I remember watching this on the box television ever since I was in kindergarten. I remember the VHS tape and being excited to rewind it to rewatch it. This is the first time I watched and fell in love with Scooby Doo. This is one of the best and I love watching it every Halloween ever since. Happy Scoobtober!
I really wish we got more movies with this style/atmosphere, there was a few others too but it was so refreshing to see Scooby Doo of all things treat their audience with respect and maturity.
There was a slight fishing vest trend going on in men's wear in the 90s, especially for general outdoorsy types and paparazzi types, so Fred's fishing vest is on brand for the era and his profession.
I got back to watching this movie earlier this year. This movie is amazing and remembered being junked on this movie as a teen because of the art and music. Not to mention the story itself.😁 Animation is for everyone and I hope that anyone in the animation and art community gets more respect. Happy Halloween!🎃
Your series has been excellent, your analysis is astute and your vibes chill. You remind me of a friend of mine! That being said, Zombie Island is my favorite Scooby movie. I remember watching it when it premiered on my old rabbit ear television, I was 7 and hyped for it that October. Thanks for including the cartoon theatre bumpers, that was a hearty dose of nostalgia right there! It really is a shame corporate entities don't give creators total control over their projects. What happened with the Scooby-Doo series as well as countless other properties to this day is truly revolting. The team who made this obviously knew what they were doing, if only they had gotten to do more projects unhindered, especially following that "monsters are real" formula. They would have made some way better films, too, if it weren't for those meddling executives! Thanks for the Scoobtober, Kiki, it's been great. I hope you have an awesome Hallow's Eve!
Dang, I completely forgot this movie existed. Watching this video, some of these scenes were VAGUELY familiar to me but Cyber Chase on the other hand... That was my go-to when I was younger. Watching Kiki's breakdown of it the other day was very nostalgic.
Great cap to the your Scoob-tober series, and my favorite film of the four (same for many fans). Excited to see what you make next! Glad to hear you enjoyed editing these and improved in your speed. Happy Halloween!
I still have Vietnam flashbacks from the scene where Scooby and Shaggy are in that pit and the zombie pirate slowly and creepily forms itself then stalks towards them
Zombie island is definitely engraved into my Scooby Doo memory as the first one that you could feel the stakes rather than knowing how each episode would end. That one and the two to follow were, for me, the best animated Scooby Doo movies they have made to date.
This movie scared the shit out of me as a kid, yet I would watch it again and again. I always loved Scooby Doo, but this movie (and the Cyber Chase one) were special. My grandma had it on VHS and I had to steal it from her house when I was in high school because my aunt was getting rid of most of the VHS tapes lol.
This is the only Scooby Doo movie I had on dvd, and I watched so many times. I was more familiar and used to the designs and va’s of this movie than others iterations, which is definitely part of why I love it so much
I grew up watching scooby doo and growing up in the early 2000s was a great era for it. These movies and even the original show from the 60s was a core part of my childhood. I also really loved scooby doo meets the boo brothers.
Regarding those sped up Scooby Doo reruns, it's still something a few channels do today. CN Europe for example, still does it with American and Canadian cartoons so they can squeeze in more commercials. I've seen European broadcasts compared to the native episodes on streaming and yeah, there is still a noticeable change in speed and pitch. So if you really want to hear what the sped up Scooby Doo voices sounded like I'm sure you could find an example of a modern rerun. I think CN airs Scooby Doo for Halloween so there are possibly lots of example for not just the original series but the modern ones as well. I don't know where exact you'd find recordings of these European broadcasts but it's at least possible to record them today.
“scooby-doo do on zombie island” is a great example of the terrific things that can happen when creative people who are seasoned professionals in their industries are given free reign over their projects without corporate control. this will always been one of my favorite scooby-doo movies ever; always caught it on cartoon network whenever it played. i think i even recorded it onto VHS from the TV at one point… great times 😁
I've always been a huge Scooby Doo fan, growing up with reruns of the original and the older shows/movies. I remember when this movie came out and i couldn't watch it, I screamed and made my dad turn it off because the monsters being real was such a shock! I eventually tuned back in and have found these 4 movies are a core reason I look back with such fond memories. That, and Spooky Island 😂
Actual masterpiece, terrified me as a kid but it always had me coming back. I remember owning 3 scooby doo boxsets that played the theme song for what’s new scooby doo😢 better times fr
Great video! Looking forward to more of your content. Zombie is by far my favorite scooby-doo film to date. I wish they would go more in that direction with current films of the franchise. I definitely would love zombie island and alien invaders to be inspirations and directions for the future films. Zombie island was like mystery horror while alien invaders was like sci-fi mystery.
i’ve always held this movie in the highest regard and its nice to see someone else show equal esteem for it, and to highlight what it does right so eloquently with a bunch of tidbits i never knew about it 🤯
I gotta say your series of these videos have been really on point, I’m kind of a sad case when i can’t recall ever seeing Witch’s Ghost, having faint memories of Alien Invaders, and only remembering Cyber Chase (okay and Zombie Island, I’m not THAT sad of a case!) Anyways, seeing your videos has actually really helped me and not only that but it’s reminded me of how much this franchise means a lot personally, Scooby-Doo has been with me for a long time and was responsible for me wanting to get into filmmaking since I was 6 years old! Anyways I don’t mean to ramble on but I guess if I had to say anything more… I’d personally say we’re in for a future where we’ll be sold for exquisite head cheese when mice take over all political stuff. However, if I had to be forced to say some cheesy message of hope for all you youngsters like myself, follow what inspires you, no matter what. Okay I’ll go now, I’ve got other dimensions to visit byyyee!!!!
I love that you tried to apply "real world" voodoo practice to this movie. It works within the world of the movie and that's that. It is a different universe. Not our own.
I've been watching this movie as long as I can remember. Still my favorite. I wish they would do a Bluray restoration of it and the other 2 films. Only Cyber Chase got a bluray release because of it being digitally colored. Maybe they will some day.
Casey Kha-Sem, LOL. Damn I feel old as someone that grew up in the 80s and 90s. It's Casey Kay-Sum. I guess it doesn't matter, but it makes me feel super old, as he was the America's Top 40 guy for years.
Let's all agree right now we are just pretend this movie never had a sequel. Seriously Return To Zombie Island deserves to be burned and buried never to be mentioned again.
