Board Thread:Movie discussions/@comment-252417-20181020105945/@comment-11461452-20200203140950

I'd like to start this review off by saying this:

This Scooby-Doo special is awesome!

If director Victor Cook and writer Michael F. Ryan's mission was to capture the spirit of the franchise while incorporating their own creative flair at the same time, they definitely accomplished that. The Sinister Snowman does turn out to be fake in the long run, but Cook and Ryan gave such a terrific sense of unpredictability and surprise to the episode that one could hardly tell at first. What's more, this special has a great balance of genuine thrills and humor, and there's an intrigue about it that's strong enough to get viewers instantly hooked.

The animation of this special was fun to see too. Aided by what was most likely a small team of animators, Cook replicated the distinct style of the classic Scooby-Doo installments while even upgrading it with modern technology to be all-the-more appealing. Admittedly, it was easy to tell that the statues of the toy store's clock tower were done by computer, but that's okay. I didn't think that it was that big of a problem.

The voice acting, dialogue, and characters were outstanding too. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the Mystery Inc. gang were able to retain their personalities, as well as why we all love them so much. It was also fun to see their voice artists really throw themselves into theirs parts with astounding commitment and passion.

On the subject of Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, I think we can all agree that he's definitely no Casey Kasem. However, he did a great job at capturing the spirit originated by Kasem while making the character his own, and his portrayal translated so well into Shaggy even more than in the live-action "Scooby-Doo" film I previously reviewed. He brings a great sense of youth to the character too.

Finally, the music that was composed by Robert J. Kral was melodious. He brought to music a perfect sense of Christmas spirit, as well as aided the special in making the tone entertaining.

In conclusion, "Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays" is one of the best modern installments of the Scooby-Doo franchise, and I'm proud to be starting my "Christmas Craze" series off by reviewing it.

So, I rate "Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays" five out of five stars.