Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo is the fourteenth in a series of direct-to-video films based upon Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It was released on DVD on February 16, 2010.
Premise[]
The gang go on a trip to check on Madelyn, Velma's younger sister, at Whirlen Merlin's Academy of Magic, where there has been some trouble - a giant gryphon has scared the students away.
Synopsis[]
After wrapping up their latest mystery of the chemical creep, Velma gets a call from her mother asking that she check on her younger sister Madelyn, who attends a college for magicians. The gang head off to the Whirlen Merlin Magic Academy, located in an old Irish castle. They meet the owner, Whirlen Merlin, along with his brother Marlen, who acts as cook and butler, and Crystal, Whirlen's former stage assistant. Fred is smitten, to Daphne's irritation. The gang learns that a giant gryphon has been scaring away the students and staff.
After dinner, Velma, Daphne, and Fred are talking in the hall, when Daphne comments on his attraction to Crystal. Fred explains that she is so graceful, then he and Velma make fun of Daphne's klutziness.
Later that evening, Madelyn, who has had a crush on Shaggy for years, takes him on a romantic walk to in the gardens and show him an ancient sun-dial. Madelyn explains that the gryphon was meant to protect the school, but then the gryphon chases them from the garden. A student takes a picture of the gryphon, which appears on the morning newspaper. The rest of the students leave, so the gang starts taking classes themselves. Meanwhile, Calvin Curdles, a powerful vegetable ice-cream guru, continually offers to buy Whirlen's castle from him. The gang promises to investigate to see if Curdles is behind the Gryphon, so he tells Amos to call if he hears anything new.
Velma finds Daphne practicing ballet so she can be more graceful and capture Fred's attention. The two then stumble on a secret passageway leading to the attic of the school, where they discover (through an old scrapbook) that Alma Rumblebuns, the school's head maid, used to date Calvin Curdles. Meanwhile, Jack and Midna discover the special effects room of the castle, where they are discovered by Ms. Rumblebuns and knock over some chemicals, creating a fog. The room is revealed as Marlen's private laboratory, where he creates holograms and puppets for Whirlen's show. Madelyn then finds a book about the ancient staff of O'Flannery, which is said to control the gryphon. The gang finds the staff in O'Flannery's grave, but are chased away by a Banshee and narrowly escape.
Afterwards, Shaggy and Madelyn sit down and talk, and Shaggy discovers that he likes Madelyn just as much. Not long after, the gryphon chases them again. As the gang runs to the castle, Shaggy and Madelyn bump into Amos and misplace the staff. When Madelyn runs outside to recover the staff, she is kidnapped by the gryphon and taken to its Roost, an ancient dilapidated tower. Meanwhile, the gang finds out that Amos has been secretly working for Calvin Curdles to try to get Whirlen to sell the castle. Amos calls Curdles to the castle while the gang goes after Madelyn, and Curdles tries to convince Whirlen to sign over the castle. Whirlen almost does so, but the gang suggests that they wait before the deal is signed, still believing that Curdles is behind the entire thing. They get into the tower with the spear, which is a key, and they rescue Madelyn. Everybody rushes outside including Curdles. The gryphon crashes to the ground, where they discover that it is a giant puppet, controlled from a blimp hidden by a fog machine run by Whirlen's brother Marlin. He had discovered that Lord O'Flannery had devises hidden in the Gryphon's Roost, hoping it would make everyone think a monster lived there. Marlin used the devices to scare trespassers away. He was also behind the banshee, which was only a hologram.
Tired of doing the work but getting none of the credit, Marlen decided to use his puppets and illusions to become a famous magician himself, but he needed money and the only way to get some was to get Whirlen to sell the castle.
So Marlin had his gryphon puppet scare everyone away. He apologizes for trying to make Whirlen fail, knowing how much the school meant to him. Not wanting to take away his dream. Whirlen forgives Marlin, and all is well. Velma reveals that Amos found Marlon rebuilding the Gryphon and told Curdles about it. Curdles reveals he wanted to buy the castle to win back Alma's heart after having left her years before in order to make something of himself. He instead got distracted by the money from his vegetable and meat ice cream cones. Alma accepts him back and they become a couple again. They also find the staff hidden in the deflated blimp. It pierced the blimp when Shaggy threw the staff at the gryphon and missed it.
The Merlin brothers decide to make Madelyn their apprentice and soon after Calvin Curdles sponsors the reopening of the Merlin Brothers' Academy of Magic, where Madelyn performs with Daphne acting as her assistant. In one of the tricks she appears in the seat next to Fred and gently teases him, causing Fred to see her in an all new light. Scooby 'tames' a lion; which is actually the real Scooby controlling a puppet Scooby, which tames the lion.
End credits[]
While alone, the Mystery Machine "talks to some kids": "You kids are still watching? Well, the mystery's over! Now move on with your lives! Hahahahahahahahaha...(cough) I need oil."
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Madelyn Dinkley (only appearance)
- Whirlen Merlin (only appearance)
- Crystal (only appearance)
- Alma Rumblebuns (only appearance)
Villains:
- Gryphon (only appearance)(no lines)(Marlon Merlin's disguise)
- Marlon Merlin (only appearance)(redeemed)
- Amos (only appearance)(redeemed)
- Calvin Curdles (only appearance)(redeemed)
- Banshee (only appearance)(projection)
- Chemical Creep (only appearance)(no lines)(Ms. Thelmer's disguise)
- Ms. Thelmer (only appearance)
Other characters:
- Owl (only appearance)(no lines)
- Sherman (only appearance)
- Treena (only appearance)
- Sheriff (only appearance)
- Mrs. Dinkley (mentioned)
- Seamus O'Flannery (only appearance)(no lines)(flashback only)
- Vernon (only appearance)(no lines)
- Darte (only appearance)(picture)
- Harry Houdini (picture)(cameo)
- Miscellaneous students (only appearance)(no lines)
- Blonde female student (only appearance)
- Maxwell (only appearance)
- Castle Cone dancers (only appearance)
- Assistant director (only appearance)
- Cameramen (only appearance)(no lines)
- Blonde female student's father (mentioned)
- Maxwell's mother (only appearance)
Locations[]
- United States
- Karloff Chemical Company
- The Burger Binge (mentioned)
- Whirlen Merlin's Academy of Magic/Merlin Brothers Academy of Magic
- Shadow Lake
- Seamus O'Flannery's tomb
- Ireland (mentioned)
- Paris (mentioned)
Objects[]
- Treena's flashlight
- Sherman's flashlight
- Sherman's binoculars
- G.P.S.
- Fish bowl
- Unicycle
- Scooby Snacks
- Whipped cream
- Cherry
- Pickles
- Pizza
- Acme Gazette
- Umbrella
- Bucket
- Corn dogs
- Cone Castle Cones
- Padlock
- Magic explosives
- Seamus O'Flannery's staff
- Gang's flashlights
- Lanterns
- Handcuffs
- Seamus O'Flannery's skeleton
- Life-size Scooby puppet
Vehicles[]
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/Reason |
|---|---|
| Calvin Curdles | He wanted to buy Whirlen Merlin's castle to win Alma back. |
| Amos | He was a spy for Calvin Curdles. He was the only one who went outside at night. |
| Alma Rumblebuns | She said the Gryphon came back to restore the castle to the way it should be. |
| Crystal | She trained animals such as the Gryphon. |
| Marlon Merlin | He was jealous that he did all the work but never got any credit for it. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/Reason |
|---|---|
| Opening case | |
| Ms. Thelmer as the Chemical Creep | Trying to steal secret formulas from the Karloff Chemical. |
| Main case | |
| Marlon Merlin operating the Gryphon | Wanted to start his own magic act. |
Cast[]
| Frank Welker | Scooby-Doo Fred Jones Gryphon Crystal's lion |
|---|---|
| Matthew Lillard | Shaggy Rogers Maxwell Assistant Director |
| Grey DeLisle | Daphne Blake Ms. Thelmer Banshee Blonde female student Castle Cone dancers |
| Mindy Cohn | Velma Dinkley Castle Cone dancers |
| Dave Attell | G.P.S. |
| Dee Bradley Baker | Sherman |
| Melique Berger | Maxwell's mother |
| John DiMaggio | Amos |
| Olivia Hack | Treena |
| Danica McKellar | Madelyn Dinkley Castle Cone dancers |
| Diane Delano | Alma Rumblebuns |
| Brian Posehn | Marlon Merlin |
| Crystal Scales | Crystal Castle Cone dancers |
| John Stephenson | Sheriff |
| James Patrick Stuart | Whirlen Merlin |
| Jeffrey Tambor | Calvin Curdles |
Songs[]
- Main article(s): Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo: Music from the Original Movie
| Song | Credits | Performed by |
|---|---|---|
| "Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo" | Music and lyrics by Joey Levine Produced by John Squicciarino |
Just For Laughs |
| "Magic" | ||
| "Tomorrow" |
Production[]
Notes/Trivia[]
- The animation style has been changed, blending both their original Iwao Takamoto designs (including flesh colored sclera) and the early direct-to-video films, with darker three-dimensional shading. Although on the cover art, they are drawn in their WNSD-style.
- Beginning with this movie, the gang goes back to wearing their original outfits as seen on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! They had also previously worn said outfits in the fifth and sixth DTVs, Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico, respectively. Titles produced from then until this one had the gang wearing the same outfits as they did on What's New, Scooby-Doo?
- In the trailer there's a scene from Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster.
- Casey Kasem retired in 2009, with Matthew Lillard succeeding him as the voice of Shaggy, who had previously played the live-action counterpart in Scooby-Doo: The Movie and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
- The art style for the opening credits of this film, as well as Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare and Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur was originally intended for a whole unmade series, but when that didn't go through, it got used as the animation style for the opening credits of the aforementioned films.
- The Dinkley sisters' voice actresses were teen stars in 80s sitcoms. Mindy Cohn (Velma) played Natalie Green in The Facts of Life 1979-1988 and Danica McKellar (Madelyn) played Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years 1988-1993.
- This is the first direct-to-video film since Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders to have a tie-in soundtrack (albeit digitally).
- The Mystery Machine's license plate number is "145 343". This isn't the first time at this attempt, as it was "SCOOBY" in the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (second series) episode Scooby and the Bandit.
- The Mystery Machine breaks the fourth wall at the end credits (via its self-aware G.P.S.), by telling the viewers to get lost and that it needs oil.
- This was John Stephenson's final voice-acting role, as well as his only appearance in a DTV film. He died five years later after succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease.
- This was also the final film to be released during Pat Stevens' lifetime, who died three months later on May 26, 2010, after a long battle with breast cancer.
- During the opening credits, Shaggy can be seen dancing the same way he would dance during some chase scenes of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.
- When they were driving to the school, Daphne and Velma were reading about Seamus. When Daphne said he was practicing dark magic and Shaggy and Scooby said it was "reepy" (creepy), Velma fell into Scooby's dialect and said "It gets reepier".
Cultural references[]
- When Shaggy & Scooby accidentally throw all the magic explosives at Ms. Rumblebuns, she holds up a sign that reads "Ouch!", in a similar fashion to Wile E. Coyote from the Looney Tunes shorts.
- When the Mystery Machine jumps a gorge, the power jump sound effect resembles the Mach5 from the 1967 Japanese animated series Mahha GoGoGo, AKA Speed Racer.
- When the gang is confronted on the bridge, Shaggy shouts, "Like, you shall not pass, man!" and stomps the staff down, a reference to Gandalf in Lord of the Rings Volume 1.
- The people referred to when Shaggy said "I totally command you by the powers of Houdini, The Wizard of Oz, and, um, the English kid with the glasses, to put us down", before he threw the staff are well-known magician Harry Houdini, the Wizard of Oz, and Harry Potter.
- The monolith riddle seems to draw from the stone pillar scene in The Fifth Element.
Adaptations[]
- Warner Bros. released an online game around the same time called Scooby-Doo!'s Magic Mystery Mansion.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- None known.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- Ethan Spaulding, Ted Blackman, and Eric Semones are listed in the opening and closing credits with identical credits.
- In the brochure for the academy, Seamus is misspelled "Semus."
- The opening song is named after the film yet uses different punctuation, appearing as "Scooby-Doo: Abracadabra-Doo!", instead.
- Amos tells the gang that the banshee's cry curses anyone who hears it to certain death. This is not the traditional story of the banshee. The banshee's cry means that someone is going to die, but it is only the messenger, not the cause of death.
- Though he may have said this simply to scare them away as per Calvin Curdles' plan.
- When pushing the stones on the floor of the chamber, Velma pushed a stone with the same pattern on it as one already pushed by Fred. This is despite each of the pillars having a different pattern on them - one square, one circle and one with four lines pointed inwards - the pattern both Fred and Velma pushed.
- In spite of his statement that he "never wanted to hurt anyone", Marlon put Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and Madelyn in extreme danger by dangling them from a rope of tied-together sheets high in the air. Any of them could have dropped from the rope and fallen to their death. He didn't seem to make any effort to set them down until he was forced to do so after his balloon was damaged.
- The banshee's dress was strapless in her attractive form, but long sleeves were added once she transformed into her ugly form.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| French | Scooby-Doo: Abracadabra | Scooby-Doo: Abracadabra |
| Italian | Scooby Doo Abracadabra Doo | Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo |
| Polish | Scooby Doo: Abrakadabra-Doo | |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Scooby Doo! Abracadabra-Doo | |
| Russian | Скуби-Ду! Абракадабра-Ду | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | ¡Abracadabra, Scooby-Doo! | Abracadabra, Scooby-Doo! |
| Greek | Ο Σκούμπι-Ντου στην Ακαδημία του Αμπρακατάμπρα | Scooby-Doo in the Academy of Abracadabra |
Home media[]
Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo DVD released by Warner Home Video on February 16, 2010.- Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo DVD released by Warner Home Video on June 30, 2010.
Quotes[]
Shaggy: We have to build up our energy in case we see that creepy gryphon again. Like, who can run away on an empty stomach? |
Velma: The guests of honor almost outnumber the students. |
Madelyn Good thinking Shaggy! |
Velma: Jinkies! Isn't that Miss Rumblebuns? |
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Merchandise[]
External links[]
- Buy from Amazon Video (US)