BE COLD, SCOOBY-DOO! is the best iteration of the franchise

I know what you’re all thinking based on my title alone, and yes, I’m serious when I say I think Be cool, Scooby-Doo! is the best version of Scooby Doo and Mystery Incorporated. I previously took a short moment to share how much I love this show. Before I go too far though, I want to remind you that this is my personal opinion, and you may feel differently and that’s okay. Please share in the comments what you think is best Scooby Doo show is and why you are right.

Be cool was first presented in 2015 on Cartoon Network and was the twelfth edition of the Scooby Doo series. Like most other iterations, Be cool follows Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo as they travel the world in the Mystery Machine and solve mysteries. The voice cast includes Frank Weker like Fred and Scooby, Gray De Lisle like Daphne, Kate Micucci like Velma, and Matteo Lillard like Shaggy. The series ran for two seasons of 26 episodes, each split into two smaller halves. Character models are based on the original Scooby-Doo, where are you! even if they are drawn and animated in a more modern way.

I’m sure many of you have looked at the photos of Be cool and immediately canceled. In the beginning I was like that too. I didn’t like the artistic style of the characters. However, I have come to really appreciate it. That helps too Be cool was created to be a lighthearted and funnier entry in the franchise. Indeed, the humorous tone calls for this kind of bright animation style and a silly character design. Try to imagine the designs of any other version of Scooby Doo take out the piece from “Do Not Disturb” on the letter “s”. It does not work. Again, this will turn some people off, especially since its immediate predecessor was Embedded Mystery which is often praised for the dark and complex turn it has taken and rightfully so. Embedded Mystery it’s really well done for the most part. However, I still think To be Freddo it’s better.

The first episode is “Mystery 101”, written by Jon Colton Barry and directed by Shaunt Nigoghossian. It’s one of the most perfect first episodes I’ve ever seen. It immediately introduces you to everything about the show. You learn the representations of each of the characters, listen to killer music, see how they use classic villains like Elias Kingston’s ghost, see the dynamics of the group, get quickly introduced to fabulous humor and more. It also has my favorite Daphne oddity: puppets!

Here is a quick breakdown of the characters Be cool, Fred is obsessed with solving mysteries. It’s just who he is. Instead of solving mysteries because it’s convenient, this Fred lives to solve them and in many ways he is really the main character in the series. He is the driving force behind the band and Velma describes him perfectly in a moment of “Screama Donna” when she explains the purpose a drummer serves for a band. He is the engine, he keeps everyone on time and is the foundation of the band. Daphne has a different weirdness in each episode which is usually a form of comic relief, but somehow she always helps the gang in some way as she solves the mystery. Velma is the walking encyclopedia. Shaggy and Scooby are comedians, bait and obsessed with food. As I mentioned, Fred is the main character in many ways, but each member of the gang manages to shine multiple times throughout the series. They aren’t limited to a single episode of glory.

One of the great things about Be cool is that throughout the series, we know Mystery Incorporated’s personalities and interests beyond the aforementioned stereotypical roles. For example, Daphne can fly planes! Velma was addicted to video games. They like the musician Bones Malone. Oh, and they have internal squabbles like in “Mystery 101” when they all get mad at each other. We can see them just being friends, perhaps better than any other adaptation. All the romantic subplots are dropped although there are a few things here and there in the occasional episode, but it doesn’t actually get reported and is never among the gang members.

I’ve mentioned this next one before and if you follow me on Twitter you’ll see me mention it every now and then. The music is absolutely amazing! Warner Bros., if you are reading this, PLEASE RELEASE A SOUNDTRACK WITH ALL SONGS! I WILL BUY IT! The music is a bit varied, but it mostly falls into the veins of alternative rock / indie rock. The intro song is great too! Check out some of these samples.

Be cool he does not shirk his inheritance. A number of villains in the series come from older entries in the franchise, but it brings some excellent new villains like Dorsal Foot, The Spirit of El Bandito, and Professor Huh. The latter is particularly brilliant and I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s the only two-part episode and it’s done incredibly well. There is an advantage that you don’t realize is an advantage. It’s so intense and so tight that I have to give the hat to Barry, James Krenzke, Ron RubioAnd Kyle Stafford to do it. While there are a couple of shorter episodes after these episodes, they are considered the series finale and just as “Mystery 101” is a perfect start, this ending is a perfect ending. My biggest complaint about it Embedded Mystery it was that the ending fell apart in my opinion and lost its way. It is not so Be cool.

If you have HBO Max or Boomerang, I highly recommend you check it out Be cool, Scooby-Doo!. It is a brilliant series that brings a lot of laughs with a lot of heart. The vocal cast is absolutely phenomenal, the characters are familiar with some new changes and deserves all the love. Sadly, you can only buy the first season on DVD and even then it’s hard to find a copy of the second half of the season in the US (thanks to region blocks!). If I could have anything for the holidays from Warner Bros., it would be that they release Be cool, Scooby-Doo! on DVD / Blu-ray as a complete set and release a soundtrack with all the music!