As soon as I stepped foot onto the sprawling, sun-soaked campus of Warner Bros. entertainment, saw tourists mulling about and employees breaking for coffee by the fountain, I knew I was in for a treat.
After spotting the mystery machine outside (placed for this event), we all were ushered inside and upstairs and all the glitz and glamour disappeared into an intimate environment. After grabbing cups of coffee and ogling at the glossy spreads of animated stills from SCOOB! that were plastered in our conference room, everyone settled in to hear Tony Cervone (Space Jam, Tom and Jerry, and now SCOOB!) discuss the creative process for his upcoming animated film.
To set the stage for what we were about to see, Cervone entered the room and announced, “This is the greatest Scooby-Doo animation ever.” SCOOB! is a story about the origin of everyone’s favorite mystery-busting gang, from how Shaggy and Scooby met as kids to how the group started their adventures. According to Tony, it’s meant to “fill in the blanks” about “how their friendship formed” and the centerfold mystery is “about how that friendship gets challenged.” Cervone discussed with us the challenges of creating a new story about a decades-old cult favorite, with die-hard fans who can be hard to impress: “You have to give the audiences what they want,” meaning Scooby-Doo icons like Scooby Snacks, the Mystery Machine, and familiar storyline structure, “but that can’t be the only thing you give them, or they’ll be bored.” Some of these new elements the filmmakers introduced are slightly more developed characters (after all, they’re in a different life stage during the movie), relationship dynamics, PLENTY of easter eggs (over 100)… and the rest, you’ll have to watch the movie to discover!
LA residents past and present rejoice: SCOOB! is a film carefully crafted to “represent Los Angeles, and the spirit of California” through vividly detailed scenery and familiar characters and places people will recognize on screen. We got to see a gorgeous opening shot from the movie, panning all across the world-famous Venice Beach, that will fill anyone with pride for our city. To recreate these classic spots, Cervone “relied heavily on google images” to get them juuuuust right. By “blending modern music and technology with classic scenery and Scooby Doo icons” Cervone hopes the film will be “multi-generational.”
After seeing many unfinished clips from the movie, Tony shared a little bit with us about casting. This film has been “five years in the making” and apparently Gina Rodriguez, the voice of Velma and a household name thanks to Jane the Virgin, was “on board since the beginning.” Another fan favorite, Zac Efron, was chosen for his ability to bring Fred’s earnest, naive personality to life and make it believable and endearing.
We learn so many exciting details about Warner Brothers’ upcoming movie, SCOOB!, and we can’t wait to see it in theaters on May 15th, 2020! Check out the latest trailer, just released today, here.