The 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo movie had a great villain twist, and it was the perfect response to a decades-long complaint about the franchise and one specific character. Since 1969, Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang have been solving all types of spooky mysteries, with their very peculiar sense of humor. After many animated movies, Scooby-Doo and his friends finally made the jump to the big screen with a live-action movie. Simply titled Scooby-Doo, the movie was directed by Raja Gosnell and written by James Gunn, and it starred some of the most popular actors of the 2000s.
Scooby-Doo sees the Mystery Inc. gang reuniting two years after parting ways, as they are hired by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) to solve a mystery at Spooky Island, his horror-themed tropical resort. Mondavarious explains that the guests, all of them teenagers and young adults, have fallen under a demonic curse, and only Scooby and the gang can solve this mystery. Scooby-Doo has an unexpected villain twist, which, even though it has been heavily criticized, was the perfect response to a decades-long franchise complaint.
Scooby-Doo’s Scrappy Villain Twist Was A Response To The Character’s Bad Reputation
Scrappy-Doo Isn’t A Beloved Character
Scooby and friends end up finding out that someone at Spooky Island is taking the souls of the guests and keeping them in a vat, but the demons need one pure soul to sacrifice for their world-domination ritual to be successful – and that pure soul is Scooby’s. Mondavarious’ plan all along was to use Scooby for his ritual, so the Mystery Inc. gang put their differences aside and team up to save their friend. However, what no one is counting on, is Mondavarious actually being Scooby’s nephew, Scrappy-Doo, in disguise.
According to Raja Gosnell, religious people who saw an early screening of
Scooby-Doo
pushed for the word “soul” to be removed, and so they changed it to “protoplasm”.
Although the ritual is stopped by the gang, Scrappy still absorbs some of the souls of the guests and transforms into an enormous monster, and tries to kill his uncle and friends. The souls are eventually freed and Scrappy returns to normal, and at the end of Scooby-Doo, he’s arrested and the real Mondavarious is rescued. Adding Scrappy-Doo to Scooby-Doo wasn’t exactly a nostalgia move from Gosnell and Gunn and was, instead, a response to the well-known collective hate for the character.
Speaking to EW to share some secrets about the making of Scooby-Doo, Gosnell opened up about the decision to make Scrappy the real villain. Gosnell shared that Scrappy “ruined the series”, and during a brainstorm with Gunn where they were trying to figure out the movie’s final twist, they agreed to use Scrappy given his terrible reputation and how hated he is among most Scooby-Doo fans.
Scooby-Doo 2002 Originally Had A Different (& Worse) Ending
Scooby-Doo’s Ending Could Have Been A Lot Messier
Scooby-Doo’s Scrappy twist has been applauded by those who hate the character, but that wasn’t the original ending for the movie. According to Gosnell, the original Scooby-Doo ending included a villain that would have come down from the sky and used the ultimate power to rule the world. While this would have explained why the souls of the guests were being connected, it would have introduced a villain completely separate from the main characters and with no clear origin.
The Scooby-Doo franchise tends to abide by a strict set of rules when telling its stories, but the 2002 live-action adaptation strayed from the path.
Another ending involved the Luna Ghost/Old Man Smithers, who is caught by the gang at the beginning of the movie (on their last mission together before parting ways). However, having him back would have been repetitive and confusing, and there was nothing that linked him to Spooky Island, Mondavarious, and the ritual, so it wouldn’t have made sense. Ultimately, and while it was a shocking and controversial move for some, Scrappy being the real villain in Scooby-Doo improved the ending.
Why Scrappy-Doo Is So Hated By Scooby-Doo Fans
Scrappy Doo Has A Terrible Reputation
Scrappy Doo made his first appearance in 1979, and he was created to save the show’s ratings. While viewers at first reacted positively to Scrappy and ratings went up, thus saving the show, Scrappy ended up becoming one of the most hated cartoon characters ever. Scrappy appealed to younger viewers, and that generation might not have a problem with him even today, but for most viewers, Scrappy’s over-the-top, chaotic, and annoying personality was too much. The writers of the Scooby-Doo franchise eventually used Scrappy’s bad reputation and the audience’s reaction in their favor, turning Scrappy into an antagonist.
Scrappy being the real villain in Scooby-Doo was fitting in terms of how much he hated the Mystery Inc. gang and how much they hated him, but also how disliked he is among Scooby-Doo fans. Seeing Scrappy being arrested at the end of Scooby-Doo was a satisfying moment for those who hate him, and it was a brilliant response to all the hate he has gotten.
Source: EW.
Scooby-Doo is a 2002 film that reimagines the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini, the movie follows Mystery Inc. as they reunite to solve a puzzling supernatural mystery at Spooky Island. Directed by Raja Gosnell, the film combines live-action and CGI to bring the iconic characters and their comedic escapades to life.
Director Raja Gosnell
Release Date June 14, 2002
Cast Freddie Prinze Jr. , Sarah Michelle Gellar , matthew lillard , Linda Cardellini , Rowan Atkinson , Isla Fisher , Miguel A. Núñez Jr. , Steven Grives
Custom image by Ana Nieves.
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