Matthew Turner | On 28, Nov 2021

Director: Jake Castorena
Cast: Diedrich Bader, Matthew Lillard, Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Kate Micucci, John Michael Higgins, John DiMaggio, Nika Futterman
Certificate: PG
Where to watch Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold online in the UK: Sky Cinema / NOW / Apple (iTunes) / Rakuten TV / Google Play / Sky Store / CHILI

On Sunday mornings, we like to watch cartoons. So we’re working our way through DC’s animated superhero collection . We call it Superhero Sundays.

Seven years after DC’s excellent Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series ended in 2011, that particular version of the Caped Crusader was brought out of retirement for this 2018 team-up with the Scooby gang. Superbly voiced and frequently funny, it’s a highly entertaining crossover movie that should delight fans of both shows.

The plot begins with Batman (Diedrich Bader) secretly giving the Scooby Gang – Fred (Frank Welker), Daphne (Grey Griffin), Velma (Kate Micucci), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) – a fake case to solve, after which they are officially inducted into the Mystery Analysts of Gotham, alongside Batman and various other mystery-solving Bat-friends, such as The Question (Jeffrey Combs), Martian Manhunter (Nicholas Guest) and Detective Chimp (Kevin Michael Richardson).

The timing is fortuitous, because Batman is being haunted by his only unsolved case, in the form of a ghostly new villain called the Crimson Cloak (John DiMaggio). However, their investigation hits a snag when the Scooby Gang and Batman are both framed for instigating a break-out at Arkham Asylum.

The script, by George Giacoppo, gives equal weight to both the Scooby Gang (in their 30th movie appearance) and Batman, ensuring that both crossover bases are well catered for. With that in mind, the opening credits for the movie are a nice touch, replicating the Batman: The Brave and the Bold credits sequence, but adding in Scooby and the gang.

More importantly, the script is genuinely funny, showcasing a variety of different jokes, from standard Scooby gags (eg. Scooby and Shaggy stealing food from Arkham Asylum’s cafeteria) to sharp witted one-liners and the occasional knowing dig at both properties, such as Aquaman (John DiMaggio) asking a gloomy Batman if he lost another Robin, or Detective Bullock (Fred Tatasciore) dismissing the Scooby gang as hippies and describing the Mystery Machine as “your gang’s little flower power van”.

The script also has some fun with language, adopting a spot of alliteration in the style of the 1960s Batman TV series. Notable highlights include “felonious phantom” and “perfidious poltergeist”.

The animation style is gorgeous throughout. Batman: The Brave and the Bold was much more traditionally cartoon-like than some of the other Batman shows, with an emphasis on bright colours and clear lines, so the Scooby characters fit right in without the different styles jarring at all.

On top of that, there are a handful of nice little touches in the animation, whether it’s Plastic Man (Tom Kenny) briefly morphing into the Warner Bros Wolf when he’s eyeing up Daphne, or Batman’s costume resembling his early appearances (tall pointy ears) during the flashback sequence with his unsolved case.

The key appeal of the film is having the crossover characters interact not just with each other, but with the familiar elements from each other’s shows too. To that end, there are a number of fun moments, ranging from Batman trying to direct Scooby while he’s driving the Mystery Machine, to Velma’s glee at getting to see the Batcave, to Fred having a crush on Black Canary (she nick-names him “Ascot”), before the final payoff where the Scooby Gang all don sidekick costumes from the Batcave to save the day. That works surprisingly well: Fred is Batman, Velma is Robin, Shaggy is Nightwing, Scooby is Ace the Bat-hound and Daphne is Batgirl.

The voice work is exceptional, particularly with the main cast, who do a great job of making the Scooby Gang sound exactly as you remember them from childhood. There’s also great comic work from John DiMaggio as pompous, scene-stealing Aquaman (“Outrageous!”) and yet another nice touch in that Tom Kenny’s Penguin sounds exactly like Burgess Meredith in the 1960s Batman show.

It’s also worth noting that the film really captures the thrill of mystery-solving in the first place, giving both the Mystery Gang and Batman an actual case to solve, with real clues. Here’s a tip, if you want to play along at home: brush up on your anagram skills.

 

Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold is available on Sky Cinema. Don’t have Sky? You can also stream it on NOW, as part of an £11.99 NOW Cinema Membership subscription. For the latest Sky TV packages and prices, click the button below.

 

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