Scooby-Doo (PG, 2002)

common sense media says

Too scary for most kids, too dumb for most teens.


parents & educators say
  • 58% say violence is an issue
  • 58% say sexual content is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie has more intense, scary special effects than you'll find in the cartoon Scooby-Doo features. The characters are in frequent peril, though no one gets hurt. There is some drug humor (as "Pass the Dutchie" plays on the soundtrack, what appears to be marijuana smoke turns out to be something else) and some vulgar jokes and graphic bathroom humor. The girls wear very skimpy clothes.

Positive messages: Friendship and teamwork are less important here
than in other Scooby-Doo features, as the gang tries to salvage their team
dynamic; but their efforts are overshadowed by strange zombies and a
madman's attempt at mind control. The action takes place on an
island alongside partying college kids. These peers are more serious
partiers than seen in any previous Scooby-Doo features -- and Velma getting
drunk raises a big flag.
Positive role models: Since most of the characters in this movie are college age, expect
activities like drinking, partying, the cruising of "chicks," and said
chicks wearing tight clothes. Also watch out for a prolonged scene
where Scooby and Shaggy have a belching and farting contest. Fred is painted as a womanizer, Daphne as materialistic.
Violence: Lots of toothsome, scary faces, zombies, evil men in charge of teens on an island. Lizard monsters and zombies chasing the gang, even inhabiting the bodies of Velma, Fred, and Daphne.
Sex: Fred is transferred into Daphne's body and says, "Hey! Now I can look at myself in the mirror!" Fred and Daphne kiss. Plenty of short skirts and tight tops that don't leave much to the imagination. Fred fashions himself as a womanizer and includes Pamela Anderson as one of his admirers -- though he does admit to Velma that "I'm a man of substance; dork chicks like you turn me on, too."
Language: Besides "zoinks" and "jinkies," there are little slips, like "beeatch," booty, "your mom eats cat poop," and for the French speakers out there: "Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, c'est soir."
Consumerism: The consumption of food is the devoted past time of Shaggy and Scooby. Daphne is materialistic, carrying seven matching bags onto the plane. Telemundo is mentioned, so is NASA.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: It is obvious that Shaggy is into pot, by the way the song "Pass the Dutchie on the Left Hand Side" plays while smoke rises from his van. But wait, they are just grilling some eggplant burgers in there. Sure. And Shaggy's love interest is named Mary Jane. "Mary Jane is my favorite name," he says dreamily. Velma gets drunk at a bar on a tiki drink.

More on Scooby-Doo

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about why the friends broke up and why they got back together.
  • They might also want to talk about what has made Scooby and his pals so enduringly popular over the years. Which version of the show do you like best?

What's the story?

What's the story?
The Mystery Machine crew has just discovered the secret of the ghost who captured Daphne (it's a man in a mask!), when their egos collide and they decide to go their separate ways. Two years later, they find out that each of them has been hired by Mr. Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson), whose Spooky Island theme park is a little spookier than he had in mind. Fred, Velma, and Daphne try to solve the mystery on their own, but find that they have to work together to find…well, this time it's not a man in a mask, exactly.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
By trying to reach younger and older audiences, this movie ends up somewhere between a live-action cartoon that is much too scary for most kids and Saturday Night Live sketch that goes on too long for most teens.

The young stars have the voices down perfectly and do the best they can to bring the characters to life, but that only emphasizes how sketchy and shallow the cartoon characterization really is. Freddie Prinze, Jr., who will hopefully someday find a movie that will show off his considerable talent, has his best moments when Fred becomes something like a hip-hop zombie. And as Shaggy, Matthew Lillard is at his best anytime he isn't challenging Scooby to a flatulence and burping contest.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Raja Gosnell
Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Linda Cardellini, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 86 minutes
Theatrical release: June 14, 2002
DVD release: October 11, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: some rude humor, language and some scary action.

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

10
Based on 12 parent & educator reviews:
  • 58% say violence is an issue
  • 58% say sexual content is an issue
  • 33% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

 
PG-13 should be
totally PG-13 both of the films they're good

Chrihddjason
kid, 12 years old
 
Scooby-Doo Review
Rating: OFF 2+ for violence, adult content, language, consumerism, drugs, messages and role models "no kids under 2.5 may watch this"

Frylock
teen, 14 years old
 
Shaggy.
Not the best Scooby, but it works. Pretty adult.

KidWhoReviewsStuff
kid, 13 years old
 
Scooby-Dumb not Scooby-Doo
A horrifyingly bad Scooby-Doo movie. Rude humor, some scary scenes (for young viewers). It's idiotic, unfunny and a real mess alongside awful acting.

 
Disgusting, Yet Good!
Although I don't recommend this movie for those under ten, this movie is a great watch! The part when Scrappy urinates on Daphne cracks me up every time!

Sunset reader
kid, 11 years old
 
just bad
A reason why scobby doo is losing poupularity,rude,crude,volient a awful script , a horendous and cliched script and plot and some truly chessy acting

MarioMii
teen, 15 years old
 
This movie is rated off for younger kids
It was pretty scary at a hotel because monsters came in. Some characters traded voices with each other and that was so weird. A man's skin on his head got pulled off and looked like an ugly robot afterwards. Scrappy-Doo peed on another character and that was so groce. When he characters were in the plane, there was some punching going on. This movie was dumb and scary.

giantpanda12
kid, 12 years old
 
Good movie
I think its good movie buts its not appriote for young viewers when they whick bodies.

MonicaMom
parent of 5 and 10 year old
 
It seems like other raters including CommonSense Media didn't actually watch the movie! I only saw the last half, maybe less, and it was awful. It was scary and violent for young children, but to me that wasn't the worst part. Many girls were dressed in very skimpy clothes (extremely short shorts, lots of cleavage showing, etc.). After reading the CommonSense Media rating, I let my 8-year-old daughter watch the movie with her father because she likes Scooby-Doo. As only one other rater seemed to notice, there was a part where Fred and Daphne's bodies were switched. Fred, inside Daphne's body, said very happily/sexily: "Hey, I can look at myself naked!" while he (she) looked down and smiled at Daphne's breasts/cleavage. Then Daphne, in Fred's body, watched Fred (in her body) touch himself and said "get your hands off me!" but Fred was very disrespectful, wouldn't listen to her and kept touching her body (which he was in). Later she said "Fred keeps touching me!" There was also one subtle reference to drugs/being high that I noticed, when Fred's character says to Shaggy (in a paranoid voice like someone who is high and hallucinating), "Listen Man, someone must've spiked my root beer last night!" Then he assumes it's a bad trip and he's high and asks Shaggy to help him come down from his drug high he thinks he's on: "Talk me down, man, talk me down"!

Dr. Weird
parent of 14 year old
 
Pushing the limits of PG.
Violence: The creatures may scare kids. Some intense scences, espacially for a PG rated film. Sex: When Fred gets inside Daphines body he says "Hey. I can look at myself naked". Some other sex related issues.

nduns
adult
 
It's okay
Not a great film, but it did manage to make me laugh. WHY DID SCRAPPY HAVE TO BE THE VILLAIN!? A) He's an annoying character and B) He's not supposed to be evil. Where did the writers get this idea that Scrappy's arch-nemesis is Scooby? I thought Scooby was his hero. Now to mention something I'm amazed Commonsense missed as the film put a lot of emphasis on it during certain aspects: Sexual jokes involving Daphne and Fred. In one scene, Fred ends up in Daphne's body and grins saying "I can see myself naked" and there's constant scenes in which Daphne keeps telling Fred to "stop touching her". Seriously, CS, how do you not notice this stuff?

 
e.g. Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
i love this movie but there is some stuff that children can not see when they use some bad words like when freddie prinze is singing this "yo yo the b***ch is like what and i said later on" and especially when they fart esp. shaggy and scooby doo and there is a kissing scene in the end

cai
teen, 14 years old
 
perfect for everyone unless you love to complain
daffony showen that she is stronger than a man and girls dont have to be a damsel in destress but fred shaid he could look at himself naked

That Reviewing Kid
kid, 11 years old
 
Scooby Doo get a clue! No I'm being serious, go back to how you were in the 60s
Terrible movie with awful dialogue. When Fred turns into Daphne he says "Now I can look at myself naked". Also we unforgivingly have to listen to "Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, c'est soir?", which roughly translates into "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?". Also we get subjected to "Your mom eats cat poo" and phrases such as "Dork-chicks". Also there is a scene where Scooby and Shaggy have a farting competition. This movie may scare young children and it will not impress anyone that is old enough to see it.

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
Sure, it's not a cartoon, and it's funny, but just not funny enough. Too much for a PG at times.
My rating: PG for scary images and crude innuendo throughout.

fredn
teen, 15 years old
 
some sexual content in a humor way but all in all its a good movie

dancing girl
kid, 12 years old
 
It was kinda dumb and not scary.

Totally500
teen, 15 years old
 
whats new for you
This movie is somewhat funny and okay mixed with pop cultue refgrences and jokes that made you want to laugh. scooby do is the one

Goosebump
kid, 7 years old
 
its Fine
tis fine. kids this is ok for you nothing wrong with it for you

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age