Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Big Top Scooby-Doo!

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

A circus' spooky werewolf problem is fun for tweens.

Movie NR 2012 80 minutes
Big Top Scooby-Doo! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Scooby-Doo movies are like blue cheese -- just when you think it stinks, you take a bite and realize it's much better than you ever expected. If you're not already a fan, give them a try, because there's some surprisingly clever dialogue and funny bits in these videos. At one point, Daphne -- who has signed on to be the motorcycle stunt performer for the Brancusi Circus -- engages a snobby and curmudgeonly Eastern European clown named Schmatko (Jeff Dunham) in a hilarious conversation about low versus high art. They even discuss Chekhov, Turgenev, and other Russian writers.

As easy as it would be to dismiss the 18th Scooby-Doo special as just another ploy to draw kids into the world of Mystery Inc. merchandise, this is a funny take on circus and werewolf stories without too many distracting subplots to confuse younger viewers. And who doesn't love working up to the climactic moment when the gang figures everything out once and for all? By the time the famous "I would've gotten away with it -- if it had been for those kids and their dog" line is said, you've been notably entertained, if not necessarily blown away. For a straight-to-video special, that's a pretty good accomplishment.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate