Summary
- Scooby-Doo movies range from campy live-action to spooky direct-to-video gems for all fans to enjoy.
- From battling ghost pirates to solving video game mysteries, the gang's adventures offer fun for all ages.
- The best Scooby-Doo movies blend humor, history, horror, and heart, creating memorable cinematic adventures.
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With so many movies in the Scooby-Doo franchise, it can be hard to pick out the good ones from one you’d rather hide from, just like when Shaggy spots a ghost and makes a run for it. From direct-to-video releases to big-budget Hollywood treatments, the Mystery Inc. gang has had countless feature-length adventures where they investigated crooked businessmen looking to get ahead, as well as genuine supernatural threats plaguing unsuspecting townsfolk. Over the years, Scooby, Shaggy, and the rest of the gang have taken on all types of foes and delivered some truly spooky adventures.
The earliest days of Scooby-Doo feature-length adventures included made-for-TV movies that acted as disposal spin-offs to ongoing Scooby-Doo television series, these were then replaced with more intentional direct-to-video releases that featured stronger animation, more compelling stories, and even celebrity voice actors. Of course, there was also the big-budget live-action Scooby-Doo movie, which, despite receiving negative reviews upon release, has gained a cult following over the past 20 years. There were just so many great Scooby-Doo movies for comedy, horror, and kids’ animation lovers to check out.
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10 Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School a made-for-TV movie

Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy-Doo found themselves entangled in a monstrous mystery in the made-for-TV movie Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, which saw them unknowingly hired as gym teachers in a school for the daughters of paranormal beings. With pupils including Sibella, the daughter of Dracula, Elsa Frankenstein, and Winnie the Wolfman’s child, Ghoul School acted as a fun homage to the Universal Monsters of the 1930s. A mostly tame and comedic horror adventure, Ghoul School was an enjoyable one-off movie but suffered from the absence of the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang.
9 Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)
Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins was a live-action made-for-TV movie

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Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins acted as a live-action movie reboot of the Scooby-Doo franchise which told the story of how the Mystery Inc. gang met and solved their very first case. While the star power of this made-for-TV movie paled in comparison to theatrical live-action movies, The Mystery Begins was made with a lot of heart that stayed true to the humor of the original series. The Mystery Begins was a fun origin story that was far better than its 2010 sequel with the same cast Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster.
8 Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019)
Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost was a direct-to-video movie

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The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo was a 13-episode Scooby-Doo miniseries that aired in 1985 and frustrating ended without a proper conclusion as the 13th ghost was never revealed. Thankfully, this was resolved almost 35 years later with the release of Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost, the long-awaited follow-up that finally finished off the supernatural story. While not as compelling as the best Scooby-Doo movies, it deserved recognition for filling in the gaps in the long-dormant narrative and finally giving some resolution to a story that audiences have been wondering about for decades.
7 Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? (2005)
Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? was a direct-to-video movie

A direct-to-video release, Scooby-Doo! in Where’s My Mummy? saw the gang involved in a supernatural mystery in Egypt where buried treasure from the time of Cleopatra still stood protected by an undead army. An action-packed adventure, Where’s My Mummy? featured scorpion fights from within the depths of the Sphinx and had plenty of twists and turns throughout. At the time of its release, Where’s My Mummy? Was the strongest Scooby-Doo movie in many years and expertly blended mystery with history in a way that kids of any age could enjoy.
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6 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed was a live-action theatrical release

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Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
While the magic of witnessing a star-studded live-action version of Scooby-Doo had already worn off by the time this sequel came around, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed was an improvement on its predecessor when it came to special effects and compelling action sequences. However, the story of the Mystery Gang facing an assortment of past monsters felt like a lazy way to shoehorn in as many unearned references to classic adventures from better times as possible. However, with Matthew Lillard back in his unmatched performance as Shaggy Rogers, Monsters Unleashed got a pass for its escapist entertainment value.
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5 Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase (2001)
Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase was direct-to-video movie

The Mystery Inc. gang gets trapped in a video game and must fight against the Phantom Virus in Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase, a direct-to-video movie that puts a modern spin on the classic Scooby formula. Making use of computer-generated imagery, Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase felt like a mix of Lovecraftian horror with the 1980s aesthetics of Tron and The Terminator. It was a strong addition to the Scooby-Doo film series that managed to try something new while paying tribute to the adventures of the past.
The Mystery Inc. gang gets trapped in a video game and must fight against the Phantom Virus in Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase
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4 Scooby-Doo: The Movie (2002)
Scooby-Doo: The Movie was a live-action theatrical release
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Scooby Doo
The Scooby-Doo series got a big-budget Hollywood adaptation for the 2002 live-action movie. Featuring major stars like Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne and Freddy Prinze Jr. as Fred, the real star of the movie was the perfectly cast Matthew Lillard as Shaggy. Scooby-Doo was not a hit with critics at the time of its release, but its campy, over-the-top nature has turned it into a quiet cult classic in the more than 20 years since it premiered. Screenwriter James Gunn has also spoken of an R-rated cut of Scooby-Doo which, if ever released, would surely add to this cult reputation.
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3 Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006)
Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! was a direct-to-video movie

Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! was the tenth direct-to-video release that continued the adventures of the Mystery Inc. gang and followed them embroiled in a mystery involving the Bermuda Triangle, Fred’s parents, and a crew of supernatural pirates and ghosts. Pirates Ahoy! Brought a sense of fun and adventure that had been missing from much of the previous direct-to-video releases and all the character interactions and scenes felt vital to the overall narrative. With incredibly spooky ghost pirates and some actual stakes, Pirate’s Ahoy! Represented the best of Scooby-Doo in the 21st century.
2 Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost was a direct-to-video movie
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With the introduction of the rock group the Hex Girls, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost delivered Scooby’s most enduring supporting characters along with some incredible music from the goth girl group. The Witch’s Ghost featured a thinly veiled version of the writer Stephen King through the character of Ben Ravenscroft and felt like a worthy follow-up to Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island the year before. With a spooky story that addressed modern Wiccan practices, the history of witches being burnt at the stake, and a voice cast that included Tim Curry, The Witch’s Ghost was a classic adventure with great animation.
The Witch’s Ghost featured a thinly veiled version of the writer Stephen King through the character of Ben Ravenscroft
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1 Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was a direct-to-video movie
The absolute pinnacle of Scooby and the Mystery Inc. gang’s feature-length adventures was Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island which was the first direct-to-video release that managed to feel both spooky and vital. Featuring some of the best animation the series had ever seen, Zombie Island had a much darker tone than previous releases and the stakes became much higher when the gang realized the monsters on the island were real. Zombie Island was a fast-paced, ambitious adventure that proved the modern potential of the Scooby-Doo series and its ability to expertly blend comedy and horror for kids.