Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (film)


 * For other uses, see Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins.

'Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins' is an American-Canadian live-action/CGI supernatural mystery comedy television film based on Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! animated TV series which aired from 1969 to 1970. It was written by Steven and Daniel Altiere, produced by Brian Levant and Brian Gilbert, and directed by Levant. It was aired on September 13, 2009, to coincide with the premiere of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! on its 40th anniversary, then later released in DVD/Blu-ray combo pack on September 22. It was a co-production between the then newly formed Warner Premiere and Cartoon Network. It was marketed as a prequel to the big screen films of Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, although it is set in contemporary times. The Mystery Begins was followed the next year with its own sequel, Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster.

The film is an origin story of how the motley crew of Mystery Inc. solves their first case together in clearing their names at their school after being wrongly accused of disrupting the school with ghost pranks and accidentally almost burning down the whole school.

Memorable quotes
Principal Deedle: Locker problems again, Mr. Rogers? Shaggy: Huh. Yeah, I uh- I seem to get the squirrelly one every year. Heh.

Daphne: Now introducing the new and improved Velma Dinkley. Fred: Jinkies. Scooby: Rubba, rubba. Shaggy: You can say that again, Scoob. Scooby: Rubba, rubba.

Prudence Prufrock: First, a grammar lesson! You never start a sentence with the word, "Like!" Shaggy: Like, sorry!

Characters
Daniel Riordan (Specter's voice) Al Rodrigo (voice)
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Bus driver
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Dee Jay Jackson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Shaggy Rogers
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Nick Palatas
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Beefy jock
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Devon Thomas
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Fred Jones
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Robbie Amell
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Velma Dinkley
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Hayley Kiyoko
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Daphne Blake
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Kate Melton
 * style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| William Shakespeare
 * style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| J. Robert Oppenheimer
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Otis
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| C. Ernst Harth
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Receptionist
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Principal Deedle/Specter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Shawn Macdonald
 * style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| J. Robert Oppenheimer
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Otis
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| C. Ernst Harth
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Receptionist
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Principal Deedle/Specter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Shawn Macdonald
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Principal Deedle/Specter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Shawn Macdonald
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Shawn Macdonald
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Banjo
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Mr. Pupperman
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| David Hurtubise
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Mother
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Benita Ha
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Son
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Tony Der, Jr.
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Scooby-Doo
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Frank Welker (voice)
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Daughter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Cassandra Sawtell
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Dad
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Kurt Evans
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Vice Principal Grimes
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Garry Chalk
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Librarian
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Lorena Gale
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Prudence Prufrock
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Leah James
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Ezekial Gallows
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Brian Sutton
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Vice Principal Grimes
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Garry Chalk
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Librarian
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Lorena Gale
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Prudence Prufrock
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Leah James
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Ezekial Gallows
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Brian Sutton
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Ezekial Gallows
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Brian Sutton
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Brian Sutton
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Shaggy's mother
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| Daphne's father
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Huckleberry Hound (bobblehead)
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Cowboy ghost
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Teen girl in car
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Jordana Largy
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Teen boy in car
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Christopher Attadia
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Mother with stroller
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Kristina Barr
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Father with stroller
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Mark Gash
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Microwave lady
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Wendy Morrow Donaldson
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Reporter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Kira Clavell
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Ghost of Captain Cutler
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Father with stroller
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Mark Gash
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Microwave lady
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Wendy Morrow Donaldson
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Reporter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Kira Clavell
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Ghost of Captain Cutler
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Ghost of Captain Cutler
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A

Organizations

 * Coolsville Cougars
 * Mystery Incorporated

Locations

 * Earth
 * United States
 * Ohio
 * Coolsville
 * Coolsville High School
 * Coolsville Cemetery
 * Parker Street
 * Rogers residence
 * Blake residence
 * Coolsville Mountain
 * Grimes residence (Old Spooky House)
 * Movie theater
 * Coolsville Museum (mentioned)
 * Spain (mentioned)
 * Mexico (mentioned)

Objects

 * Velma's nanoreactor
 * Romeo and Juliet
 * The Lincoln Stamp Album
 * One-eyed Jack stamp
 * Philately is Phun
 * Mysterious Tales
 * Who is Mr. X
 * Murder on the Links
 * Scooby Snacks
 * Ghostly Hauntings: A History
 * Common Spells, Curses, and Hexes (mentioned)
 * Collsville Map Service
 * Shaggy's driver's license
 * Huckleberry Hound bobblehead
 * A Practical Guide to Raising the Dead and How to Use Them for Your Own Evil Purposes
 * Time capsule

Vehicles

 * School bus
 * Vice Principal Grimes's car
 * The Mystery Machine

Development
The film was first announced by Moviehole on May 16, 2008, with Brian Levant signed on as director (who previously directed The Flintstones and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas), and a nationwide casting call. The roles of the teens started off quite different than how they ended up on screen (except for Shaggy): Daphne is a Murder, She Wrote-inspired writer, Fred is a football player with a penchant for jigsaw puzzles with aspirations to try out for the school paper, with his idol being footballer turned supreme court justice Bryan "Whizzer" White, while Velma is U.S. ambassador for World Hunger, with the intention to cast an Asian in the role.

On July 21, Robbie Amell and Hayley Kiyoko were cast as Fred and Velma, respectively, joining Kate Melton and Nick Palatas as Daphne and Shaggy, respectively, who had already been cast before then.

On August 1, a press release formally announced the project as Scooby-Doo: In the Beginning at the time, with the aforementioned cast officially announced. Scooby-Doo would be computer generated by Animation Picture Company, and his voice supplied by Frank Welker, who had already been voicing the character in cartoons since 2002. Filming was reported to take three days in Vancouver, British Columbia. It had a projected date for fall 2009.

Cartoon Network saw their collaboration with Warner Premiere on ''Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'' as an anchor into a major shift into new live-action programming for the latter.

Amell's offer to wear a blond wig to match Fred in the cartoon, was declined.

After graduating high school, Kiyoko auditioned for Velma, at the suggestion by her father, although she was skeptical at first because she's the polar opposite of Velma, but Levant was able to see past Kiyoko's own style. When looking for guidance, she took to the cartoon, instead of Linda Cardellini's portrayal in the theatrical films.

Filming
While filming in Vancouver, Templeton Secondary School was chosen as the school the gang would attend.

Music
The music was composed by David Newman, who also did the same for the two previous theatrical films.

Crew credits

 * Casting director: Harriet Greenspan
 * Canadian casting directors: Sean Cossey, Stuart Aikins
 * Visual effects producer: Peter V. Ware
 * Costume designer: Kate Main
 * Editor: Eric Osmond
 * Production designer: Brentan Harron
 * Director of photography: Jan Kiesser
 * Line producer and unit production manager: Chris Foss
 * First assistant director: Carl Mason
 * Second assistant director: Josey Capkun
 * Stunt coordinator: Scott Ateah
 * Stunt performers: Matt Phillips, Chad Sayn, Ryan Schroeder, Mark Aisbett, Rorelee Tio, Colby Chartrand, Kylie Furneaux, Ed Anders, Reese Alexander, Mike Carpenter, Chris Webb, Owen Walstrom, Garvin Cross, Anthony Moyer, Leslie McMichael, Cody Laudan, Alex Chiang, Brett Armstrong, Darryl Scheelar, Hugo Steele, Kimani Ray Smith, Chris Webb
 * Art director: Tyler Haron
 * Set decorator: Victoria Soderholm
 * "A" camera operator: Junichi Hosoi
 * 1st assistant "A" camera operator: Kieran Humphries
 * 2nd assistant "A" camera operator: Carrie Wilson
 * "B" camera operator: Karl Hermann
 * 1st assistant "B" camera operator: Steve McKnight
 * 2nd assistant "B" camera operator: Adriene Wyse
 * Video playback operator: Rob Parisien
 * Video assistant: Michael Potts
 * Still photographer: Ed Araquel
 * Sound mixer: Lars Ekstrom
 * Boom operator: [[

Release
Dates are in order of release:


 * United States: July 26, 2009 at San Diego Comic Con International (SDCC); September 13, 2009 at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network; September 22, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray

Behind the scenes

 * On the side of the school buses, Coolsville High is in District #1969.
 * For some reason, only the bottom of Shaggy's mother's legs are shown.
 * Shaggy owns an unidentified Batman comic (until it can become identified) and Challenge of the DC Super Friends #6.
 * Daphne (who specifically states her age), Fred, and Velma are 15 years old, making Shaggy 17.

Errors

 * Despite only being referred to as the "Specter," the credits list him as "Dark Specter."
 * In the scene when the Gang is getting suspended, Nick Palatas (Shaggy)'s microphone is visible in his back pocket.
 * Velma says Coolsville Mountain, but the address on the map website says Coolsville Mountain Road.
 * Shaggy doesn't get rope burn.

Marketing and promotion
At the aforementioned SDCC, the screening was supposed to be followed by a panel with Amell, Palatas, Melton, and Kiyoko, Levant, and producer Brian Gilbert, with the hopes that Welker would also be available, then a booth signing from Amell, Palatas, Melton, and Kiyoko. Specially made dog collars were also sold.

Ratings
The telecast succeeded in becoming the most watched in Cartoon Network history, according to preliminary overnight data from Nielsen Media Research.

Home availability

 * In the United States:
 * September 22, 2009: Warner Home Video releases Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (Target edition) on DVD.
 * September 22, 2009: Warner Home Video releases Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins on Blu-ray Disc.

Trailers
Teaser trailer #1:

Teaser trailer #2:

DVD/Blu-ray trailer:

TV spot #1:

TV spot #2:

TV spot #3: