Summary

• The Scooby-Doo movies from the late '90s to early 2000s are integral to pop culture and are filled with nostalgia, making fans of all ages happy.
• The live-action Scooby-Doo projects provide insight into the origin and early days of Mystery Inc., featuring the original solving their first mysteries as teenagers.
• The Scooby-Doo movies often deliver thrills, chills, and laughs on a bigger level than the TV series, while still capturing what fans love most about the classic cartoons.

The Scooby Gang has been around for decades, bringing in new generations of fans with each TV series and all the best Scooby-Doo movies. Many fans reminisce about the older animated films that made them fall in love with Scooby when they were younger. The later Scooby-Doo movies have a ton of heart and were released in the late '90s to early 2000s before the release of What's New Scooby-Doo?, which later received its own set of animated films.

Many of the movies from this era are integral to pop culture and have received a ton of memes. They have also become a staple of media with loads of nostalgia to make every Scooby-Doo fan happy. While it is the Scooby-Doo TV series that holds a place in the hearts of fans, young and old, the movies often deliver just as many thrills, chills, and laughs, just on a bigger level. With Velma reintroducing Scooby-Doo to a new generation of fans, the theatrical movies and those made for home video viewing mostly bring fans back to what they loved most about the classic cartoons.

20 Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)

Cartoon Network made a handful of live-action Scooby-Doo projects that act as prequels to the live-action theatrical Scooby-Doo movies. The Mystery Begins focuses on the original of Mystery Inc. meeting up as teenagers and working together to solve their very first mystery. They meet because they all end up witnessing what appears to be ghosts while they’re serving detention. When they’re blamed for the “prank,” Daphne, Fred, Velma, and Shaggy all team up to clear their names and become genuine friends in the process. It’s a great look at how Mystery Inc. could have originally formed, but it’s not the very best Scooby-Doo movie.

19 Scooby-Doo! The Sword And The Scoob (2021)

The Scooby-Doo movies usually stick to ghosts and goblins. The Sword and the Scoob, however, is an unusual Scooby-Doo movie because it uses time travel in its storyline. When Shaggy finds that his ancestors are from a particular place in England that might have connections to the legendary King Arthur, the group pays the place a visit. They find themselves sent back in time to the days of Arthur himself as Shaggy ends up in line for the throne, Daphne trains to be a knight, and Velma works with Merlin to learn magic. The movie also features an interesting twist that makes it one of the most surprising Scooby-Doo movies.

18 Scooby-Doo! Curse Of The Lake Monster (2010)

Curse of the Lake Monster reunites the cast of The Mystery Begins for another adventure. This time around, the teenagers are working for Daphne’s uncle for the summer when they end up in the middle of another mystery. Velma and Shaggy take center stage as Shaggy develops a crush on Velma and Velma’s ancestors play a role in the mystery. The movie shows that Cartoon Network had a solid plan in place for the characters in live-action as teenagers. They had an interesting “monster,” settled that there wouldn’t be a romance between certain characters to help maintain the friendship dynamic, and had an intriguing expanding lore of the early days of Mystery Inc. It’s a shame the movies didn’t continue.

17 Scooby-Doo & Batman: The Brave And The Bold (2018)

Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. have crossed paths with many superheroes in their day, but some of their most memorable times have been with Batman. A classic Scooby cartoon featured Batman and Robin guest starring, but this time around, the group is invited to help solve mysteries in Gotham from the characters in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a series that ran in the mid-2000s. (Batman: The Brave and the Bold is also set to get a live-action movie.) While it’s mostly a Batman movie, Mystery Inc. fits in well with the story, something longtime fans of either franchise might not have expected.

16 Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock And Roll Mystery (2015)

Famous guest stars are a tradition in the Scooby-Doo franchise. Here, Kiss plays themselves as the gang visits a Kiss-themed amusement park because Daphne is a big fan. The story goes a more science fiction route than usual as there is an alternate dimension and an alien creature powered by a diamond Kiss uses in their stage show. Like many of the modern animated Scooby-Doo movies, there is a twist that the audience might not see coming, and as a bonus, the of Kiss are actually detectives that can rival the Scooby gang.

15 Daphne & Velma (2018)

In another live-action prequel for the Scooby-Doo franchise, this movie doesn’t feature the dog that made the franchise famous. Instead, it focuses on Daphne and Velma in a modern rebooted story that sees the two as friends online who meet and team up when Daphne’s family moves to the same town as Velma. It’s the origin story of how Velma and Daphne become friends and become interested in solving real mysteries instead of theoretical ones. It doesn’t fit in the same timeline as the other live-action movies, but it’s still a great examination of their friendship since other movies in the Scooby-Doo catalog don’t see the two of them team up very often.

14 Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013)

One of the common threads in the many incarnations of Scooby-Doo is the romantic entanglements of Fred and Daphne. The tension between the two is often played for laughs as they flirt with other people in the animated movies, while the live-action movies address their relationship directly. Here, their relationship takes center stage when the group investigates a haunted house while Fred competes in Daphne’s favorite reality television show. It’s similar to a modern take on Phantom of the Opera as the ghost seeks to control the outcome of the show. Stage Fright makes for a fun take on a Scooby mystery.

13 Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (2007)

After being tricked into getting on the wrong plane by a malicious hunter, Shaggy & Scooby find themselves being used as bait for the Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas. The film then follows Shaggy and Scooby as they try to their friends with the help of people from a nearby village. Velma, Fred, and Daphne try to track them and go out on a rescue mission. Snow monsters are not uncommon for Scooby-Doo stories, and in fact, they make up some of the best villains in What's New, Scooby-Doo? because they work so well. One of the best Scooby-Doo movies, it has a lot of heart and humor, making it a great watch for any age.

12 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed presented a sequel to the popular 2002 movie and brought back the live-action actors from that movie for another adventure. In this movie, the franchise went back to the past and re-created some of the iconic Scooby-Doo monsters from the original cartoon, making this a true work of nostalgia. James Gunn wrote the movie, which saw the gang now famous, with a museum celebrating all the monsters they exposed. However, when their past work is called into question, they have to clear their name and stop another elusive villain. The movie made $181 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), which was not as much as its predecessor but still a strong showing for the franchise.

11 Scooby-Doo And The Reluctant Werewolf (1988)

Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf is one of the best Scooby-Doo movies, but it is just a Shaggy and Scooby adventure. This film is also Scrappy-Doo's last appearance before his comeback as the main antagonist in the 2002 live-action iteration. This is super cool because the movie features a lot of classic Hollywood monsters, like Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and the Werewolf. Shaggy also has a girlfriend in this film named Googie, who helps a Werewolf Shaggy and Scooby win a race held by Dracula.