Scooby Doo the Mystery Begins Movie Analysis

The movie I chose to watch was “Scooby Doo the Mystery Begins.” Scooby-Doo is a kids' show based around four friends and a dog that solve mysteries. The shows always start off with them going on a jaunt to catch a "break" from mystery solving. However, every destination they visited had a nefarious monster looming around. Each character has a special role to play, whether it be the damsel in distress, the brainiac, the jock, or the bait. They all use their unique roles and work together to catch the monster! The show always ends with "I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!"

Violence's representation in Scooby Doo is limited. One of the few instances of violence is when people bully Shaggy. The bullies would trip him, push him into trash cans, and lock him in freezers. The ghosts are also one of the main sources of violence, whether it be throwing books at the gang, or almost burning down the school. The ghosts never cease to cause drama. Fred also causes a fair amount of violence using his traps. His traps almost always go wrong and put the gang in danger. Surprisingly, none of the violence in any of the movies has led to death. Death is consistently avoided, and the monster always gets caught and unmasked, but never dies. I do think that the low violence representation is something they do well for a kid's show. This show was made to be a safe show for kids because there is almost no drug or alcohol use, and there is almost no violence.

This movie has painfully stereotypical societal roles. Fred, the jock with the alpha male complex, plans the trap and tells the rest of the gang what to do. He is a white male, which gives into what society already has preconceived notions about. Daphne is the typical damsel in distress. She is portrayed as being weak and needing help when she gets captured. This is a good example of essentialism. Daphne is usually desired over Velma, time and time again. Based solely on status and looks, even though Daphne does not contribute to the group as much as Velma. Velma is the brainiac. She is portrayed as socially awkward, and her clothes are represented in such a way that makes Velma look unstylish. She wears an orange sweater and a red jean skirt, paired with orange socks. She also has glasses and an unflattering haircut to portray her "nerdiness". During the movie, Daphne gives Velma a makeover by taking off her glasses, giving her extensions, and changing her outfit. She always figures out who the monster is, but Fred always tries to steal the credit. Scooby and Shaggy fall into the stoner outcast category. They are usually only used for levity and bait. Shaggy and Scooby are seen as cowardly by the rest of the group, and they must be coerced to contribute to the group using Scooby snacks. They represent the lowest rung of society. Not to mention that Shaggy has ADHD and smokes weed to get it under control. That’s why he is always seen eating snacks.

Another good quality about the show is the low use of drugs and alcohol. Shaggy is the only person that uses drugs, and it is cleverly disguised. They never actually show Shaggy smoking, but in one scene they did show the mystery van, and there was smoke coming out of the sides, implying that Shaggy hot boxed the van. Children however would never understand what is actually going on. Other than that, there are no other hints of alcohol or drug use, which makes it a very safe show for kids.

Scooby Doo also represents companionship very well. The gang met when they were in detention together. The only reason they stuck together at first was because they wanted to find the killer and clear their records. However, as time went on, they realized that they had more in common than they had previously thought. No matter what, the gang always looked out for each other. I think that the movie shows different social groups, and socio-economic classes can come together. Even at the end of the movie, after the monster was caught, they continued to stick together, because they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.