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Shaggy: This is tied for the most terrifying day of my life!
Velma: Tied with what?
Shaggy: Every other freaking day of my life!

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is the 2004 sequel to the 2002 live-action movie Scooby-Doo, directed by Raja Gosnell and written by James Gunn.

Mystery Inc. is attending the grand opening of a museum based on their adventures and the monsters they caught. However, the celebration is cut short due to the Pterodactyl ghost attacking and stealing two different costumes. As it turns out, someone is using a machine to reanimate the monster costumes and turn them into real monsters.

The film stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred Jones, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne Blake, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers, Linda Cardellini as Velma Dinkley, Seth Green as Patrick Wisley, Peter Boyle as Jeremiah "Old Man" Wickles, Tim Blake Nelson as Dr. Jonathan Jacobo and Alicia Silverstone as Heather Jasper Howe.

The film is noticeably more kid-friendly than the first film, and was an even worse failure critically (winning a Razzie for "Worst Remake or Sequel"). It grossed around $180 million, making a profit, but the results were not as much as Warner Bros. had expected. While this did signal the end of the full feature films, Warner would go on to make two live-action made-for-TV prequels five years later: Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster.

This was the final live-action Hanna-Barbera adaptation to be overseen by co-founder Joe Barbera, who died two years later.

See the Shout-Out page here.

Previews: Teaser, Trailer.


Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed provides examples of:

  • 11th-Hour Superpower: During the Final Battle, Scooby combats the Tar Monster with a fire extinguisher he finds.
  • Abandoned Laboratory: Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory appears to be in disrepair, as if it's been abandoned.
  • Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that gives him Einstein Hair and glasses (because Smart People Wear Glasses).
  • Act of True Love: After saving Velma from falling to her death, Patrick pushes Velma back down because he sees the Pterodactyl Ghost is coming and wants to save her from being whisked away, letting himself be kidnapped instead..
  • Actor Allusion: Daphne uses Buffy Speak while attacking the 10,000 Volt Ghost. Her actress, Sarah Michelle Gellar, previously portrayed the titular character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • Adaptational Badass: Almost all of the classic Scooby-Doo monsters and Mystery Inc. are much more battle competent.
  • Adaptational Comic Relief: The Skeleton Men were originally ominously eerie villains in the cartoon, but in the film they're the Stupid Evil duo who fail at their objectives.
  • Adaptational Intelligence: Dr. Jonathan Jacobo, the original Pterodactyl Ghost, differs from Johnny, his counterpart in The Scooby-Doo Show episode "Hang in There, Scooby-Doo", in several ways, the most notable being that he is a scientist rather than the driver of a catering truck using the Pterodactyl Ghost to assist in music piracy.
  • Adaptational Villainy: The monsters are much more Ax-Crazy in the film than they were in the cartoon.
  • Advertised Extra: To the extreme. Multiple advertisements and reviews at the time said that the Creeper, one of the franchise's most iconic villains, was one of the monsters appearing in the film. However, the most he gets is that his costume can be seen in the Coolsonian. One can only assume people who were only vaguely familiar with the franchise confused the Creeper with the Zombie.
  • All There in the Manual: The featurette "True Ghoul Hollywood Stories" reveals the Cotton Candy Glob's true first name: Timmy.
  • Ambiguously Gay: While under the guise of Heather Jasper Howe, Jacobo flirted with Fred and was mentioned to have cuddled with Ned. It isn't clarified whether Jacobo truly felt attracted to Ned or was merely pretending to be as part of his disguise.
  • And Starring: Alicia Silverstone gets the honor of an "And Starring" credit.
  • Artificial Script: Everything that has to do with bringing monsters to life (such as the book found in Wickles Manor and the text around the door to the Monster Hive) is written in a fictional language that Velma describes "an obsolete Celtic text."
  • Artistic License – Paleontology: While the Pterodactyl Ghost is obviously not supposed to look like a real pterodactyl, Velma analyzes one of its scales to find that it's "a real pterodactyl scale". Real pterosaurs didn't have scales (they had hairlike fibers on their bodies).
  • Ax-Crazy: The monsters are actively trying to murder Scooby and the gang as opposed to chasing them away.
  • Bad Guy Bar: The "Faux Ghost" is a hangout for criminals the gang had unmasked before where they casually make fun of Mystery Inc such as sticking them on a Dartboard of Hate or playing a Wack-A-Mole variant of them.
  • Bait-and-Switch: When Daphne reveals Howe had an accomplice, Patrick looks scared out of his mind. Daphne then reveals the accomplice was Howe's cameraman, Ned.
  • Balloon Belly: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster with a big, protruding belly, which noticeably jiggles as he lets out a Burp of Finality after drinking another potion that turns him into the Tazmanian Devil.
  • Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: When Scooby and Shaggy end up in an alchemy lab, they try out various transformation potions. When Shaggy drinks one that transforms his body into that of a woman with large breasts and an hourglass figure (but leaves his face unchanged), his green shirt shrinks into a crop top. When the next potion transforms his upper body into that of a male bodybuilder, the shirt visibly grows longer and covers up his six-pack.
  • Be Yourself: The film has a subplot of Scooby and Shaggy trying to be more like Fred, Daphne, and Velma in hopes that doing so will enable them to solve the mystery on purpose for a change. Velma eventually explains to the two that they don't need to change and are a vital part of the team just the way they are.
  • Becoming the Costume: Played with, as it is the costumes themselves that get turned into real monsters, and some of them become far more dangerous that the criminals that wore them.
  • Beware the Silly Ones:
    • Sure Scooby acted silly in unleashing (helping to, that is) some of the monsters, but he was the one who finished them off. After seeing his human friends suffer, that is.
    • Velma considers Chickenstein one of most ridiculous foes they've faced, but Shaggy and Scooby recall that he tried to pluck them at one point.
  • Bicep Kiss: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, and in admiration of his new form, he kisses himself on his right bicep.
  • Big Bad: The Evil Masked Figure, a.k.a. Jonathan Jacobo.
  • Big Eater: Shaggy and Scooby eat and discuss various foods and drinks throughout the film, including mysterious potions and sentient cotton candy.
  • Big "NO!":
    • While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby attempts to create an antidote using two potions. Shaggy throws one of the potions across the room and Scooby shouts, "Nooo!"
    • The Evil Masked Figure after Scooby puts the control panel back in the machine and before the monsters start dying. They let out another as they are unmasked, that changes from the Evil Masked Figure's voice into Heather Jasper-Howe's voice once the mask comes off.
  • Bit-by-Bit Transformation: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, starting with each individual arm and working its way down his body.
  • Bizarre Alien Limbs: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster with stubby arms and six tentacles in place of his hind legs.
  • Blind Shoulder Toss: While searching for an antidote in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy looks at a potion and then, deciding it isn't the right one, tosses it over his shoulder. After drinking the following potion, he does the same thing with its container.
  • Blind Without 'Em: Velma, naturally. This time it's somewhat downplayed, as even after she loses them, she's still able to make out Patrick's Stalker Shrine to Jonathan Jacobo, as well as the photograph showing the supposedly dead Jacobo outside the half-finished Coolsonian Museum.
  • Brain Bleach: Ned the cameraman knew who the Evil Masked Figure was. What he doesn't know, however, is that she is a he.
  • Brains and Brawn: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways. In their final forms, before taking the antidote, Scooby becomes ludicrously intelligent and Shaggy becomes abnormally muscular, making the duo fit this trope to a T.
  • Breath Weapon: Miner 49er can now breathe fire.
  • Broad Strokes:
    • The film largely ignores the events of the 2002 film. The only notable thing that carries over into this one is Fred and Daphne being in a relationship.
    • Shaggy and Scooby angst that they are always The Load who never contribute anything in solving the case. This ignore several times in the original series that they managed to either find a clue or even catch the ghost such in "A Clue for Scooby Doo" where Shaggy (in one of his defining moment at the time) is the one who discovers the identity of the Ghost of Captain Cutler, something even Velma couldn't solve or when both Shaggy and Scooby got a showcase of brilliance in "Never Ape an Ape Man" when Scooby uses the fact he's a Great Dane who can bark loudly to scare away the Ape Man and Shaggy solved the mystery by having the foresight to take a picture of the Ape Man without his mask. Also, when lamenting their failures, Shaggy claims that they plowed into the Snow Ghost because they accidentally glued their feet to rocket powered roller skates. In "That's Snow Ghost!", Shaggy threw a snowball at the Snow Ghost which turned into a giant snowball which grabbed the Snow Ghost and the gang.
  • Buffy Speak: Also counts as Actor Allusion for Daphne.
    Daphne: Taste the pain, Mr. glow-y, ugly, thing!
  • Butter Face: When Shaggy drinks a potion that gives him a "chick's body", it's a shapely female body in a revealing Gendered Outfit... that still has Shaggy's unchanged head. Matthew Lillard is by no means an ugly man, but his head still looks wrong on that body.
  • The Cameo: Scooby drank a potion that turns him into the Tasmanian Devil.
  • Canon Foreigner: The Cotton Candy Glob was created for the movie and never appeared in any of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
  • Captain Obvious: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways, and for each transformation, one or both of them describes how they've transformed.
    Shaggy: Scooby-Doo, you've turned into a freaky monster!
    Shaggy: I've got a chick's body!
    Scooby: I'm a Tasmanian Devil!
    Shaggy: Check it out, dude! I'm buff.
    Scooby: It seems as if I've become ludicrously intelligent!
  • Cast as a Mask: Heather Jasper Howe is portrayed by Alicia Silverstone and the Evil Masked Figure is voiced by Scott McNeil. Both turn out to be disguises worn by Dr. Jonathan Jacobo, who is portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson.
  • Cat/Dog Dichotomy: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, which leads him to list things he misses about being a dumb dog. One of these things is "chasing cats."
  • Celebrity Resemblance: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, and Scooby calls him a "Schwarzeneggian oaf," referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Central Theme: What makes someone put on a mask, figuratively or literally?
  • Change the Uncomfortable Subject: After watching Shaggy and Scooby recover from absurd and presumably impossible transformations in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Daphne and Fred start reprimanding the two for sneaking out while Velma goes to investigate a clue, rather than asking if the two are OK or anything about what just happened. They act like the transformations never occurred and move along.
  • Character Development: Shaggy and Scooby are trying to become legitimately competent detectives as opposed to the screw-ups they always thought they were. Naturally, they succeed by the end of the film.
  • Chekhov's Gun: As the gang makes their escape after finding the machine, Fred makes a small hole in the catwalk. Later, Velma falls through the same hole while arguing with Patrick. Then, the Masked Man falls through the hole while trying to escape, enabling the gang to capture him.
  • Chekhov's Skill: A throwaway line from Jeremiah Wickles reveals that while they were in prison, Jonathan Jacobo got the lead role in a production of My Fair Lady. This turns out to be relevant after The Reveal that Heather Jasper-Howe is actually Jacobo in disguise. He really is good at playing women!
  • Chemistry Can Do Anything: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Jeremiah Wickles seems like a typical grumpy old man, but he owns a giant statue of himself in his Black Knight costume, his home security involves trapping trespassers in giant spherical cages, and he seems to think kids will enjoy living like old-timey miners.
  • Co-Dragons: The Pterodactyl Ghost and Black Knight Ghost serve as commanders to the Masked Man. The Tar Monster fills the Black Knight Ghost's spot after his defeat.
  • Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: While searching for an antidote in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy consistently selects potions that are blue- or close to blue- and rejects potions of other colors. In Color Theory, the color blue is closely associated with health, which is why many healthcare logos are blue, and Shaggy likely makes this connection subconsciously, hence, "It looks medicinal." The antidote turns out be a similar color, so he happened to be right.
  • Continuity Cavalcade: The Coolsonian Criminology Museum has the costumes of several villains from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Scooby-Doo Show, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo on display.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • In the cartoon, Captain Cutler was defeated by having a vehicle crash into him. In the film, he's also defeated by having a vehicle crash into him.
    • In the episode "Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too!" from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Shaggy has his back turned while Scooby drinks a yellow chemical and transforms, just like in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory in this film.
  • Contrived Coincidence: What are the odds that the Cotton Candy Glob would be so unfortunate as to run into the trademark Big Eater duo of the Mystery Gang?
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: While Jeremiah Wickles isn't the Big Bad, or even affiliated with him in anyway, he's still a slimy jerkass who is in the process of wooing investors to help him create a summer camp where kids would work nearly 20 hours a day mining for gold. He justifies it by saying the kids would have the time of their life learning about The Gold Rush and living like real miners, while he and the investors will get free labor.
  • Creepy Old-Fashioned Diving Suit: One of the costumes Scooby-Doo and Shaggy accidentally brought to life was Captain Cutler's ghost, keeping his appearance of an intimidating glowing green diving suit.
  • Dance Party Ending: The movie ends with the characters dancing to "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
  • Dartboard of Hate: The unmasked villains at the Faux Ghost have dartboards with pictures of Mystery Inc. on them.
  • Digital Head Swap: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that gives him a "Chick's body," but has no effect on his head. This was achieved by compositing Matthew Lillard's head onto Nazanin Afshin-Jam's body.
  • Distracted by My Own Sexy: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular and becomes enamored with his new form.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular. Because Muscles Are Meaningful, images of this form were used for the "Ultra Instinct Shaggy" meme, a meme in which Shaggy has superhuman, Goku-like powers. This adds an extra layer of comedy to the original scene.
  • Dogs Are Dumb: In general, Scooby isn't very smart, and he demonstrates this low intelligence throughout the film, with only one notable exception: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, which radically changes his demeanor.
  • Don't Celebrate Just Yet: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion. He checks a nearby mirror to see if he's transformed, and in celebration, he exclaims, "I'm OK, Scoob!" thinking the potion was benign, but right after he says that, his body makes a Stock Sound Effect and the effects of the potion become apparent, causing a Mirror Reveal.
  • Dramatic Shattering: While searching for an antidote in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy looks at a potion and then, deciding it isn't the right one, does a Blind Shoulder Toss. Despite presumably flying across the room, the sound of the glass bottle shattering is loud and clear, emphasizing his desperation. After drinking the following potion, he does the same thing with its container.
  • Dramatic Unmask: Done twice with the Evil Masked Figure, unmasking them as Heather Jasper-Howe, then unmasking Howe as actually being Jonathan Jacobo in disguise.
    • Then immediately subverted:
      Fred: And the real identity of Ned] is—
      [Fred tugs at Ned's hairline; nothing happens]
      Ned: Ow!
      [Beat]
      Fred: ...Ned!
  • The Dreaded: The Pterodactyl Ghost, which is easily the most threatening villain in the movie (besides the Masked Man). Daphne even calls it "the dreaded Pterodactyl Ghost" in the opening scene.
    • The Tar Monster comes closer to killing the gang than any other monster in the movie — and arguably, any other monster in the entire history of the franchise.
  • Dropped Glasses: Velma — again — does this towards the climax. She even lampshades it, remarking, "I have got to consider contact lenses." Fortunately for Velma, her glasses are soon picked up by Patrick.
  • Drunk with Power: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular. When Scooby attempts to create an antidote, Shaggy shouts, "I'm gonna stay this way forever!" and attempts to sabotage Scooby's efforts.
  • Dumb Muscle: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, but also lowers his intelligence significantly.
  • Easy Sex Change: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that gives him a "Chick's body," but has no effect on his head, making it a Partial Transformation, and making this form a Butter Face.
  • Eating the Enemy: Scooby and Shaggy hide in a room to escape some monsters, only to find themselves locked in with a giant Cotton Candy monster. Too bad for the monster, the Big Eater duo take care of it by doing what they do best.
  • Einstein Hair: When Scooby drinks the potion that increases his intelligence, he also grows a shock of untidy white hair.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that gives him a "Chick's body," and his Magic Pants clothing changes to match. Along with his new clothes, he gets a belt that says, "SHAGGY" on the back, identifying him by name.
  • Expressive Mask: The Evil Masked Figure's mask. And the Heather Jasper-Howe mask they wear underneath it.
  • Extremely Short Timespan: Apart from the opening scene taking place the night before and a following act set inside an old mansion during the daytime after, about two thirds of the film happen over the course of a very long and packed night. Counting the final scene being set the morning after the Big Bad is defeated, the entire conflict spans maybe a day and a half for the gang.
  • Eye Scream: Old Man Wickles, a.k.a. The Black Knight Ghost threatens Shaggy and Scooby that if he he ever caught them and the rest of Mystery Inc., he'd tear out their eyes, and make them eat one, while leaving the other one unharmed so they could watch themselves eating one of their own eyes. Ironically when he threatens them, he doesn't know who they were, and before that has given them advice on leaving the criminal life while they have a chance, because he believes that they are wannabe criminal fanboys, that he has just met at a Bad Guy Bar called The Faux Ghost, which is a hangout for all of Mystery Inc's defeated and unmasked villains.
  • Failed Attempt at Drama: The Cotton Candy Glob's only role is to dramatically appear behind Scooby and Shaggy and threaten them, before realizing too late who he's up against.
  • Failed Attempt at Scaring: When Shaggy and Scooby gets separated from group by ghosts and locked the door, The Cotton Candy Glob shows himself. The duo a scared for a second... before realizing that he literally made of cotton candy. The duo (who are Big Eaters) quickly brighten up in delight, scaring the monster before eating him alive.
  • Failed Dramatic Exit: The Masked Figure's attempted escape after Scooby reverses the monster-making process is cut off at the last hurdle, which leads him to a hole in the catwalk.
  • Faking the Dead: The gang actually catches on so quickly that Jonathan Jacobo may be the villain they're after from the clues: he did have designs of a machine that can create real monsters, and it was his alter-ego, the Pterodactyl Ghost, that attacked the museum and set the whole thing in motion. The only reason they brush this aside is because Jacobo is believed dead after attempting to escape prison.
  • Fartillery: Scooby and Shaggy take out Miner Forty-Niner by having Scooby break wind into his fire breath hard enough to blow it back into his face.
  • Find the Cure!: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster. While searching for an antidote, Shaggy accidentally transforms as well and must find a cure for both of them.
  • Flying Weapon: The Black Knight ghost does this with his sword, smugly quipping "Look, no hands!".
  • Foil: The Faux Ghost to Jonathan Jacobo. While the patrons of The Faux Ghost are still bitter about being unmasked, they also saw the error of their ways and are trying to go straight and turn their lives around (though in Jeremiah Wickles' case, he is still not a good man, as shown by his plan for a gold mining camp). Jonathan Jacobo, however, let his bitterness draw him down an even darker path of revenge, and as a result is probably going to jail for an even longer time than he was originally.
  • Food Slap: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, after the Explosive Results of Shaggy's actions, the two argue and Scooby, in anger and disgust, splashes the antidote into Shaggy's face.
  • Forced Transformation: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy toss potions at each other, attempting to force a transformation. Shaggy tosses a potion at Scooby in his Tasmanian Devil form, and Scooby tosses a potion at Shaggy in his abnormally muscular form.
  • Foreshadowing: If you can understand Daphne's "incoherent babble" when she confronts Heather Jasper-Howe, you'll realize she's figured out that Howe is actually the Evil Masked Figure.
    • Though the movie tries to make it look like Howe is innocent by having the Evil Masked Figure appear seconds later, he reveals his motive is to take over Coolsville. This is not the motive that was mentioned earlier or later, where it was strictly revenge. This implies that this Evil Masked Figure is not the real one.
  • Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: When Shaggy and Scooby go undercover at the Faux Ghost and find Jeremiah Wickles, the Black Knight Ghost. He expresses remorse for his past deeds, but makes it clear he has not forgiven Mystery Inc for unmasking him. It's only till they prove his innocence for being the Evil Masked Figure does he forgive them.
  • Frame-Up: Jacobo tried to frame his old hated cellmate Old Man Wickles by putting the monster-creating manual and the Black Knight Ghost in Wickles' home for Mystery Inc to find.
  • The Freakshow: Shaggy's transformations in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory are both reminiscent of common freakshow acts, specifically Girls with Moustaches and The Strongman.
  • Fright Beside Them: As Scooby and Shaggy barricade a door against the Black Knight Ghost, Shaggy is handed some armor pieces. When he thanks Scooby, assuming it was him, a booming voice replies, "You're welcome", and Shaggy realises it was actually the Black Knight Ghost.
  • Gasshole: Shaggy "pulls Scooby-Doo's finger" (re: tail) on Miner 49er.
  • Genius Serum: Over the course of some potion hijinks that occurs, one of the potions Scooby ends up consuming over the course of undoing a potion that turns him into a monster turns him into a genius smart enough to subsequently brew up a potion capable of turning both himself and Shaggy (who at this point has ended up consuming a potion that has made him far more muscular than normal) back to normal.
  • Ghost Ship: Near the final act, the Evil Masked Figure is riding the Ghost of Redbeard's ghastly pirate ship through Coolsville airspace. Oddly, Redbeard himself makes no appearance in the film.
  • Glamour Failure: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster. Despite his dramatically altered appearance, Shaggy quickly recognizes him. This may be a result of Scooby's Iconic Item dog tag or because Voices Are Mental, but it is left ambiguous.
  • Gratuitous Laboratory Flasks: Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory has tons and tons of flasks and beakers filled with bubbling colored liquids.
  • Groin Attack: Velma delivers a kick to the Black Knight Ghost's groin after determining that it is his only weakness.
  • Growing Muscles Sequence: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular through one of these.
  • Hate Sink: It's clear the audience is supposed to be against Heather Jasper-Howe AKA Jonathan Jacobo. Her snobbish attitude and her trash-talking of Mystery Inc. make her an unlikable character in this film.
  • Haughty "Hmph": The Pterodactyl Ghost has its arms crossed and is drumming a finger and giving a smug smile when the gang's curtain & ropes trap just slips off it.
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: Mystery Inc. becomes scorned by Coolsville courtesy of Heather Jasper-Howe's slander.
  • Iconic Item: Scooby is always wearing some version of his collar throughout the film, even when in disguise at the Faux Ghost, with only one exception: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby transforms into the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes and has no collar.
  • Ignore the Fanservice: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that gives him a "Chick's body," but rather than pulling a Man, I Feel Like a Woman and exploring his anatomy- like Fred does while in Daphne's body in the first movie- Shaggy verbally acknowledges his new form while pointing to his boobs and then just continues searching for an antidote.
  • I Just Want to Be Badass: A subplot in the film is how Scooby and Shaggy want to stop being The Load for the rest of Mystery Inc.
  • Idiot Houdini: Deconstructed. After their failed attempt to stop the Pterodactyl Ghost, the gang blames Shaggy and Scooby, saying they always screw things up. They clearly did not mean this and just said it in anger, not realizing the two were in earshot. This sentiment is clearly not true given the times they did do the right thing on purpose ("Never Ape an Ape Man" or "A Clue for Scooby Doo"), but the duo dwells on the times they messed up and forgets about this. This results in them trying way too hard to prove themselves as assets to the team. It's only when they tell Velma how they feel does she reassure them they never meant what they said, and she sees them as heroes no matter how they view themselves, that they pull of genuine heroics: inspiring Velma that Patrick will like her the way she is, stopping the Cotton Candy Blob, and freezing the Tar Monster, saving the gang's life.
  • Imminent Danger Clue: Despite being in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, covered in warning stickers, and primarily full of liquids, Scooby mistakes the refrigerator full of potions for a regular refrigerator containing food, and consequently, mistakes a yellow potion/chemical for lemonade. He doesn't realize his mistake until after his Oblivious Transformation, when Shaggy points out that he's transformed.
  • Improvised Weapon: Scooby uses a fire extinguisher as a weapon against the monsters. It is particularly effective against the Tar Monster.
  • Inappropriate Hunger: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster. Despite the dire effects of these potions, he still wants to drink them; when Shaggy takes a potion away from him, he whines and tries to take it back, and when Shaggy goes to hand him a new potion, he claps, jumps up and down excitedly, and wiggles his fingers.
  • Innocently Insensitive: When watching the news report of the initial attack on the museum Velma, Daphne and Fred all try to take blame, but seem unaware that they are actually blaming Shaggy and Scooby. The fact that they overhear this is what drives their subplot mentioned above.
  • Instantly Proven Wrong: Shaggy drinks a potion. He checks a nearby mirror to see if he's transformed, and in celebration, he exclaims, "I'm OK, Scoob!" thinking the potion was benign, but right after he says that, his body makes a Stock Sound Effect and the effects of the potion become apparent, causing a Mirror Reveal.
  • Karmic Transformation: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster, which is ironic because he's deeply afraid of monsters. This could be interpreted as punishment for Scooby's gluttony, as it's a direct result of him eating first and asking questions later. This is further supported by the design of his monstrous form, which features big, raised, Eye on a Stalk eyes for spotting food at a distance, six Bizarre Alien Limbs for grabbing several foods at a time, and a Balloon Belly for storing large quantities of food.
  • Kinder and Cleaner: Compared to the first movie, the innuendos and profanity are kept to a minimum.
  • Kinky Spanking: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, and in admiration of his new form, he smacks his own butt.
  • Lame Comeback: When a pair of bike-riding teens insult Mystery Inc. over the incident at the Coolsonian, Daphne tells the others, "We need to think of a comeback". The comeback she comes up with? "Hey! [Beat] Shut up!" The teens just laugh derisively and ride off.
  • Large-Ham Announcer: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, and a non-diegetic, Real Life wrestling announcer, Michael Buffer, shouts his Catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!"
  • Latex Perfection: Jacobo masquerading as Heather. Hilariously subverted immediately afterwards when Fred confronts Jacobo's accomplice:
    Fred: And the real identity of Ned is... [pulls at Ned's hairline]
    Ned: Ow!
    [Beat]
    Fred: ...Ned!
  • Legion of Doom: Several famous monsters Mystery Inc. have tackled become lackeys to the Evil Masked Figure.
  • Let's Split Up, Gang!: When the group arrive at Wickles' mansion, it's Shaggy who says this (as part of his drive to be a better detective).
    Shaggy: Alright, gang! Let's, like, split up, and search for clues. Scoob and I'll go this way!
    [he and Scooby walk off]
    Fred: He stole my thing that I say!
  • Lovable Coward: Just like in every other incarnation of Scooby-Doo, Scooby and Shaggy are easily scared and tend to run from anything that frightens them.
  • Mad Scientist Laboratory: Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory and the Monster Hive both strongly resemble the archetypal Mad Scientist Laboratory.
  • Magic Pants: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways. Aside from when Scooby transforms into the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, these transformations always include form-fitting clothing, with Scooby keeping his collar and Shaggy keeping a green top and brown bottoms. Notably, when Shaggy has a "Chick's body," he gets a belt that says, "SHAGGY" on the back.
  • Male Gaze: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that gives him a "Chick's body," which involves having Curves in All the Right Places. In addition to his body, both his clothing and the filmmaking lean into several Always Female tropes. This includes Gendered Outfit, Bare Midriffs Are Feminine, and Form-Fitting Wardrobe for Shaggy's new clothes, as well as Boobs-and-Butt Pose, Women Are Delicate, and Girly Run for Shaggy's choreography and blocking while in this form.
  • The Man Behind the Monsters: The Evil Masked Figure is the one bringing the monster costumes to life.
  • Manipulative Bitch: Heather Jasper-Howe manages to start a smear campaign to discredit Mystery Inc. This is because she is actually Jonathan Jacobo doing this out of revenge.
  • Men Are Strong, Women Are Pretty: For the most part, this is the case throughout the film, with the only exception being Daphne, who is both conventionally attractive (in accordance with Hollywood Beauty Standards) and strong. Shaggy's transformations in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory overtly reflect this dichotomy, with his feminine form being slim and conventionally attractive (in accordance with Hollywood Beauty Standards), with Curves in All the Right Places, and his masculine form being abnormally muscular.
  • Mind over Matter: The Black Knight Ghost now has the ability to move his sword with his mind, which causes some trouble for Daphne after she knocks it out of his hands.
    Black Knight Ghost: Look! No hands!
  • Morphic Resonance: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways. Aside from when Scooby transforms into the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, these transformations always resemble their original form.
  • Motorcycle Jousting: Fred rides a motorcycle and uses a pole to duel the Black Knight Ghost.
  • Mutagenic Goo: Scooby and Shaggy find potions/chemicals in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory that cause them to transform.
  • Mythology Gag:
  • Near-Villain Victory: The Evil Masked Figure gets very close to offing the Scooby gang, and it is only a stroke of genius on the part of Scooby that saves the day.
  • Needle in a Stack of Needles: While searching for an antidote in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy has no reliable way of identifying which potion(s) he needs to transform Scooby (and himself) back to normal. When selecting a potion, he comments that, "It looks medicinal," but there are similar potions throughout the laboratory.
  • Nerds Are Sexy: Carrying over from the first film, Linda Cardellini as Velma, particularly when she gets a makeover and walks downstairs without glasses and wearing a latex suit. Fred and Patrick's reactions say it all.
  • Never Found the Body: When telling the gang about Jonathan Jacobo's failed prison escape, Velma explains that "his body was lost at sea". Only it turns out Jacobo is Not Quite Dead.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
    • While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster. Shaggy tries to find an antidote, but winds up accidentally transforming himself as well.
    • When Shaggy and Scooby find a control panel, they start fiddling with it. This causes four monsters to be unleashed: a zombie, Captain Cutler, Miner 49er, and the Tar Monster.
  • Non-Fatal Explosions: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy throws a potion across the room, which has Explosive Results, blasting a hole in one wall and pinning Shaggy and Scooby against the opposite wall.
  • Not a Mask: After the Evil Masked Figure's accomplice is revealed to be Ned, Fred tries to unmask him only to realise he's not wearing one.
  • Oh, Crap!:
    • The Cotton Candy Glob is horrified when he realizes that Scooby and Shaggy are NOT afraid of him. On the contrary...
    • The Black Knight Ghost invokes this word for word after Fred and Daphne MacGyver a way to defeat both him and the 10,000 Volt Ghost at the same time.
  • One Dose Fits All: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform, and notably, a single antidote that causes both of them to return to their normal forms. The amount of liquid they consume seems to be a non-factor.
  • One-Man Army: The Tar Monster is this due to the nature of his powers, especially during the climax when he single-handedly incapacitates all four human members of Mystery Inc.
  • Orgasmically Delicious: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that causes him to violently writhe around. At the end of his writhing, there's a ding sound effect and Shaggy lets out a gentle, pleased "Hoo" sound while slightly rolling his shoulders, implying he felt something akin to an orgasm. This is further supported by the sexual nature of his transformation.
  • Painful Transformation: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform. During some of these transformation sequences, they writhe as though in pain.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: Shaggy and Scooby infiltrating the Faux Ghost as "Shizzy McCreepy" and "SD McCrawley" respectively. Astonishingly, it works — right up until Scooby's afro flies off.
  • Pec Flex: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, he then proceeds to flex and shouts, "Check out my pecs, little man!"
  • Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: In the scene entitled, "Transformers," Scooby and Shaggy are literal transformers, as they drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways, but this name is also the name of a popular franchise about shapeshifting mecha robots.
  • Power Makes Your Voice Deep: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular, and while in this form, his voice is deeper than usual.
  • Psycho Electro: The 10,000 Volt Ghost is an electrical being and a complete psycho.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: The Black Knight Ghost invokes this when Fred tries to stall him by Talking the Monster to Death. Fred claims that he's using a brutal façade to hide his true sensitive nature, to which the Black Knight replies, "You've touched my inner child... and he's really MAD!"
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Before Scooby resets the control panel to the machine, he says, "Scooby... Dooby... Doo!!!"
  • Quote Mine: Heather Jasper-Howe does this to Fred twice, which helps build onto Mystery Inc.'s bad press.
    Freddie: Hey! You're doing that thing again where you take everything I say out of context! You're trying make it look like I think Coolsville sucks! [realizes he's being filmed] No! Don't record that!
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: The red-eyed Skeleton Man is the smarter and more dangerous of the pair; his green-eyed partner is more goofy and laid-back.
  • Red Herring: There are a couple of misleading suspects to the true identity of the Evil Masked Figure.
    • Velma's Love Interest, Patrick, who she encounters near the Stalker Shrine to Jonathan Jacobo located not far from the Evil Masked Figure's lair (which turns out to be a Shrine to Self), and even appears to have been the latter's student as indicated by a framed photograph showing Patrick as a child receiving an award from Jacobo that Velma finds in the aforementioned shrine.
    • Also Jeremiah Wickles, who used to be the Black Knight. He is suspected when the gang find a book belonging to Jacobo in his manor, but it turns out to have been planted by the real culprit because Wickles hated Jacobo.
  • Reluctant Monster: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster. Scooby doesn't realize that he's undergone an Oblivious Transformation until Shaggy (in shock and horror) points it out to him, at which point he panics.
  • Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Jonathan Jacobo, as revealed when Velma sees a photo of him near the unfinished Coolsonian Museum. He supposedly died before construction began.
  • The Rest Shall Pass: Occurs multiple times during the climax, though they all meet back up for the final run to the monster hive. First Fred faces the Black Knight Ghost in a joust, Daphne tries to take on the 10000-Volt Ghost, and Velma distracts the Skeleton Men, leaving Shaggy and Scooby to reach the hive on their own.
  • The Reveal: Dr. Jonathan Jacobo is the Big Bad all along and secretly posing as reporter Heather Jasper-Howe so he can tarnish Mystery Inc.'s reputation.
  • Riddle for the Ages: So how does the machine used to bring monster costumes to life work? We don't know and it's never answered.
  • Sadist: The Evil Masked Figure and his monsters try to make Mystery Inc. suffer before Tar Monster can finish them off.
  • Same Character, But Different: While the Pterodactyl Ghost was a monster the gang encountered in The Scooby-Doo Show, the monster's true identity in this film, Dr. Jonathan Jacobo, is quite different from Johnny, the true identity used in the original cartoon. Aside from having similar names and the same monster disguise, Dr. Jonathan Jacobo and Johnny have very little in common, with Johnny being the handsome owner of a catering truck who used the Pterodactyl Ghost to cover up his music pirating scheme, and Jacobo being a Mad Scientist who used the monster disguise to rob banks to fund his experiments.
  • Science Hero: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways. When Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, he becomes a Science Hero, developing a cure for both of them by mixing two potions together.
  • Secret Room: Shaggy and Scooby find a hidden elevator that leads to Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory. A piece of mining equipment serves as a lever to open the elevator doors.
  • Self-Disposing Villain: Non-lethal example. The Evil Masked Figure ends up captured by tripping on his own catwalk.
  • Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, causing him to speak more eloquently.
  • Sexophone: When Shaggy is revealed to have a "Chick's body," the score transitions into a seductive saxophone melody which strongly resembles the beginning of "Jessica's Theme" by Alan Silvestri.
  • Shapeshifting Sound: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform in various ways, and various sounds can be heard as they transform.
  • Shout-Out: The Pterodactyl Ghost getting stuck in the Tar Monster is a reference to what happened to "Turu the Terrible" from said episode of Jonny Quest. The exact same screeching roar was used by Hanna-Barbera for both Turu and the cartoon Pterodactyl Ghost.
  • Sickly Green Glow: Most of the monsters are surrounded by a greenish mist, presumably as part of the monster-making process.
  • Signature Move: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that transforms him into the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, and when transforming out of this form, he performs the Tasmanian Devil's Tornado Spin.
  • Smart People Speak the Queen's English: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, and consequently gives him a British accent.
  • Smooch of Victory: Daphne gives one to Scooby for defeating the Evil Masked Figure and his monsters and saving the gang from them.
  • Squeaky Eyes: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that causes him to transform into a monster with Eye on a Stalk eyes that squeak when he looks around and blinks.
  • Stunned Silence: When Fred, Daphne, and Velma find an abnormally muscular Shaggy and ludicrously intelligent Scooby in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, they're left speechless.
  • Take the Wheel: When the gang is being chased by the Pterodactyl Ghost, Fred tells Shaggy to take the wheel of the Mystery Machine while he tries to shoot it off. Later, Shaggy is called upon to help Velma and leaves the wheel to Scooby. Granted, Scooby is pretty intelligent as far as animals go, but he's not that far up the scale. The Mystery Machine duly spins out of control.
  • Tastes Better Than It Looks: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion and comments that it, despite being a mysterious concoction, "Tastes like straw— strawberries!"
  • Temporary Bulk Change: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby and Shaggy drink various chemicals/potions that cause them to transform, often changing mass considerably. Because each potion cancels out the effects of the previous potion, this change in mass is only temporary.
  • The Stinger: Scooby is playing the Game Boy Advance game based on the movie and shows the viewers a secret code to use in the game. Entering it in the GBA game, among other things, shows the game's true ending, which is similar to the film's. It can be used in other versions as well — using it at the end of the PC game takes the player to a bonus level, which is a five-round dance off with the Evil Masked Figure.
  • Theme Music Power-Up:
    • While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy drinks a potion that makes him abnormally muscular and the song "Get Ready For This" by 2 Unlimited plays.
    • Happens in the climax with MXPX's cover of the theme song playing.
  • These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, and immediately after acknowledging this, he complains, "It's awful! Oh, I long for the blissful ignorance of my former self!" because he feels cursed by his newfound knowledge.
  • Thinking Out Loud: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent. He also becomes much more talkative, monologuing about his feelings and plans.
  • Too Hungry to Be Polite: Desperate to cure himself of his "Chick's body," Shaggy tilts his head all the way back, such that his mouth faces the ceiling, and pours a potion straight down into his throat, swallowing all of the remaining liquid in one gulp.
  • Took a Level in Badass: SCOOBY-DOO. He kills all the monsters in the climax himself.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: In response to criticism regarding their depictions in the previous film, the members of the Mystery Gang are noticeably less mean-spirited and self-centred in this instalment, bringing them closer in line with their original cartoon counterparts.
  • Token Human: The Evil Masked Figure is the only human among the Legion of Doom of former Scooby-Doo monsters.
  • A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: While searching for an antidote in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy spills a potion on his hand. He knows that the potion may be dangerous to consume, because Scooby already drank one and transformed into a monster, but rather than wipe the liquid off, he licks it off and winds up transforming as well.
  • Transformation Discretion Shot: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion and begins to experience a Bit-by-Bit Transformation; however, the camera then cuts to Shaggy, who turns around and sees a fully transformed monster version of Scooby.
  • Truer to the Text: Compared to the first film, this one is more faithful to the Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
  • Unintentional Backup Plan: While trying to give Scooby an antidote, Shaggy unwittingly gives Scooby a potion that makes him ludicrously intelligent, allowing him to act as a Science Hero and develop an antidote for both of them.
  • Ugly All Along: Heather Jasper-Howe (Alicia Silverstone) is revealed to be Jonathan Jacobo (Tim Blake Nelson) in disguise.
  • Unsettling Gender-Reveal: Heather Jasper-Howe (Alicia Silverstone) is really a man. Her accomplice Ned doesn't take it well.
  • Villain: Exit, Stage Left: The Evil Masked Figure attempts to escape after his scheme falls apart, only to fall through the catwalk.
  • Voices Are Mental: While in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Scooby drinks a potion that transforms him into the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, but this physical change has no impact on his voice.
  • Who Are You?: At the end of the film, the Evil Masked Figure yells "Who do you think you are?!" shortly before Scooby resets the machines control panel.
  • Who Is Driving?: Fred tells Shaggy to drive the Mystery Machine while he and the girls try to fend off the Pterodactyl Ghost chasing them.
    Fred: This is bad!
    Shaggy: No doubt.
    Fred: Shaggy?
    Shaggy: Yeah?
    Fred: Who's driving?
    Shaggy: Uh...
    [the gang looks behind and notices that Scooby is the only one sitting in front]
    Scooby: [completely nonplussed] Hello.
  • Wrong Assumption: While searching for an antidote in Jonathan Jacobo's underground laboratory, Shaggy desperately exclaims, "Now there's got to be an antidote in here somewhere," and grabs a single potion, expecting to find a ready-made Panacea, but when Scooby eventually develops a cure for them, he does so by mixing two potions together.

 
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Scooby Doo: Monsters Unleashed

Fred calls Heather Jasper-Howe out on doing manipulative editing... and she then proceeds to do just that to the footage of him calling her out on it.

How well does it match the trope?

5 (39 votes)

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Main / ManipulativeEditing

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