YMMV / Scooby-Doo Direct-to-Video Film Series

• Base-Breaking Character: Velma's gaining a Flat-Earth Atheist personality starting from Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy proved to be divisive, some feel that it makes her feel like a Insufferable Genius that refuses to ever admit she could be in the wrong no matter how contrived the explanation is, while others think that one core element of Scooby-Doo is the skepticism of the supernatural so this change is justified. This trait has been downplayed since Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! however.
• Broken Base:
  • The series as a whole is in one of its own. Given it has been going on strong for years it has a clearly beloved fanbase still supporting it year after year. It also has some detractors who wonder why it is still going on without any signs of ending. Similar thoughts are echoed on its sibling entity the Tom and Jerry Direct-to-Video Film Series, and is a very solid reason why Hanna-Barbera's IPs are still considered divisive to this day.
  • The use of Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane of latter movies has proved to be contested, especially when is movies that directly connect with movies and shows where supernatural forces appeared (The Curse of the 13th Ghost and Return To Zombie Island being major offenders), some see it as a case of Salvaged Story given many fans prefer the Gang to not face real monsters, while others feels is very late to try to retcon clearly supernatural elements from previous movies and shows and feel the attempts to give everything a more mundane explanation are clumsy at best or downright clueless at worst.
• Complete Monster: Zombie Island: Jacques stands out as a stark contrast with his two co-conspirators. While his partners had no idea that praying to their cat god for help in their pursuit of vengeance would lead to their transformation into monsters, Jacques was a normal man who willingly became a monster to make himself immortal. For years he's been using his ferry to escort people to Moonscar Island, only for him and his partners to drain the life from them. Afterwards their victims are left to wander the island as zombies, aware but unable to move on to the afterlife.
• Continuity Lock-Out: This trope is mostly averted because Scooby-Doo in general runs on Rule of Fun. Any new fan young or old can watch one of these movies and easily follow along and any major plot points that need to be explained will be. However, at the same time many of the most recent movies have incredibly large doses of Mythology Gag and Shout-Out embedded into them that have been regularly going over the heads of new fans and people who just aren't that invested in the series' history. Several films have a premise that is deliberately inspired by a previous episode or theme from Scooby's past of just Hanna-Barbera in general. While you won't be locked out of the general fun, there will be a lot of gags and events that one can't fully appreciate without having some knowledge of what came before.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • The Hex Girls from Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost. Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. caught on, leading to them being recurring characters in the franchise.
  • Jessica from Scooby-Doo: Camp Scare was only featured in one installment of the series, and she left quite an impact on most (male) fans.
  • Trudy, also from Camp Scare, seems to be well-liked by goth fans.
  • Duncan MacGubbin from Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster, for his freaky cross-eyed appearance and overall creepy feel.
  • Velma's younger sister, Madelyn Dinkley, from Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo.
  • Shakey Joe from Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur.
  • Crystal from Alien Invaders, and Simone & Lena from Zombie Island are all well-liked despite only appearing in one film each.
  • Though the movie itself is something of a Contested Sequel, the Phantom Virus from Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is quite possibly the most popular villain in the series.
  • The virtual Mystery Incorporated from The Cyber Chase.
• Evil Is Cool: Most of the villains from the 90s DTV films, namely Simone, Lena, and Jacques, Ben Ravencroft along with his more powerful ancestor Sarah, and the Phantom Virus. It helps that they're genuine monsters opposed to the usual human crooks.
• Fan-Preferred Couple: Shaggy and Crystal, thanks to Alien Invaders. To a lesser extent, Scooby and Amber as well.
• First Installment Wins: Zombie Island is considered the best movie in the series and one of the best Scooby-Doo animations ever by some of the fans. The following three movies, The Witch's Ghost, Alien Invaders, and Cyber Chase are also remembered fondly, although the latter two have started to fall out of favor when observed more closely. Nonetheless, the first four films remain the most well known of the bunch.
• Growing the Beard: This trope is brought up on some aspects of the series as it has changed style several times. Some would consider the first four movies a Growing the Beard for the franchise as a whole. While starting with Abracadabra Doo some feel the film series started putting more focus on the characters for the better compared to the previous section.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Given how many years this film series has been going and all the different guest stars and/or plotlines the movies involve, it's safe to say that even if you don't religiously watch every Scooby-Doo Direct-to-Video Film Series movie, some of the films will have stronger selling points than others depending on what you're looking for. If you're a fan of Professional Wrestling, the WWE crossovers will likely be something you'd be more likely to check out. If you're a Batman fan, the crossover movie Scooby had with Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be likely be your pick. If you watched The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo in your childhood, you might be more likely to watch Scooby Doo! And The Curse of the 13th Ghost to see the 13 ghosts arc be given resolution. Even if you don't care for Scooby Doo but enjoyed Courage the Cowardly Dog, Straight Outta Nowhere would be the crossover event you'll likely see just for Courage himself. Or even if you only enjoyed the first Zombie Island movie and didn't care for the other Scooby movies that followed, you might just be tempted to pick back up on the film series once again with Return To Zombie Island.

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