Big Top Scooby-Doo!

It’s Independence day! That’s cool, but you know what? Freedom can only go so far. Take for instance this post. I may live in the land of the Free, but dammit if I’m not still a slave to Scooby Doo. And let me tell you that dog is a harsh master. So, before he cracks the leash (Can you crack a leash?) let’s get into today’s movie. Big Top Scooby-Doo!

I really, really enjoyed this movie. I can’t pin point exactly why, not at this moment anyway. But I’m sure by the time the wrap comes I’ll have it pegged.

So what do we have this time? The title should shed some light on it but let’s go deeper.

“Big Top Scooby-Doo!” starts with the gang arriving in Atlantic City to check out the Brancusi Circus. It’s a little odd to see the gang in a real place. This time it’s Fred who is the reason behind the trip. The gang arrive a day before the circus opens. They find out that the door is open and decide to take a look around. They aren’t alone though, they run into a man searching for a Werewolf. Since it’s the Scooby Gang they run into some trouble, the aforementioned Werewolf.

Just a quick aside, before I continue with the plot. The one downside to this movie is just how generic the monster is. It’s a Werewolf, that’s so boring. This is taking place in a Circus, why not a killer Clown, demonic Lion Tamer, zombie Strong Man, or a mummy elephant. The last one is my favorite. The monster in this movie is a lost opportunity.

Velma is able to scare it off. After that encounter the man they met earlier introduces himself. He is Marius Brancusi, the Circus Ringleader. This part is a bit of exposition dump. We learn that the Werewolf has been causing havoc at the circus, it’s run off performers and stolen jewelry. Marius admits that he believes the werewolf to be one of his performers. During this exchange Velma notices that this case resembles an incident from the 1800s. In that case a supposed werewolf stole jewels so that he would be able to change on a whim instead of waiting for a full moon.

The gang inform Marius that they solve mysteries and are hired. How much do you think Mystery Inc. charges? I’m assuming that some money has to be changing hands. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to keep Scooby and Shaggy fed? Let alone keeping the Mystery Machine fueled. That is gas guzzler if I ever saw one.  With the gang on the job they now have to go undercover.

That means the gang is going to be playing the part (parts) of circus performers. Scooby and Shaggy are now an animal act, Fred is a backup trapeze artist, Velma is a human cannonball, and Daphne is a motorcycle stuntwoman. That is a bit of continuity, and you know how much I love continuity. This scene is also where we meet most of our cast. Scooby and Shaggy are introduced to Whitney Doubleday (cool name) the Circus’ resident animal trainer. Whitney informs the two that he will soon be out a job, as Marius is fazing out animal acts. I guess PETA exists even in the Scooby universe.

Fred meets Olivera and Lena, a couple who are the main trapeze act. Lena is a bit of a flirt and this drives Olivera crazy. The guy is murderously jealous. Velma ends up working with Archambault the strong man, and Daphne is paired with a pair of clown named Schmatko and Sisko.  I hate clowns, always have, but Schmatko and Sisko are the best characters in this movie. Schmatko is a Russian who is very reluctant in his role as a clown. He wants to be a serious actor. Sisko only communicates by honking a horn, which Schmatko completely understands, and seems quite content.

After this series of introductions Schmatko, who had gone to get drinks, is taken by the Werewolf. This would seem to imply that the Werewolf is not one of the performers. Sometime later the gang are witness to a burglary that is being performed by the Werewolf and a second Werewolf who is wearing Schmatko’s costume.  The gang return to the Circus and tell Marius what they saw. He decides that the show must go on.

Since Schmatko is missing the gang get to be in the show, Lucy must be so jealous. If she only knew that all you had to do to get into the show was have a Werewolf attack, she would have done it long ago.  Daphne takes the place of Schmatko while Fred does a tight rope performance. But the star of the show is Shaggy. Well it’s actually Scooby but Shaggy gets the credit for being Scooby’s trainer. This is one of the secondary plots of this movie. Actually, this has been a bit of a recurring theme since Matthew Lilliard took over the Shaggy role. It seems that now Scooby and Shaggy are more likely to have fights and get angry with each other. It give the relationship a breath of life and it’s more honest. Who hasn’t had huge fights with their best friends? I don’t remember that happening with the previous Shaggys, at least not that often or to the same degree.

Back to the show, just as Velma is about to perform the Werewolves attack. Another subplot is how scared Velma is of being shot out of the cannon.

 She gets over it.

Marius and Fred are able to drop a net on them, from the trapeze, but the monsters disappear.  The show is a hit, in spite of or because of the monsters, the audience believe the commotion was just part of the show. Either way there is a huge round of applause.

The  next day we see the rift between Scooby and Shaggy grow wider. Marius shows the gangs the review from the night before. The critics deem Shaggy the greatest performer and refer to Scooby as “Scabby”. Scooby is obviously upset. After Marius leaves, the gang had been in his trailer, they find a book. The book recounts the earlier mentioned legend. This casts suspicion on Marius. I can’t really say that there was a true Red Herring in this movie. That is to say there wasn’t one obvious possible villain that was just too good to be true. So when suspicion is cast on Marius it feels like he might actually be the Werewolf.

The book reveals that there is only one stone left before the ceremony can be performed. The gang confronts Marius, who had claimed to have no knowledge about werewolves, and he tells them the book is not his.  The missing stone, by the way, is a Carbonado.

I wonder how Gookie feels about this. 

Later in the day, while on lunch, Shaggy is showered in praise. That just pisses Scooby off more, so much so he tries to quit the show. Shaggy is able to persuade him, with the use of Scooby Snacks, to continue.

Back at the circus the gang is informed they will be doing a private show for a rock star named Wulfric Von Rydingsvard. Wulfric has a black diamond around his neck, which Velma learns is another name for a Carbonado. Knowing that their one man audience has the one stone the Werewolf is missing, allows the gang to set a trap.

I'm the only one who noticed Shaggy is rockin the Mister

Miracle look? There will be more Jack Kirby love in later movies.

Before the show Archambault, Lena, and Marius go missing. The show still goes on but is once again interrupted by the Werewolves. This time there are four werewolves, three of which are dressed as the missing performers.  The Werewolves are able to steal the stone and then chase the gang. Shaggy manages to pull off a bit of fur from one of the Werewolves and reveals more fun, red in color, under it.  Scooby then notices that the cages Doubleday had his baboons in are empty. This leads to the revelation that Doubleday and his trained Baboons were the Werewolves.

Mystery solved, end of movie? Right?

No. Not yet.

Doubleday is tranquilized and caught and the baboons are subdued. Doubleday was caught by Archambault who says he had been tied up but was able to escape. Doubleday, still knocked out, is handed over to the cops. Unfortunately the stones were not found.

The following day the Brancusi Circus is ready to move locations. Marius is thankful to the gang and gives them free passes. I guess that’s their payment. Maybe all of the expenses are covered by Daphne, she is loaded. Anyway, we get a few goodbyes, one of which comes from Archambault who while saying good bye to Velma mentions the ‘black diamond’.  Schamatko tells Daphne that he is going to quit being a clown and pursue his dream of being a theatre actor.

As the Circus Train is pulling out Velma remembers two things: first Archambault never heard the phrase ‘black diamond’ and should only know the stone as a Carbanado, second Doubleday said “you won’t take ‘us’ that easy” which implied that he was not working alone. This scene is great because it shows a bit of actual deductive reasoning. Something you don’t get to see much  in Scooby movies. There are a few other things that she remembers as well. 

Now that the gang knows that Archambault is behind everything they chase after the train. When they catch up they see Archambault attacking Marius. Scooby and Shaggy are able to jump on the train, during this Shaggy apologizes to Shaggy and the two makeup. The two then free the baboons and use a tranquilizer dart to stop Archambault.

We get a second scene of the criminal being handed over to the authorities, and the real motive. Archambault and Doubleday were angry at the changes Marius was making to the circus. That’s it. I guess they were really adverse to change. The movie ends with Wulfric, happy to have his necklace back, giving the gang a private performance.

I said I’d probably be able to put a finger on why I liked this movie at the end of this review, and I was right. Energy. This movie had energy. It was bright, fun, and full of life. This is one of the better Scooby movies, in my humble opinion.

The cast isn’t full of big names, aside for Craig Ferguson as Doubleday and Jeff Dunham as Schmatko and the Conductor, but they all put on great performances. This is one to check out.

8 out of 10

A quick P.S., this movie has a great opening. The animation and music are fantastic. Check it out below.