''Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights'' (also known as ''Arabian Nights'') is a 1994

made-for-television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

produced by

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

, and aired on

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

on September 3, 1994. It is an adaptation of ''

The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' and features appearances by

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are ...

and Shaggy Rogers, in wraparound segments. The bulk of the special is devoted to two tales, one featuring

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in '' The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

and

Boo-Boo Bear Boo-Boo Bear is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character on '' The Yogi Bear Show''. Boo-Boo is an anthropomorphic dwarf bear who wears a blue bowtie. Boo-Boo is Yogi Bear's constant companion (not his son, as sometimes believed), and often acts as h ...

, and the other starring

Magilla Gorilla Magilla Gorilla is a fictional gorilla and the star of '' The Magilla Gorilla Show'' by Hanna-Barbera that aired from 1963 to 1965. Character description Magilla Gorilla (voiced by Allan Melvin) is a fun-loving yet trouble-prone anthropomorphic g ...

. It is animated with bright colors, stylized character designs and a more flat style compared to the previous television films, and musically scored by veteran animation composer Steven Bernstein, showing strong influence from the high-budget Warner Bros. Animation and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

cartoons of the era, ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation a ...

'' and ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until ...

''. This would prove to be the last time in which

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

voices Scooby and Boo Boo before his retirement in 1996 (though he would voice Scooby one more time in the video game ''

Scooby-Doo Mystery ''Scooby-Doo Mystery'' is the name of two video games released by Acclaim Entertainment and Sunsoft in 1995 based on the '' Scooby-Doo'' animated series. One of the games was released for the Sega Genesis and features a more traditional adventure ...

''), the last time in which

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

voices Shaggy until 2002, the last in which

Allan Melvin Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of th ...

voices Magilla Gorilla (as well as his last film role overall), and also the last time

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained b ...

voiced Yogi officially before being arrested and blacklisted in 2004 (though he would briefly voice him one more time in the parody short, ''

A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith ''A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith'' is a stand-alone animated television special, and a parody of a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, ''The Yogi Bear Show'', which revolves around Ranger Smith. ''A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith'' was made by ''Th ...

'').

Plot

Prologue

Scooby-Doo and Shaggy arrive in

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Pl ...

on a

magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its users to their destination. In literature One o ...

to become royal food tasters for the young

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

. They are initially hired. After they eat everything in sight and leave no food for the Caliph, he and the Royal Chef get angry and the Caliph orders his guards to kill them. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo find a place to hide and Shaggy takes on the disguise as a

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

girl. The Caliph, who is looking for a bride, falls in love with the disguised Shaggy and decides that they shall be married. Hoping to make the Caliph fall asleep so they can make their escape, Shaggy tells him two classic stories.

''Aliyah-Din and the Magic Lamp''

The Sultan of the land is worried as his son, The Prince, has not yet chosen a bride to marry; so he decides to have every eligible woman arrive the next day so that his son may finally get married. However, the Prince notices a young woman near a river washing her clothes and immediately falls in love with her; she notices him and runs off, leaving her scarf behind. However, Haman the vizier is trying to become Sultan. He learns of a magical lamp hidden in a cave that is revealed every three years during a blue moon, but only a person pure of heart can enter the cave; that person being a young woman named Aliyah-Din (the same woman the Prince has fallen in love with). Haman goes into town and finds Aliyah-Din, where he tells her about the lamp, saying that it has special powers that will help heal the sick Sultan, to which Aliyah-Din agrees to help. Later that day, the Prince is still searching for Aliyah-Din where he also attracts a lot of attention from many women who seek to marry him. Meanwhile, Aliyah-Din is late meeting with Haman, but on her way, she discovers the news that the Prince shall choose a bride the next day. Aliyah-Din and the Prince then bump into each other, and Aliyah-Din falls in love with the Prince. However, remembering her duties to help retrieve the lamp, Aliyah-Din is forced to leave. At night, Aliyah-Din meets with Haman where they witness the cave opening. Aliyah-Din goes into the cave and finds the lamp, but the cave starts to collapse and it soon closes, leaving her and the lamp trapped inside. Aliyah-Din then rubs the lamp which releases Yogi Bear, a fully powered Genie and his sidekick Boo-Boo, a Genie-in-training, who reveal to Aliyah-Din that she is their new master and they are allowed to grant her three wishes. Meanwhile, back at the Palace, Haman creates a special potion to use on the Sultan that will make him fall into a deep sleep. He goes to the Sultan's chambers where the potion takes immediate effect; soon after the Prince arrives, unaware of the spell. The Prince apologizes for not having selected a bride, revealing he will choose a bride and marry whoever it may be the next day. However, the Prince notices his father's condition and Haman puts the Prince under the same spell. Haman then brings the unconscious Prince to the dungeons before taking on the Prince's appearance. Aliyah-Din then goes to the palace after wishing to become a princess. Haman reveals himself, takes the lamp, and has Aliyah-Din thrown into the dungeon. Haman uses his first 2 wishes to make himself sultan and ruler of the whole universe. Aliyah-Din escapes from the dungeon and removes the lamp from Haman's grasp, leaving him without a third wish. Aliyah-Din finally gets a do-over of three wishes and uses her first wish to bring everything back to normal. With everything fully restored, The Prince regains consciousness and orders the palace guards to arrest Haman. The Prince then reunites with Aliyah-Din and returns her scarf before asking her to marry him. The now-awakened Sultan arrives and the Prince introduces his father to Aliyah-Din and reveals his desire to marry her. The Sultan, however, cannot bless their desire for marriage, as he reveals to his son that he can only marry a princess. Saddened, The Prince apologizes to Aliyah-Din. However, upon learning her name, The Sultan realizes that Aliyah-Din is the long-lost princess the Prince was engaged to and allows them to be married. The Prince and Aliyah-Din celebrate their engagement and share a kiss, as Boo-Boo finally becomes a full-fledged Genie.

Interlude

After the first story, the Caliph was impressed the story and starts to make plans for the wedding by having the Royal Dress Worker pick out a dress. Scooby-Doo had to pose as the Royal Dress Worker's assistant to measure out a dress. Afterwards, Shaggy begins the next story.

''Sinbad the Sailor''

The second and final tale is about ''

Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (; ar, سندباد البحري, Sindibādu al-Bahriyy; fa, سُنباد بحری, Sonbād-e Bahri or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a story-cycle of Persian origin. He is described as hailing from Baghd ...

'' (played by

) and how he mistakes a pirate ship for a cruise ship. Abandoned by his own crew, the maniacal little pirate captain takes advantage of Magilla's situation and passes himself off as a cruise director with the plan to use Sinbad for stealing a rare rhuk egg from its nest, jewels from the Stream of Precious Gems (presented as a

Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with the ...

-esque dark ride), and a golden toothbrush (owned by a stuffy rich cyclops), passing off the thefts as being part of a scavenger hunt. A running gag in the story involves the pirate ship getting sunk, followed by the cruise ship Sinbad was supposed to board sailing by.

Finale

Before Shaggy can escape, the Caliph decides to start the ceremony right away. When the wedding cake arrives, Shaggy pigs out, and his ruse is discovered by the Royal Chef. However, the Caliph reveals that since he enjoyed listening to the stories and was distracted from his hunger, he has decided to make Shaggy and Scooby royal

storytellers Storyteller, story teller, or story-teller may refer to: * A person who does storytelling Arts and entertainment Film *''Oidhche Sheanchais'', also called ''The Storyteller''; 1935 Irish short film * '' Narradores de Javé'' (''Storytellers'') ...

which the duo happily accept as well as maintaining their royal food tasting job. Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, the Caliph, and the Royal Chef then eat the large cake.

Voice cast

- Shaggy Rogers *

* Eddie Deezen - Caliph *

- Royal Chef *

Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on '' Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on '' Aaahh!!! Real Mon ...

- Royal Guard #1 *

Brian Cummings Brian Douglas Cummings (born March 4, 1948) is an American voice actor, known for his work in radio and television commercials, television and motion picture promos, cartoons and as the announcer on '' The All-New Let's Make a Deal'' from 1984 to ...

- Flying Carpet Driver, Royal Guard #2 * Nick Jameson - Kitchen Worker, Dress Worker

Appearing in Aliyah-Din

as the Genie *

as the Genie-In-Training *

Jennifer Hale Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...

- Aliyah-Din * John Kassir - Haman *

Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Anni ...

- Prince *

- Sultan *

Paul Eiding Paul Eiding (born March 28, 1957) is an American actor and instructor, best known for his voice roles as Colonel Roy Campbell in the ''Metal Gear'' series and Max Tennyson in the '' Ben 10'' franchise. During the 1970s, Eiding was a prolific c ...

- Scribe *

Tony Jay Tony Jay (2 February 1933 – 13 August 2006) was a British actor. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in radio, animation, film, and video games. Jay was particularly noted for his distinctive bari ...

- Lord of the Amulet *

Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to: * Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm * Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska * KATH (AM), a radio station in ...

- Princess, Female Townsfolk

Appearing in Sinbad the Sailor

as Sinbad *

- Pirate Captain *

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

- M. Cyclops *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

- Baby Ruhk Bird, Mother Ruhk Bird, Robot Dragon Head

Home media

In March 1995, right after the special aired, it was released for the first time on VHS, distributed by Turner Home Entertainment in the United States and internationally in the UK and other countries and in South Africa by Ster-Kinekor Home Video. In June 1996, there was a reprint for this tape, except it had the same previews in it and no closing. On September 3, 2004, on its 10th anniversary, it was re-released on VHS and for the first time on DVD, with extras like "Get the Picture with Scooby-Doo and Shaggy", a special music video for "America's In Love with Scooby-Doo", a Scooby Concentration Challenge, and some bonus trailers for further cartoons.

Follow-up film

The ''Scooby-Doo!'' animated film series wound up going on hiatus until ''

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island ''Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island'' is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated mystery comedy horror film based on Hanna-Barbera's '' Scooby-Doo'' Saturday-morning cartoons. In the film, Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Velma, and Daphne reunite after a year ...

'' was released on September 22, 1998.

References

External links

* {{One Thousand and One Nights 1994 films 1994 animated films 1994 fantasy films 1994 television films American animated television films 1990s children's fantasy films Animated crossover films Films based on One Thousand and One Nights Warner Bros. Animation animated films Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films Hanna-Barbera animated films Scooby-Doo animated films Yogi Bear films Animated anthology films American children's animated comedy films 1990s children's animated films Films directed by Jun Falkenstein Cross-dressing in American films 1990s American films