''Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders'' is a 2000 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

. It is the third direct-to-video film based on ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

Saturday morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...

s. The film was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in association with

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

. It is the third of the first four ''Scooby-Doo'' direct-to-video films to be animated overseas by Japanese animation studio Mook Animation. Unlike the previous films and despite the grimmer atmosphere, it has a lighter tone since the real monsters are on Mystery Inc.'s side and the disguised human beings are the main villains. It is the last film to feature

Mary Kay Bergman Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also briefly credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the official voice of the Disney character Snow White from 1989 to 1999 and the lead fem ...

as the voice of

Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...

, following her death in November 1999; this film is dedicated in her memory. It is also the last film that longtime Scooby-Doo writer Glenn Leopold would write after leaving due to "creative differences" from Warner Bros. It is also the last film to use cel animation, as starting with '' Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase'' the films would later use digital ink and paint.

Plot

While driving the Mystery Inc. gang through the desert amidst a sandstorm,

Shaggy Rogers Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. He is characterized as an amateur detective, and the long-time best friend of his dog, Scooby-Doo. Character description Shaggy ...

accidentally drives onto government property before a UFO sighting causes him to crash near a small town. Shaggy and his dog

stay with the group's van, the Mystery Machine, while the others head towards town to find help. Not long after, the pair encounter aliens who chase them into town. After reuniting with their friends in a diner, a waitress named Dottie says the locals have never seen aliens, but have seen strange lights and hear strange sounds at night. Chef Sergio adds cattle have vanished overnight, causing people to leave town. When a patron claims to have pictures of aliens, the gang travel to his home, only to learn he made paintings. Nonetheless, he offers to let them stay the night. While sleeping on the roof, Shaggy and Scooby are abducted by the aliens before they are awakened in the desert by photographer Crystal and her dog Amber, who give them a ride back to the diner. While spending time together, Crystal claims she is an undercover government agent sent to investigate alien activity. Shaggy takes her to the caves where he and Scooby first encountered the aliens. They find gold deposits, but are chased by aliens and military police. Meanwhile, the rest of Mystery Inc. ask a local mechanic named Buck to fix the Mystery Machine, during which they meet Max, a member of SALF (Search for Alien Lifeforms). When Max takes them to meet the rest of his team, Laura and Steve,

Velma Dinkley Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she ...

grows suspicious after seeing dried mud on the SALF team's boots. Taking her friends to a nearby canyon to confirm her suspicions, they find a dry riverbed along with mining equipment and gold within several caves before running into Shaggy, Scooby, Crystal, and Amber. The aliens capture Velma, Fred Jones, and

Daphne Blake Daphne Blake is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is a core member of Mystery Incorporated and is depicted as coming from a wealthy family. She is noted for her beauty, fashion sense, and her knack for getting into dan ...

while the MPs cause the others to fall off a ledge. After the MPs leave to pursue them, the aliens reveal themselves as the SALF team, who discovered the cave is part of a 19th century gold mine. Due to it being on government property, they kept it hidden, concocted their alien disguises to keep others away, and hired men to impersonate MPs to help them further. Concurrently, the MPs corner Shaggy, Scooby, Crystal, and Amber, but the latter pair reveal themselves as aliens to rescue the former pair before rescuing the others and subduing the SALF team. Crystal and Amber reveal further that they were the ones who caused Shaggy to crash and used television signals from the 1960s to disguise themselves before sharing their goodbyes with Shaggy and Scooby and leaving Earth. Afterward, the SALF team and the MP impersonators are arrested and Buck repairs the Mystery Machine, allowing Mystery Inc. to resume their journey.

Voice cast

* Scott Innes as

and

* Frank Welker as Fred Jones * B.J. Ward as

Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor. He voiced the titular character of ''Johnny Bravo'', Dexter and Dee Dee's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', List of The Powerpuff Girls characters#Ace, Ace, List of The Powerpuff Gi ...

as Lester and Fake MP #2 * Jennifer Hale as Dottie *

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

as Steve, Agent and Fake MP #1 *

Candi Milo Candyce Anne Rose Milo (born January 9, 1961) Timestamps: (00:27:12-00:27:45) Milo states that she is "firmly 51". (00:06:40-00:06:47) Milo states that she was born in Palm Springs. (00:16:23-00:16:25) She says her birthday is in January. (00:48 ...

as Crystal and Amber *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

as Max and Aliens * Neil Ross as Sergio and Buck * Audrey Wasilewski as Laura

Production

''Scooby-Doo'' direct-to-video films began with ''Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island'' in 1998, followed by ''Witch's Ghost'' in 1999. The first films had done so well that the studio considered ''Scooby-Doo'' a tentpole property that would sell "no matter what". ''Witch's Ghost'' had a troubled production, with studio executives insisting the team following a script written by outside screenwriters that the crew considered unsatisfactory. Unlike its predecessor, ''Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders'' was a largely smooth-sailing production, with little executives oversight. The film was written by Davis Doi and Lance Falk, with Glenn Leopold contributing some small elements. The theme song featured actress

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...

performing.

Home media

The movie was released on VHS and DVD on October 3, 2000 for $19.96 and $24.98, respectively. Special features on the DVD include: * The Behind the Scenes special * The Making of a Scooby-Doo! Video Game * Scooby's Steps to Solving a Mystery * Cast Fun Facts * Trailers

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. David Parkinson of ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'', gave the film a three out of five stars, saying, "This cartoon adventure is the best of a spate of feature-length spin-offs from the much-loved TV series." Carrie R. Wheadon of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the film a 3 out of 5 stars.

References

External links

* {{Warner Bros. animation and comics 2000 films 2000 American animated direct-to-video films 2000 children's films 2000s monster movies 2000s science fiction comedy films 2000 romantic comedy films 2000s comedy mystery films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comic science fiction films American children's animated mystery films Animated films about extraterrestrial life 2000s English-language films Films directed by Jim Stenstrum Films scored by Louis Febre Warner Bros. Animation films Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films Films set in New Mexico Scooby-Doo direct-to-video animated films Films about shapeshifting 2000s children's animated films Animated films set in deserts Animated films based on animated series Films about alien abduction Animated films set in the United States English-language science fiction horror films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language romantic comedy films English-language comedy mystery films