Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006) *** (out of 4) Scooby and the gang are invited on a cruise by Fred's parents but soon the ship is taken over by dead pirates. They kidnap Fred's parents so the gang must go after them and try to learn why they've come back from the dead. When reviewing these Scooby movies I have to keep in mind not only my opinion but that of my three-year-old son. His opinion of this movie is that it quickly became his favorite of the series and each time I asked which one he wants to watch it's this here. In fact, I think we're working on about fifteen times in a row he has selected this one so obviously kids should love it. I've seen the film on a number of occasions with him and I do think it's one of the best out there. The actual story here is a very good one and I really liked how they took the pirate theme and mixed it with zombies as well as the entire Bermuda Triangle thing. The animation is top-notch from start to finish and also shows a lot of imagination. The actual look of the pirates is without question the highlight of the film as the detail in the costumes and their look is great. This one here also features a lot of famous names doing vocal work including Tim Conway, Arsenio Hall, Freddy Rodriquez, Ron Perlman and Kathy Najimy. SCOOBY-DOO! PIRATES AHOY! will certainly entertain fans of the series and kids should really enjoy it as well.

No matter what I will always love Scooby-Doo even if the cartoon leaves me feeling dry, this one wasn't all bad. Right from the beginning I was sceptical about this one, it just seemed off. The movie follows a concept I've always been fascinated with; the Bermuta triangle, but it just lacks the interest I was hoping for, it only has a few good jokes, it feels a bit to dragged out, and it's just way to predictable I knew the whole mystery about 20 mins in, it's a very straight forward cartoon that lacks twists and turns. Regardless of the flaws I found it an OK movie, with an interesting plot and great voice over actors.Scooby and the gang are off to set sail on a tropical mystery themed cruise where they find a mysterious cast away who speaks of a terrifying experience he has had in the Bermuda triangle, where his crew has been abducted by ghost pirates. The gang at first think it is just a part of the mystery themed cruise but they soon realize the cast away speaks the truth and the passengers, the crew all get taken away by the ghost pirates, but this time it's personal as Fred's parents have been taken. The gang is on the case.Let me first off by saying once again I was very pleased by the great talent of the voice over cast. This is one of the biggest reason why this cartoon was merely OK, but also it turned out to be its biggest flaw, you'll see about 20 mins in. Once again we have Frank Welker as Fred and Scooby-Doo, Grey Delisle as Daphne, Mindy Cohn as Velma, and of course Casey Kasem as Shaggy, who all once do a fabulous job. Joining the great voice over cast we have Ron Perlman as Captain Skunkbeard/Biff Wellington, Dan Castellaneta as Mr. Mysterio/Woodenleg Wally, Edie McClurg as Peggy Jones, and Tim Conway as Skip Jones. They all do a wonderful job but in the end it gives the entire mystery away as soon as it starts which left me feeling stale about the whole thing.The storyline the movie follows I found was interesting but I feel it could have been a much better cartoon if they had to go with aliens instead of pirates for the Bermuda triangle but regardless I found it mildly interesting just because it was the Bermuda triangle. The storyline really lacks twists and turns there is only one which is the ending which can be seen a million miles away, there is only a few jokes, and it just seems to dragged out which I hate seeing in a Scooby-Doo cartoon. I feel they could have easily expanded on the mysteries surrounding the Bermuda triangle.All in all an OK cartoon. If you are a Scooby-Doo fan you should at least give it a go once and maybe you will love it, everyone has their own opinions, but in the end for me the only good things were the voice over actors who also made me feel sour about the whole cartoon, and the interesting concept of the Bermuda triangle which could have been explored more. So make sure you really consider renting or buying Scooby-Doo Pirates Ahoy and give it a whirl at least once.Overall score: ***** out of ********** **1/2 out of *****

If you don't like the What's New Scooby-Doo? series, you probably won't like this much. I'm pleased to say I love the series, and this film was one of the best I've seen.It's Fred's birthday, and his parents have invited him and the rest of Mystery Inc. along on a 'Mystery' cruise, but are suspicious travellers joining them? As the title suggests, pirates are not far behind - and they're of the ghostly variety.The recent Scooby-Doo films (from 2000 onwards) combine quality animation and great voice acting. What I've come to expect from Scooby-Doo films is the storyline involving real ghosts or magic of some sort, like 'Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King'. What on earth was that film all about? Pardon me for being a party pooper, but isn't that sort of completely the opposite of what Scooby-Doo is all about? Scooby-Doo is about finding a logical explanation; finding clues and using intuition. It's like a watered down version of Miss Marple; small mysteries that the audience can try and solve before the gang do. The mystery in this film, and one of the main reasons why I liked it so much, has a logical explanation. It's just like old times with the gang - like a real episode.This film is for all ages too. The colourful animation and slapstick should appeal to younger viewers - though they usually miss most of the dialogue. If you're older, you'll be able to appreciate it - because it sure needs appreciating. It involves much more Scooby than most of the other films, but each member of Mystery Inc is represented equally and all are hilarious - I mean, isn't Daphne usually the picky, whiny one? One of the funniest scenes is down to her. And Fred is beautifully protective of his 'Fred-ness'; many moments are fan based jokes, which I must say I felt very special to be able to understand.I know this is different from the old Scooby-Doo series, but I can't help thinking that this is much, much funnier and so much better put together; the animation is so smooth. The facial expressions are, well, expressive, and the gang are so much more lovable this way; they're silly and human (even Scooby, if you think about it) and it's a breath of fresh air to watch a mystery that seems to make some kind of sense (another hint that this isn't just for kids - they never understand the story line anyway).Again, let me say that if you don't like the new Scooby-Doo, then you probably won't want to try this. But if you think that Mystery Inc. are supposed to be funny, endearing and above all, logical, you may as well give it a go. So, What's New Scooby-Doo? A pretty good straight to DVD film, that's what.

I really enjoyed Scooby Doo: Pirates Ahoy! and I honestly think it is one of the better movies in the Scooby Doo franchise. Like any film with pirates, it was fun, colourful and hugely enjoyable, and my only complaints are that it is too short, and I wasn't hugely keen on Frank Welker's Scooby voice, I much prefer Don Messick. Still, the animation is very colourful, and the music is great. I loved the plot, about the gang cruising in the Bermuda Triangle, and falling foul of ghost pirates. The voice acting was fantastic, Casey Kasem is just a hoot as Shaggy, and Dan Castallenetta was excellent as Magician Mysterio. Ron Perlman was not only charming as Biff Wellington, but deliciously sinister as the villainous pirate captain, and his laugh was quite scary- and I thought Tim Curry's Pennywise's laugh was scary. All in all, despite a couple of minor flaws, an unexpected delight for Scooby Doo fans, a similar thing I said about last year's Goblin King, and I do recommend it. 8/10 Bethany Cox