REVIEW: Straight Outta Nowhere (2021)

REVIEW:

TEMPLATE: @mlp-vs-capcom

"Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog" (2021) - Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.

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I have been waiting for this moment, ever since I heard this movie was announced last year. When the trailer first dropped on YouTube a few months ago this year, I cannot tell you how excited I truly was. I was outright screaming at my computer screen in pure joy and watched it repeatedly. Three months later, "Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog" is finally here, but does it live up to the expectations of both "Scooby" and "Courage" fans?

The answer is a definite yes. Not only does this movie decline my hatred of the recent milking of the "Scooby-Doo" franchise that has made it go downhill to the highest level, over the years, but Courage and his owners are still the same, as they were back in 1999. On a sad note, this film was Thea White's final performance as Muriel, before she died due to liver cancer in July. It was a blessing from God she was able to reunite with Marty Grabstien for one last time.

The animation is great, for the most part. All of the characters move decently and the colors are very "Courage-esque;" However, it does have moments where the facial expressions don't mix right. Allow me to elaborate;

In the Mayor's mansion, Courage, Scooby and Shaggy are being chased by the Queen Cicada, before they run into the Glockenspiels. They flee and while they're screaming, Courage makes an expression that is ugly beyond belief. Watch the scene and you'll know what I'm talking about. It is so out of place and doesn't fit the character. On top of this, he also makes his mouth cover his body and eyes in certain shots. At one point, they even put eyes on his tongue and make it scream, as he's doing it. It's really distracting and disgusting.

The designs of the Queen Cicada and its swarm are actually something you would see John R. Dilworth create. They make your skin crawl, whenever they're on screen and it's awesome to watch.

Now, onto the characters; Scooby and the Gang have more development, here, than in the previous DTV movies, but Courage, Eustace and Muriel haven't changed, a bit in two decades. The moment they show up, their scenes write themselves. Seeing Courage become fast friends with Scooby and Shaggy is an absolute magical experience and I loved every second of it.

If I had to pick one thing I'm disappointed in with their interactions, Courage never addresses Shaggy or Scooby by their names, throughout the entire film. I would've gone nuts to hear him cry out, "SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU?!" just once. It might've been a nice change of pace, since Shaggy always does that, but I'm pleased with what I got.

The highlight of the movie was the third act; where Scooby and Courage are chased by the cicadas and rescuing their families. I won't go into anymore details because I refuse to risk spoiling it, for those who haven't seen this, yet.

Overall, "Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog" is far from perfect, but what we ended up with is an entertaining, funny and delightful movie that never misses the mark and it feels like a love letter to fans of "Courage," myself included. I've been wanting Courage to be in a crossover film and I got my wish, at last. This is worth your time and totally worth the three month wait.