had hit pay dirt with Cats & Dogs, and even though the film had featured any established characters, it was clear to the Studio that these kinds of films were the new de facto standard for the modern family film template. In amongst the early burst of these films, Warner Bros. Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks and, just this summer, Marmaduke were all given starring vehicles, with The Smurfs and Yogi Bear’s inevitably misguided new takes already on the way. But The Flintstones did make a rock pile of moolah, and the studios did what they always do: they gave us more of the same, again and again, leading to a new sub-genre of “live-action” films featuring CG adaptations of brand-recognisable cartoon animals.
SCOOBY DOO 2 MONSTERS UNLEASHED CAST MOVIE
Unfortunately, despite all the frenzied hype and technical expertise, the eventual movie turned out to be something of a damp squib, only realized by most audiences after they’d already laid out their hard earned cash to watch it, and an inevitable – but actually more cohesive – sequel, Viva Rock Vegas, almost disappeared without trace. As with Jurassic, anything that wasn’t human was a mix of ILM’s still-then unbelievable CG magic and super-detailed puppetry from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The casting had been much discussed, with fan favorite John Goodman as Fred ensuring that, whatever we thought about the other names playing the characters, at least the show’s lead was the natural choice. The Flintstones have a lot to answer for! Back in 1994, just as the computer graphics of Jurassic Park made everything doable onscreen, the long-gestating “live-action” adaptation of Hanna-Barbera’s groundbreaking cartoon sitcom (the first and most substantial animated show in primetime back in the 60s) finally hit our screens. Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Thelma and Fred bounce into three dimensions by way of perfect live-action casting and a dose of doggone CGI trickery, for an initial adventure that has fun with the series’ past, and a second film that successfully gets away with repeating the formula.
SCOOBY DOO 2 MONSTERS UNLEASHED CAST 1080P
(2002-2004), Warner Home Video (November 9 2010), 2 discs, 86 and 93 mins plus supplements, 1080p high definition 1.85:1 widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS-MA 5.1, Rated PG, Retail: $24.98