To over state the obvious, 20 years is a long ass time.
And that is probably how long it’s been since I last read this book, and I’m not sure why it didn’t get as much play in my rotation considering I dug this movie more than the first.
Is there some sinister reason why?
Let’s dive in and find out together, gang.
This is you solid two decade old ***SPOILER ALERT*** for a major motion picture adaptation, gang, so turn backnow if you worry about such things.
After the Coolsville Coolsonian Museum’s event honoring Mystery Inc. is crashed by an evil masked figure who, along with a real life version of former foe The Pterodactyl Ghost, steals a ton of costumes of the monsters the Gang has unmasked over the years.
With a reporter turning the town against them, and monsters coming to life, Mystery Inc. doesn’t have much time left to solve the case and save their reputation.
For, now, 20 years I have remembered details of this book like they were actually in the movie.
Fred and Daphne being engaged? Not even mentioned or, hell, hinted at in the flick.
A bit more variety in the monsters? Page only.
I know that novelization are usually based on earlier drafts of a script, that’s why they often feature scenes and information missing from the screen, but I’m curious if a Junior Novel follows the same process or if these little nuggets are purely the fabrication of the author, in this case Suzanne Weyn.
The only major issue I can muster with this is the breakneck pacing.
Some things often feel a bit glossed over, my guess would be due to only having a limited allotment of pages in a junior novelization.
But what I adore about this book is that it holds over the shifting narrative I loved from the first movie’s adaptation, getting to go inside of these characters heads and get their perspective on what’s going on has stuck with me all of these years, thankfully without the Scooby chapters.
I think it’s a brilliant spin on presenting a Scooby-Doo story and makes it feel fresh.
Looking back on both of these junior adaptations so many years later I’m left wish two kind of sad feelings.
1. I wish we could get some novels in this style now, or any Scooby novels for that matter.
It feels like a huge missed opportunity.
And 2. I desperately wish that WB had commissioned “adult” novelizations of these flicks.
Could it possibly be rose tinted glasses that have me thinking these movies had enough meat on their bones to sustain a two to three hundred pages adaptations?
Look, it is quite possible, but I think a professional author, who was a Scooby-Doo fan especially, could extrapolate and beef these up into some incredible tie-in novels.
But these both stuck with me in a big bad way, gang.
If you dig these movies, I highly encourage you to seek out these novels and wallow in these flicks a bit deeper.
I have greatly enjoyed my time doing so.
And be sure to keep your ears tuned for our special 20th Anniversary Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed ep of The Nerd Blitz Commentaries tomorrow, gang.
It’s a damn fun one!
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Until next time, stay safe out there, gang.
