Well let me start off by saying I was saddened when I heard that Casey Kasem was no longer going to be playing the role of Shaggy and even more saddened to hear of his passing, but when one door closes another door opens and we are privileged to get the live action Shaggy Mathew Lillard now lending his voice to the cartoon world.After solving yet another mystery Velma receives a call from her mother informing her that her sister Madelyn may be in danger at the school for magic she is attending which is being terrorized by a massive griffin. Scooby and the gang are off to solve this creepy mystery and also learn a bit of magic of their own along the way and even use it to figure out once and for all the mystery of the griffin and who is behind all this.The storyline I have to say is pretty interesting, it's been a while since something has been done revolving around the mystical creature of the griffin. However, throughout we are met with many predictable turns that can easily be spotted as early as the first time the gang enters this school for magic. This time around the story is a bit more fast paced compared to the last Scooby Doo adventure with funny jokes and for the most part interesting characters. The excitement level could have been a bit higher, rather than it all being packed into final sequence with a few thrown in on spotty occasions. I also like the turn that they have returned to the old tradition of unmasking a mastermind at the end of the mystery instead of using a real monster, while I like the real monsters direction I've always been one for the traditional Scooby Doo method.The voice talents were for the most part excellent as usual especially the regulars: Frank Welker as Scooby Doo and Fred, Mindy Cohn as Velma, Grey Delisle as Daphne and new to the cartoon world of Scooby Doo is Mathew Lillard as Shaggy, who does an exceptionally great job as doing the voice of Shaggy, after doing a great job as him in the live action films he does an even better job as the voice. On top of the regulars we get some great voice work such as: Dave Attell as the G.P.S. and Jeffery Tambor as Mr. Calvin Curdles who both do a great a funny job. Brian Posehn as Marlon Whirlen on the other hand is a different story, I found as if he didn't even give an effort and turned out to be more annoying to listen to rather than be interested in the character.So in the end, this Scooby Doo adventure wasn't all that bad, but with a predictable ending and a sort of slow moving story, I just wish the movie in which Mathew Lillard returned could have been a little better. Having said that I did enjoy this movie and do recommend it to fans and families.Overall Rating: ******* out of ********** ***1/2 out of *****

I have to say, this movie really surprised me. After 40 odd years of an awesome show I was wondering if they would better some of the other movies such as "Aloha Scooby Doo!". After watching it, I have to say this is up there with the best.The new animation technology used really hits you and seems to give a darker impression of everything. The plot really suits this and uses the darker effect to enhance itself. Talking about the plot, I have to say this is where I was the most surprised. In the past few years I personally feel that the plots have gotten almost a little bit desperate, as though the producers were doing anything for originality. Movies such as "Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase" are examples of this sort of thing and generally didn't go down too well for me. However, the plot here was actually quite good. It looks like they have solved the puzzle for originality...well almost. I still have a few bones to pick. Bringing love into the plot seems just a bit over the top for me, especially with the romantic scene (naturally it is not explicit in any way).It's sad that the previous voice of Shaggy has gone but his replacement is quite good. The gang also look fantastic in their original clothing.The first scooby doo cartoon movie "Scooby Doo on Zombie Island" was quite a hit, not only in my books either. Abracadabra Doo seems like a return to the plot style and darkness of that successful movie and wins my vote as being a must watch.

Finally, for the first time in eight years, Warner Bros. Animation got off their backs and made a darker, more professional Scooby-Doo animated movie similar to their infamous "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island," their excellent "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost," the not-so-great "Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders" and the fun "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase." I have been WAITING for this ever since "Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster" came out and simply went with the "What's New Scooby-Doo" animation style.Story-wise, it is a shame they go back to fake supernatural creatures once again, after "Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King" and the "Samurai Sword" movie. But it's got plenty of suspense and jump-scenes like the original movies did, though. They also go with a somewhat original plot for once, too! The gang has already come across too many tiki monsters, mummies, pirate ghosts, snow monsters and samurai ghosts that it seemed the writers were beginning to run out of ideas. But they REALLY surprised us with this one. The inclusion of Velma having a sister was fun, as was Daphne getting jealous over Fred going gaga over the lovely female assistant. Speaking of Fred, he isn't as stupidly-portrayed as he was in the previous films, or even "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" and "What's New, Scooby-Doo." Scooby-Doo also has quite a bit of dialogue too, and they cleverly parodied the old formula here as well (such as a danger-prone Fred, and Shaggy using ventriloquism on a wolf puppet to mimic the famous "meddling kids" line.) Voices aren't too bad either. Sure, Frank Welker's Scooby-Doo still sounds like Brain from "Inspector Gadget," but I've pretty much gotten used to it by now. As for Matthew Lillard, he's actually a pretty good Shaggy! Sure, he's not as good as Casey Kasem, but he's better than Billy West and Scott Innes, and definitely better than Scott Menville! It does sound a little strange hearing the live-action Shaggy's voice coming out of the animated Shaggy, but after a while I got used to it. He also managed to make Shaggy sound hip and young again! The sound effects are also similar to the early made-for-video Scooby-Doo movies, only limiting the classic H-B sound effects to the Scooby and Shaggy scenes or exaggerated comedy sequences. They even managed to use the classic haunted "Castle Thunder" sound as one of the magic-spell sound effects (ala "The Powerpuff Girls"), but the other thunder sounds are pretty much identical to the earlier made-for-video Scooby-Doo movies, too.The animation is also very good, too. As I mentioned, it is in a much darker style now, but the Scooby gang is drawn as how they appeared in the early 1970s, complete with wearing their original outfits! It looks much better than the "What's New Scooby-Doo"-esquire style of the past movies.Overall, this is definitely a step up from the last several Scooby-Doo movies. It seems they're finally going in the right direction. Not only that, this film didn't even end with a Hanna-Barbera logo like the others did, which is actually somewhat of a good thing because Hanna-Barbera didn't make this movie; Warner Bros. Cartoons did. Definitely recommended!

Lately, I NEVER buy these direct to DVD, factory-produced, pandering Scooby titles that get distributed to dumbed-down drooling kids at Wal-Mart. I was totally finished when I watched...*shudders*..."Aloha, Scooby Doo" a few years back. I could name a few other titles in a LONG run of BAD Scooby Doo features, but I digress. I don't know what possessed me, but I bought "Scooby Doo: Abracadabra Doo" at Wal-Mart tonight. I and my friend watched it expecting a sub-par experience. First, let me say...IT HAD A FREAKING CREDIT SEQUENCE WITH AN ENTIRELY NEW THEME SONG THAT WAS REMINISCENT OF THE GOOFY 70's POP FLUFF THAT PLAYED IN THE ORIGINAL SHOW!!! Then, if that weren't enough to catch my attention, they brought the character style all the way back to the 70's, by leaving NO whites in their eyes and choosing to richly shadow and detail their appearance. There was a wealth of camera angles, zoom shots, and random motion keeping your attention constantly. The backgrounds were extremely detailed. And there were many references to previous Scooby images or incarnations. As for the plot, dialogue, and character development...A giant leap in the right direction! The plot could have stood a little bit of work, but suspense and gorgeous animation make up for this. Character development between the Mystery 5 was brought to new depths and Scooby himself was even included in this. I also appreciated the knowing jabs that Shaggy made about "those meddling kids". I loved the inclusion of the smart-aleck GPS. It was just the modern boost that the Mystery Machine needed. The choice to have Andrea Romano of "Batman: The Animated Series" fame do the voice casting was excellent. Matthew Lillard did a fine job voicing Shaggy and Frank Welker was great as Scooby Doo. Overall, this is just the shot in the arm that the Scooby industry needed. This cartoon has plenty of atmosphere, depth, and slick animation to hold up for many years...long after "Aloha", "Lochness Monster", "Goblin King", "Chill Out", and "Samurai Sword" have mercifully passed from our memory. Maybe next time...we can get an outing that is boldly dark and creepy...with real ghosts again. Great effort Warner Premiere. Keep up the good work.