The world may still be trying to figure out what state Springfield, home of The Simpsons, is in — but another cartoon mystery has been solved.
Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins, a live-action prequel to the Hanna-Barbera cartoons and the live-action films that came out in the first half of the decade, debuted Sunday night on Cartoon Network, and it firmly places the locale of Coolsville, home to the meddling kids and their dog, in Ohio.
The direct-to-TV movie, though it boasted no star power other than perennial Scooby voice Frank Welker, was actually better than the live-action feature films, which had big-name stars such as Freddy Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini. It follows the teenage sleuths from awkward obscurity before they met to their fateful team-up to solve a haunting at Coolsville High — and clear their names. Along the way, we learn the origin of Scooby-Snax, the Mystery Machine and, yes, even a little romance.
Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins will be available on DVD Sept. 22. Repeat airings are scheduled this week on Cartoon Network.
