This is one of two storyboards I did on Scooby Doo in 2009/10.
Like many, I have fond memories of watching the first season of “Scooby Doo, Where Are You!”, when it premiered in 1969. I found the series engaging enough as a 10 year old, partly as an acceptable successor to “Jonny Quest”, and partly because I LOVED animation. During this period, I used to watch favorite live-action series like “The Man From Uncle” and “The Wild Wild West” and wish, not only that they be animated, but animated like H&B cartoons (with the flat plans following running or walking characters cut off at the waist (to save animation) and the streaky dark gray b.g.s (my family didn’t get a color tv until after I left for college.)) I decided that I was going to be an animator, and worked to hone my skills by drawing comics (I couldn’t draw the same thing twice, let alone 24 times per second, so I figured comics would be good practice). By the time I was 12 I had jilted my first love for the new graphic inamorata. I didn’t watch another TV cartoon until I started storyboarding them for a living in 1983. I have no idea what changes were wrought in the Scooby mythos during this period (or later, when Hanna-Barbera was absorbed into Warner Animation).
In 2009, I was freelancing on the new version, “Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated”, and appalled by the reworking in evidence. Suddenly the four leads had backstories, parents, an origin town named “Crystal Springs”. Shaggy & Velma, Daphne & Fred were sexual beings, romantically involved with each other in ways I found perverse (Velma was jealous of Shaggy and Scooby). As a wise producer once advised me, “Don’t breath on it too hard”. The 2009 Scooby iteration had definitely gotten too much CO2.
Today, I find these qualms amusing. I rather like the more adult, fleshed-out byplay between the characters. The sequence presented here is rather charming, to my 2018 sensibilities. I am amused by the irony that the brains of the ensemble, Velma, had a witch for a mother. (I’m intrigued that Velma’s Mother wears the symbol for the Al-Anon Fellowship around her neck. Does this mean that Velma had an alcoholic father?) I am relieved by the abandonment of the trope that all of their occult encounters must be revealed as con-jobs.
I may have to go back and actually watch this series.
Action: Shaggy and Velma stare at each other for a beat…
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 12 Pnl 2
Action: -nervously, tentatively, they start to reach for each other, oblivious to Velma’s Mother as she enter behind counter, carrying CURSE BOOK.
Action: VM reaches center of frame, turns, antics letting CURSE BOOK drop onto counter top. Shaggy and Velma continue reaching towards each other…
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 12 Pnl 4
Action: VM lets CB drop onto counter top. (SFX); LOUD BANG; SLIGHT CAM JAR- Cloud of dust rises from CB impact; cups flip over, spilling contents.
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 12 Pnl 5
Action: Shaggy and Velma turn towards VM. Dust cloud spreads, starts to disipate.
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER: “Good news!”
Action: H.U.; Dust cloud continues spreading, dissipating. MCU, slight upshot on VM, CB in FG…
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT): (sing-songy) “I think…”
Action: VM antics opening CURSE BOOK; dust cloud continues spreading, breaking up,
dxing OS.
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT): “…I found…
Action: VM opens CURSE BOOK as she looks up at o.s. kids
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT):”…an…”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 13 Pnl 4
Action: VM looks back down at CURSE BOOK, scans it for information she needs...
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT):”…incantation to…”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 13 Pnl 5
Action: ...flips through some more pages...
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT):”…break the curse!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 13 Pnl 6
Action: -reads silently for a beat…
Action: EAST - WEST CAM DRIFT across layout as Velma's Mother continues scanning
CURSE BOOK.(during CAM DRIFT, PAN OL TABLE at slightly faster rate of speed)
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT'D) (beat, scanning page)”Let’s see now. Okay…”
Action: REVERSE ANGLE, OTS curse book and VM’s hand indicating specific passage. Velma and Shaggy look down at book.
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT/OS): “It says the incantation has to be said in a jungle.”
Action: VM withdraws hand; Velma and Shaggy look up at her…
Dialogue: VELMA: "The jungle? But the Amazon’s…”
Action: -then back at o.s. VM.
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “…thousands of miles away!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 16 Pnl 1
Action: Velma's Mother is looking at page of CURSE BOOK...
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER: “It doesn’t have to be in the Amazon.”
Action: VM looks up at Velma...
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT): “Any jungle will do.”
Action: Shaggy turns toward Velma; she and VM turn to look at him.
Dialogue: SHAGGY: “But, like, dudes…”
Action: Shaggy turns toward VM, gesturing broadly...
.Dialogue: SHAGGY(CONT): “…we don’t have a…”
Action: He turns back toward Velma as he completes broad gesture. She turns forward,
places hand on chin, thinking...
Dialogue: SHAGGY (CONT):“…jungle in Crystal Cove!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 17 Pnl 1
Action: CU on Velma, thinking…
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 17 Pnl 2
Action: She snaps fingers as she gets an idea,,,
Dialogue: VELMA: “Wait.”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 17 Pnl 3
Action: She gestures as she speaks…
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “Yes we do!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 17 Pnl 4
Action: -turns towards o.s. Shaggy.
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “The Botanical Gardens!”
Action: VM and Shaggy are looking at Velma.
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “They’ve…”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 18 Pnl 2
Action: Velma turns excitedly toward VM…
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “…got that…”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 18 Pnl 3
Action: -Velma proudly crosses arms in front of chest as she turns back toward
Shaggy. Shaggy is reacting with enthusiastic excitement to Velma's great realization.
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “…new mini-rainforest!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 18 Pnl 4
Action: -Velma's Mother turns back toward book, reading passage therein as Velma
turns toward her.
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “That’s a jungle!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 19 Pnl 1
Action: Velma's Mother is looking at page of CURSE BOOK...
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER: “It also says the incantation has to be…”
Action: VM looks up at o.s. Velma...
Dialogue: VELMA’S MOTHER (CONT): “…recited by a jackal.”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 20 Pnl 1
Action: Velma and Shaggy stare despondently at o.s. VM.
Dialogue: VELMA: “Great.”
Action: They look at each other
Dialogue: VELMA (CONT): “Where are we going to get a talking jackal?”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 21 Pnl 1
Action: Three shot; VM looks at Velma; Velma and Shaggy stare at each other.
Dialogue: VELMA’s MOTHER: “I could order you one,…”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 21 Pnl 2
Action: VM turns toward Shaggy; They look at VM.
Dialogue: VELMA’s MOTHER (CONT): “…but it’ll take a couple of weeks.”
Action: CU UPSHOT on Shaggy, looking at o.s. VM.
Action: Shaggy gets an idea.
Dialogue: SHAGGY “Like, wait a minute!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 22 Pnl 3
Action: He turns toward os. Velma.
Dialogue: SHAGGY (CONT): “What about Scooby?”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 22 Pnl 4
Action: He gestures as he speaks.
Dialogue: SHAGGY (CONT): “He can talk!”
Scooby Doo 345-623 Sc 23 Pnl 1
Action: CU on Velma
Dialogue: VELMA: “It’s worth a shot.”
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