Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash (2017) – Review

I doubt kids today are all that familiar with the “Beach Party” movies starring 60s’ singing sensations Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, but Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash is a clear tribute to those fun-loving goofy teen flicks of old; thus, more mature viewers may get an extra chuckle or two. Regardless, this second Scooby-Doo Lego movie still has the standard mysteries and comedy hijinks required to be a proper Scooby-Doo adventure.

After the unmasking of another “Mummy” that had been terrorizing a local museum — in a Lego reimagining of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too — the gang starts discussing what they should do next. Fred (Frank Welker) and Velma (Kate Micucci) both want to stay at the museum while Daphne (Grey Griffin) is with Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby in their desire to go somewhere fun. From the arresting police officer, who admits to not being good at his job, they learn of the “Blowout Beach Bingo Bash” which consists of three fun-filled days of singing, dancing, games, and food, which ends with a giant beach barbeque, “Where they crown the two most high-spirited partiers Captains of the Bash!”

Time for a Road Trip

When Velma tries to figure out how best to “Optimize their fun,” we get Daphne and Shaggy razzing both her and Fred for being total squares and full-on nerds. This doesn’t sit well with Fred and Velma, so they vow to prove that they are “party animals” and “Not obsessed with solving mysteries.” And how will they prove such a thing? Well, by becoming the “Captains of the Bash,” but once they arrive at Blowout Beach, they find the boardwalk deserted and a mystery on their hands. When they check into their hotel, they learn from the owners Rob (Tom Kenny) and Laura Holdout (Grey Griffin) that a pair of ghost pirates have stolen the pirate hats for the “Captains of the Bash” crowning ceremony and have also scared most of the teens away. Legend tells of the notorious Captain Brutimore Bash (Kevin Michael Richardson) and his pirate companion Bingo Belle (Grey Griffin) who were the first captains of the Blowout Beach Bash, but when a navy blockade interrupted their partying, the two had to sneak away, leaving their treasure behind.

“Avast me glowing hearties!”

As mysteries go, Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash is a doozy as the bulk of the cast is made up of suspects. First, we have Chad (Josh Keaton) and Krissy Holdout (Natalie Lander), the obnoxious teens who won last year’s “Captains of the Bash” and seem very insistent on keeping the title despite most of the other kids finding them rather unlikable. Next, we have their father Rob who used to run the pirate tour aboard Bash’s ship, before a bumper car injury forced him to go into the hotel business, and his knowledge of pirate lore and his suspicious nature makes him a good candidate. Then, there is the Sheriff and Deputy who both hate the idea of their town becoming a year-round tourist attraction because it would force them to actually do their jobs. Finally, we have businessman Dwight Monkfish (Fred Tatasciore) who wants to take over the whole town and tear down the entire boardwalk and replace it with a series of piers. Even his assistant Mitzi Capaletto (Hynden Walch) doesn’t have much good to say about her boss, calling him, “Brash, arrogant, a little short-tempered, gross, slimy, pure evil, and the lowest kind of scum, but he isn’t all bad.”

Surprisingly, he’s also not guilty.

But if the greedy businessman isn’t behind the ghost pirates, who is? Well, it turns out that pretty much everyone else is guilty. Chad and Krissy wanted to retain their titles, so they dressed up as the infamous pirates to scare away the competition, but it was their mother and father who stole the hats because they were a key component in uncovering the lost pirate treasure. The Sheriff and his Deputy wanted to destroy tourism, so they wouldn’t have to work so hard. Surprisingly, this glut of guilty parties works quite well, with the gang pulling ridiculous reveal after ridiculous reveal to the point where even Dwight Monkfish was rather surprised that he turned out not to be guilty as well: “So you’re saying that I didn’t commit any of the crimes this weekend? Weird, I would have put my money on me, I’m such a greedy businessman.” Then Velma pulls off the final reveal, solving the riddle of the lost treasure, having figured out the poem from the legend and disclosing the fact that the treasure was hidden aboard the pirate ship all along.

Who needs Sherlock Holmes?

Stray Observations:

• The opening musical number “Blowout Beach Bingo Bash” is a nice homage to the songs from the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movie Beach Blanket Bingo.
• In the Scooby-Doo Lego-verse, the gang is from Cool Town, not Coolsville.
• The tour guide aboard the pirate ship is a clear nod to the monotone stylings of Ben Stein.
• When the Salty Brick destroys the Holdout’s hotel, Velma asks if they will rebuild, but sadly the building is too old and they’ve since lost the instructions.
• We have a legend about pirates and navy blockades but no information as to when or how Captain Bash and Bingo Belle died and became ghosts. They just snuck away and died of old age?
• Captain Bash’s pirate The Salty Brick is found hidden in a cavern that looks as if it was lifted right out of The Goonies.

Goonies never say die.

Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash was a delightfully fun mystery with the Lego designs and jokes beautifully adding to the atmosphere of wackiness and adventure. Daphne is given a bit more to do this time out, even being allowed to present one of the reveals, and Fred and Velma trying to become “Party Animals” was rather cute. Overall, this Lego direct-to-video movie was quite a step up from the previous entry of Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood, making it well worth checking out.

You can find all my reviews of the various Scooby-Doo shows and movies collected here: The Wonderful World of Scooby-Doo.