A major disappointment I'm afraid to say. Such a wasted opportunity. I usually love all the Scooby-Doo DTV movies, but Return to Zombie Island did not impress me. You can't help but compare it to the original Zombie Island, which is just brilliant.

This sequel isn't worthy of association in my books. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go into too much detail, but the supernatural elements are practically discarded. Instead we get a plot that's contrived & boring, and jokes that are hit and miss (mostly miss). Also, the way Velma is written in this movie is an affront to her character. Yes she's a skeptic, but you can be a skeptic without being an insufferable know-it-all.

On the whole, the children will probably enjoy it, but for those of us who grew up with the original, Return to Zombie Island is a wasted attempt to capitalise on the nostalgia of the original movie. If, like me, you love the original Zombie Island, skip this mess.

Now it's understandable that they wouldn't rehash the plot, by making more Zombies or Cat Creatures, save for the mysterious fourth one that's been prowling the Island. However what made the original much more interesting was that it forgo the usual formula of monsters being men/women in masks in favor of showing what it would be like if Mystery Inc. stumbled upon a real supernatural mystery. One that almost got them killed no less, in comparison to the usual formula where even the monsters go out of their way to help them in a running gag. Instead, not only do they rehash the usual formula, by making the Zombies and Cat Creatures the usual masked crooks after gold, not only do they not stick to the continuity of the first movie, where the Gang are all adults whom on top of solving mysteries had their own respective jobs (Save for Shaggy who got fired.),but much of the movie tip toes around whether or not they truly believed what happened to them the first time around actually happened. In essence, they, specifically Fred and Velma whom were the skeptics the first time around dismissed the original events as masked crooks at best and hallucinations at worst. The movie was nothing more than a cash grab designed to cash in on fans of Zombie Island and they didn't even do it right. What would have been a better plot if they insisted on the Scooby Formula would be this: The Gang is invited back to the Island, like before. Only it's now a tourist attraction. They would initially suspect Snakebite responsible for the scares, since he himself hates tourists. So naturally the keep an extra eye on him, same way they suspected Beau in the first movie. Only to find him once again, being a red herring. Then they suspect that somehow Simone, Lena and maybe Jacques have come back from the dead. Which was why the Zombies attacked in the first place, to warn the living away from them. Of course that would also be a red herring because they'd check the secret passage way and find the dust and pendant where the cat creature trio used to be. Then here's where the Scooby formula would kick in. The Zombies and fake cat creatures would turn out to be part of a cult, whom heard the story from both Daphne's News and Beau's testimony. They sought the island in hopes to get the same immortality, that the trio got only for them to not get it, because the secrets died with Simone and Lena. So they lured Mystery Inc, in hopes they had some knowledge at best or at worst they'd sacrifice them to avenge the trio. Just as they were about to do so, the real Zombies show up along with Simone's cats (Whom made peace with Scooby in the first movie.) and subdue them until Mystery Inc can have them tied up.

That would have been a better plot, but nope. Men and Women in Masks and the slight hint of a real cat creature.

Am a big Scooby Doo fan and have been for goodness knows how long. Like to love most of the franchise's shows, especially 'Scooby Doo Where are You?' and 'The Scooby Doo Show', and also like to love most of the animated Scooby Doo films (including the newer ones). When hearing that there was a sequel to 'Scooby Doo on Zombie Island', the best Scooby Doo film with 'Witch's Ghost' close behind, part of me was very intrigued but another part of me questioned its point.

'Scooby Doo Return to Zombie Island' ended up not being of high quality and struck me as unnecessary. Really do have to agree with everything negative that has been said and am saying this with regret and a want to like it. It is a disgrace as a sequel and is not a good Scooby Doo film on its own terms, the worst since 'Monster of Mexico' (except worse than that) and one of the worst films of the franchise overall. As heavily flawed 'Curse of the 13th Ghost' (though didn't hate it as much as others did) was this made me appreciate that film.

Having said that, 'Scooby Doo Return to Zombie Island' didn't strike as that awful. It did have good things. The animation is very colourful and atmospheric, the attention to detail in the backgrounds is beautifully done. Did like that some of the music did pay homage to the 60s that had a very nostalgic quality.

The film actually started off very well, with a great opening that paid homage to familiar ghosts from earlier incarnations (including rarely seen since Spooky Space Kook). Elvira is a fun kooky character and makes a cameo that makes one nostalgic for the macabre. The black cat creature was an interesting idea.

Which is why it was so sad that 'Scooby Doo Return to Zombie Island' went drastically downhill halfway through and got worse with each minute. It gets too hectically paced and tries to cram in too much content, all of which veering on ridiculously silly and muddled. Managing to do so without generating any tension or suspense (the zombies looking more goofy than creepy) and the truth wasn't even that much of a surprise, as well as feeling over-stretched. What started off so promising is practically discarded halfway through as well, with near-non-existent continuity and the one that showed the most potential is inexplicably left as a loose end.

Dialogue is often cheesy, too much of the music jars (especially the very outdated chase scene music) and most of the characters are either dull or annoying. The film nails Shaggy and Scooby and also liked Daphne and Elvira, but the supporting characters are either too cartoonish or have too little to do and Fred is far too sappily written. Worst of all is Velma, who practically feels like the main character and is incredibly over the top annoying. Lets not get started on that theory she had, which did not any sense, very contradictory for her character and was like raising the middle finger to continuity (which it pretty much denounces just like that).

Really cannot agree with the ignorant review that said the voice acting is better here. Other than Matthew Lillard (spot on as Shaggy),Grey Griffin and Cassandra Peterson's wonderfully mysterious cameo, to me the voice acting was not very good here (a rare occurance for the animated Scooby Doo films) and nothing in the delivery is on par with Adrienne Barbeau's beautiful delivery of the Simone and Lena backstory flashback in the original. Frank Welker sounds tired and borderline depressed while John Michael Higgins and Kate Micucci overdo it horribly. Nobody else stands out with their limited material.

Concluding, not awful but disappointing and the worst Scooby Doo film in a long time. 4/10