Matthew Lillard and Frank Welker are returning to the Scooby-Doo franchise for a very different kind of mystery. The longtime character voices will reprise their roles as Shaggy and Scooby-Doo in Yokoso Scooby-Doo!, the first original anime series in the history of the animated classic.
The new Tubi Original sends the famously hungry duo to Japan for what is supposed to be the ultimate foodie adventure. Their trip takes an unexpected turn when they accidentally unleash hundreds of mythical monsters that begin causing trouble across the country. Scooby and Shaggy will have quite a mess to clean up, and this time the mystery takes them into the world of Japanese folklore.
The pair won’t be tackling the creatures alone. They’ll get help from Scooby’s uncle, Daisuke-Doo, along with two new friends: Yume, a magical girl, and Takumi, a gadget whiz. Together, the group sets out to chase down the monsters and solve an entirely new mystery.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation, with Japanese animation studio OLM providing production services. Itsuro Kawasaki is directing, while Francisco Paredes serves as co-producer. The project will stream exclusively on Tubi in North America and air on Cartoon Network internationally. A premiere date has not yet been announced.
Lillard’s return as Shaggy brings the actor back to a character he first played in the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo movie. He reprised the role in the sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and later continued voicing Shaggy in animated projects. For many fans, Lillard’s laid-back performance helped define the character in the live-action films, making his return for this anime a familiar part of an otherwise new direction for the franchise.
Welker’s connection to the gang goes back even further. He began voicing Fred Jones when Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered in 1969, and eventually took over the voice of Scooby-Doo in 2002. He’s been voicing the Great Dane for more than two decades, so the new series brings together two performers with a long history in the franchise.
The anime format gives the series a new setting and visual approach, but the central ingredients remain recognizable: Shaggy, Scooby, a collection of strange monsters, and a mystery that probably won’t be solved without a few Scooby Snacks. This time, the gang’s latest adventure starts with a trip to Japan.
This news originated over at Deadline. Yokoso Scooby-Doo! will be available on Tubi in North America, with international broadcasts on Cartoon Network. The series does not yet have an announced release date.
