Arthurian Medievalism in Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob

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Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob (Video 2021) - IMDb


















 



Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob

Scooby-Doo is a beloved character that has been around for many years. In a more recent movie, Scoob and the gang take a trip back in time, meeting King Arthur and his court.


Released in 2021, Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob is a modern spin on the classic T.H. White tale of The Sword in the Stone. (3)

Here is the trailer for the movie:

Summary

In the movie, Scooby-Doo and the rest of his friends travel to England, tracing Shaggy's ancestry. They then meet Morgan Le Fay, who takes them back in time to Camelot. There, they meet King Arthur and Merlin. The group decides to live in the tale until they can make it back to the present. However, Shaggy pulls Excalibur from the stone. This in turn, challenges King Arthur's throne and the two decide to have a  challenge to decide who gets said throne. 


Medievalism in the Movie

Within the movie, we have obvious allusions to the texts we have read as the Knights of the Round table are included. According to Scoobypedia, some of the knights involved in the movie are: Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Tristan, and Sir Kay. (4) All of which we have discussed in class. With this, King Arthur, Morgan Le Fay and Queen Guinevere are also present in this movie. 

Besides the characters, we see medievalism in the movie as it discusses the Sword in the Stone, written by T.H White. Within White's novel, audiences get to see how King Arthur was raised and came to power. White's story is based on the tale written by Robert de Boron (1). In this tale, Merlin brings Arthur to the stone, as well as a young Sir Kay. Here, we see Arthur pull Excalibur out of the stone after Sir Kay fails (1). 

 In the text we have read, we see some of this in Malory. Specifically, in “From the Marriage of King Uther unto King Arthur," readers learn about how Arthur came to power. We get to see Arthur accidentally pulling the sword from the stone, just like Shaggy. Arthur also proves his power in this story. In the movie, the gang must prove they are stronger than Arthur in order to go home. 

Another small detail but it stood out to me was that the town the gang went to was aptly titled "Norville o'er Morgania" which refers to the villain in the movie, Morgan Le Fay. She is first introduced in the beginning of the movie as Velma reads a book about Arthur and Morgan Le Fay. This story tells part of the Arthurian legend in more of a children's retelling. The town mentioned above is also the supposed location of Camelot. In an article from King Arthur's Knights, it was said that Morgan Le Fay was "...portrayed as a witch who can fly and change into shapes" (2). We see this in the movie as she is a witch that sends the gang back in time. 

Something I noticed that was different than the stories was that the people of Camelot were booing King Arthur. We have discussed that Arthur was beloved and this mighty king, unlike others who wanted the throne. With this, Arthur is shown as weak in the movie. He is nothing compared to Morgan Le Fay's powers and is essentially defeated by her in the beginning. 



In this clip, we have Daphne defeating Sir Lancelot. In our readings, he was portrayed as the best knight ever and here he is being beaten by a woman who has no fighting experience. This also ties into our conversations about women's presence in Arthurian legend and how they actually are more important than just nameless damsels on a page. Daphne defeats all the knights actually, and becomes a Knight of the Round Table, as well as everyone else. 

However, in this story Queen Guinevere does not speak and Morgan Le Fay is an evil witch, so I can't say it is the feminist spin of Arthurian stories, but it does flip the story a bit. 


Rachel's Opinion
After watching this movie, I can say I understood all the references. It was a silly movie, definitely made for children, but it was a fun way to tell the Arthurian legend. There were a few weird scenes, like how they got the Mystery Machine to England, and the ending. There is a cliche twist, but I think it is still funny. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and it was super fun. If anyone feels ever so inclined to watch, it is on HBOMax currently. 





Works Cited

1.) “Chapter II: The Sword in the Stone.” The Sword in the Stone - The Legend of King Arthur, www.heroofcamelot.com/legend/sword-in-the-stone. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

2.) “Morgan Le Fay.” King Arthur’s Knights, kingarthursknights.com/arthurian-characters/morgan-le-fay/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

3.) “Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 23 Feb. 2021, www.imdb.com/title/tt13676256/.

4.) “Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob.” Scoobypedia, Fandom, Inc., scoobydoo.fandom.com/wiki/Scooby-Doo!_The_Sword_and_the_Scoob. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

5.) “Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob.” WarnerBros.Com | Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob | Movies, www.warnerbros.com/movies/scooby-doo-sword-and-scoob. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023. (first image)



   




 

Comments

  1. Sydney KyleOctober 9, 2023 at 10:25 AM

    Hi Rachel! I liked the part in your blog where you discussed how the Scooby episode turned the tale of King Arthur into a more childish retelling. I found this same thing occurring in the anime I looked at for my blog. Both of these shows were made for children, so it makes sense that they would make the original story less graphic and incestuous. I also liked your discussion of feminism and the many nuances both the original story and the Scooby episode incorporate into it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Frankie LorentiOctober 9, 2023 at 3:33 PM

    Hey Rachel! As a fan of Scooby-Doo, I was so excited to read this blog. I like that you relate most of your points back to T.H. White because it really shows just how similar they are. Because this is a kid's movie I'm not surprised they left out the darker bits, but since it is classic Scooby-Doo I'm glad they turned intense Arthurian tropes(like duals for example) in a funny whacky way. I also liked your discussion about Daphne and how she defeat Lancelot. That part alone makes me want to watch this movie. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mad VuottoOctober 9, 2023 at 3:57 PM

    First of all, love Scooby-Doo, so great topic. The things that were changed in the movie to turn it into a children's retelling are interesting, and I especially like the exploration of Morgan Le Fay's role. Also, I love that Shaggy is the gang's King Arthur-adjacent character, just because it's funny.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anaya MontgomeryOctober 10, 2023 at 10:07 AM

    Hi Rachel, I used to LOVE this movie when I was younger and now after learning more about Arthurian literature in class, I appreciate it on an entire new level. I love the aspect of having Daphne defeat Lancelot and becoming a night of the Round Table. I think the storyline is easy to follow for kids and makes the stories and characters of Arthurian literature easier to understand. Great blog post!

    ReplyDelete

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