‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ Director Advocates for Release of Shelved Film
Warner Bros.’ history of shelved animated projects has puzzled fans, especially with the recent success of ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ This hybrid live-action and animated film was left in limbo for three years after its cancellation in 2023, as Warner Bros. opted for a tax write-off instead of releasing it on HBO Max.
The backlash was swift, leading Warner Bros. Discovery to reverse its decision by November 13, just days after the cancellation. The film was eventually picked up by Ketchup Entertainment and debuted in theaters with a solid $15.5 million opening.
This turnaround has reignited hope for another Warner Bros. project facing a similar fate. ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ director Michael Kurinsky has made a passionate plea for the release of the shelved film, drawing inspiration from the success of ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ in a recent Instagram post.
In his post, Kurinsky emphasized the importance of raising awareness about ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt,’ despite the pain it may cause. He highlighted that the film is a delightful Scooby-Doo mystery, perfect for Christmas viewing, and features an impressive A-list cast, tagging several stars from the film.
The star-studded cast is a significant reason why the film’s ongoing shelving has been so disappointing. ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ features voices from Frank Welker, Iain Armitage, Mark Hamill, Cristo Fernández, Ming-Na Wen, and Maya Hawke, with original ‘Scoob!’ director Tony Cervone producing and co-writing alongside animation veteran Paul Dini.
Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the film from release on August 2, 2022, alongside the DC film ‘Batgirl,’ abruptly halting Kurinsky’s two years of work on the project. Kurinsky revealed that the film was nearly complete, with only a few hundred shots remaining to be finished, lit, rendered, and approved.
In contrast to ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ has not gained similar momentum for revival. Despite the success of ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ demonstrating that shelved films can be revived, reports indicate that reviving other Warner Bros. projects would involve untangling complex financial arrangements and finding new distributors.
Ming-Na Wen has also voiced her hope for the film’s release, suggesting to ComicBook.com that fans should “never say never” regarding the film’s future. This cautious optimism from the cast reflects Kurinsky’s own public comments over the years as the project remains unreleased.
Currently, ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ lacks a distributor or release date, even as ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ serves as evidence that public campaigns can influence major studios. Whether Warner Bros. will see this as a trend worth pursuing or treat ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ as an isolated incident is yet to be determined.
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