‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ Director Is Making His Case for Why This Shelved Film Deserves a Release
Warner Bros.’ history of canceling completed or nearly finished animated projects has left fans mourning more than one lost film over the years. Between tax write-offs and abrupt studio decisions, some of these productions vanished from public view almost entirely, with only scattered leaks and cast photos left behind to prove they ever existed.
That frustration has only grown louder in recent days, as ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ proved that a shelved Warner Bros. animated film can, in fact, make it back to theaters if enough momentum builds behind it. Its successful release has reignited hope for several other abandoned projects that fans have spent years campaigning to save.
Among them is ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt,’ the completed but unreleased Scooby-Doo film that director Michael Kurinsky is now calling to have finally released following ‘Coyote vs. Acme’s’ success. Kurinsky described the film as “every bit a Scooby-Doo mystery ready to be watched every Christmas with an A-list cast,” according to a post shared by ToonHive.
‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ was originally set to premiere on HBO Max in December 2022 as a Christmas-themed midquel to 2020’s ‘Scoob!,’ following a young Mystery Incorporated as they investigate a supernatural mystery at a holiday resort owned by Fred’s Uncle Ned. Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the film that same August, citing cost-cutting measures and a shift toward prioritizing theatrical releases over streaming projects.
The film’s voice cast reads like a genuine ensemble of recognizable names, including Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo, along with Iain Armitage, Ariana Greenblatt, Mckenna Grace, and Pierce Gagnon voicing younger versions of the Mystery Inc. gang. Mark Hamill, Michael McKean, Ming-Na Wen, Maya Hawke, and the late Andre Braugher also lend their voices to the project, which was completed before being shelved.
Braugher’s involvement adds particular weight to the calls for release, as the film marks one of his final performances before his death in 2023. Series writer and producer Tony Cervone previously shared that Braugher had been genuinely enthusiastic about joining the project, reportedly telling the filmmakers he’d always had “a soft spot for Scooby-Doo” when they first approached him about the role.
The push to save ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ isn’t new, but it’s gained fresh urgency in the wake of ‘Coyote vs. Acme’s’ journey from tax write-off to certified crowd-pleaser. Cast member Ming-Na Wen has previously expressed hope that the film could still see release, saying she’d “never say never” about its prospects, even as Kurinsky himself has admitted in the past that he didn’t feel optimistic about the film’s chances.
That pessimism seems to be shifting now, though, as ‘Coyote vs. Acme’s’ box office success offers concrete proof that public campaigns and persistence can actually move a studio to reconsider. With Ketchup Entertainment having already rescued two shelved Looney Tunes projects from Warner Bros., there’s at least a template in place for how a film like ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ could eventually make it to audiences.
Whether Warner Bros. or another distributor steps up to finish the job remains uncertain, but the timing of Kurinsky’s renewed push feels far from accidental. If the studio needed proof that fans are willing to show up for a once-abandoned animated film, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ just delivered exactly that.
Should 'Scoob! Holiday Haunt' finally be released?
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