The next film in HBO's Big One arsenal is Scooby Doo. The film airs on 24 June at 9 pm. The story of the film which is based on the longest continually running cartoon series in television history, picks up as the clumsy crime-fighting mutt Scooby Doo and his human counterparts, Fred (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini) and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) are reunited to investigate a series of paranormal incidents at the Spooky Island.

This hot resort for college students on spring break is owned by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson). Scooby and his gang are forced to put aside their differences, work as a team, and crack the case.

Scooby-Doo bounded into television 32 years ago in 1969. This lumbering Great Dane has ruled the hearts of millions of animation lovers across the world since then. Though afraid of monsters, ghouls, witches, even his own shadow, Scooby-Doo bumbles his way through mysteries often solving them by fluke. In fact his talents as a detective are second only to his acting capabilities. In India the show airs on Cartoon Network.

On its opening weekend Scooby Doo made $54.2 million in the US which is the second biggest opening for a June release in box office history. Who would have thought that an animated dog and his four crime-fighting buddies would totally captivate audiences and haul in a load of box office bucks?

It seems that when the legendary William Hannah and Joseph Barbera developed “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” more than thirty years ago, they were taking a risk – it was the first time that an animation series would incorporate an action-adventure format with an animal in a lead role and “humans” in supporting roles.

Fred Silverman, then head of CBS children’s programming, inspired by the Frank Sinatra’s song Strangers in the Night where Sinatra improvises the refrain “Scooby-dooby-doo” advised William Hannah and Joseph Barbera to call the dog “Scooby-Doo”. He also asked the duo to make him more fun and turn him into the show’s star. Thus Scooby-Doo was born!

Scrappy Doo's middle name is Cornelius. Scooby-Doo has starred in a range of animation series in his 30-year career as a full time cartoon character, since his debut. Scooby Snacks are made at the Scooby Snack Factory and they taste like a large butterscotch-coloured morsel.