Emmy and Grammy nominated composer Ryan Shore grew up watching the original Scooby- Doo series, but it was through his career in music that he became even more connected with Scooby and the gang. In Trick Or Treat Scooby-Doo!, his third project with the franchise, Ryan honors the show’s legacy by adding depth to the characters and themes through music. Credits in the Star Wars and Sesame Street franchise, as well as a deep appreciation for musical history, helped inform Ryan’s choices when it came to creating the movie’s sound. 

In this interview, we spoke with Ryan about his process for composing for animation, his approach to the beloved Scooby-Doo franchise, and his inspirations when it comes to creating musical pieces.

Can you talk us through the score for “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!” and what was it like to score for such iconic characters?

Ryan Shore (RS): Thank you for having me for this interview. Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! marks the third film I’ve scored in the Scooby franchise, and I also grew up watching the original series. Through these experiences I’ve become very familiar with the Scooby gang, including learning the traits of each character and the storytelling devices. All of this familiarity helps tremendously when scoring a new Scooby adventure, however it also brings the added weight of history in needing to get it just right when creating the music. Since the Scooby franchise has such a wonderful legacy, this responsibility I feel is not only to those involved in the making of the film, but especially to the generations of fans, too.

This particular Scooby score contains the largest number of music themes I’ve written for any Scooby film. Specifically, I composed themes for the Scooby gang, Coco Diablo, Velma’s affection for Coco, the warden, and the ghouls, among others. Adding to the fun was being able to develop and interweave these themes into many different emotions, including suspense, spooky, action, peril, lust, comedy and triumph, among so many more. This film was a tremendous opportunity to use all of the musical crayons in the box.

What can Scooby Doo fans look forward to in Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! and do you have a favorite scene from the movie?

(RS): This was definitely a Scooby adventure for the books! There is a plethora of unforgettable moments for the fans to enjoy from the introduction of new characters, familiar faces, elaborate costumes, and an original song I wrote titled “Gum Drops Sugar Cane.” I have so many favorite scenes, however one that comes to mind right away would be where we see Coco Diablo in prison. It was fun to paint an homage to this similar scene from The Silence of the Lambs with a tip of the hat to my uncle Howard Shore who scored that film.

What was your process like for scoring “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!” Were you scoring to an animatic?

(RS): I was brought onto the project early, which provided had a rare opportunity to conceptualize the musical approach and themes before needing to dive in on a tight scoring schedule. When I began, I was scoring to animatics, and then continue scoring to the final animation when it became available.

Let’s talk about the theme when Velma meets Coco Diablo. What was the inspiration behind this theme?

(RS): My musical inspiration was one of my favorite music themes of all time: Tchaikovsky’s iconic love theme from Romeo & Juliet. To me, this theme by Tchaikovsky is the very musical manifestation of the emotion of yearning love.

Can you talk us through any of your other favorite themes in the movie?

(RS): There are two additional music themes that stand out among my favorites. The first is the Warden’s theme, which has a playful, jovial, over-the-top, and slightly mischievous quality. The second is the sleuthing theme for the Scooby Gang themselves.

You have also previously scored other animation projects. Can you tell us about what draws you to scoring for animation?

(RS): Animation has always been very close to my heart and a huge part of my scoring background and career. The very first films I scored were student animated films, and I’m proud to say 3 of those films went on to win Student Academy Awards for Best Animation. Many of those filmmakers are among my closest friends today.  

There’s a world of depth and detail that I absolutely love in animation. Musically, you have the opportunity to compose across an extremely broad pallet of styles and emotions. It’s also incredibly inspiring to collaborate with such talented people where every storytelling detail is so well thought through.

Where can we find you on social media and what do you have coming up next that you can tell us about?

(RS): My latest project is the Netflix film, Love in the Villa, which just recently debuted #1 for all films on Netflix worldwide. The film is set in Verona, Italy, and I was able to utilize a more European scoring approach where I had only one main music theme for the entire film. In addition to the orchestra, I wrote the score for instruments which often heard in Italian music. Netflix released the original score soundtrack on all major streaming platforms.

I can be found on Facebook (@ryanshoremusic), Instagram (@ryanshore), Twitter (@ryanshore), and my website, www.ryanshore.com. Please come follow me and say hello. I regularly post updates on my newest. Thank you, HorrorBuzz!