Paul Stanley Says KISS Teaming Up with Scooby-Doo for New Animated Film "Seemed Very Natural"
A new feature animated film titled Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery was released Friday on DVD and Blu-ray. Some KISS fans may feel that pairing the famous rockers with the cartoon canine seems a bit odd, but band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons beg to differ.
�KISS is iconic. Scooby-Doo is iconic. KISS is iconic in the same way that Batman or Superman are, so to take two worlds and combine �em together allows both to be true to themselves,� Stanley tells ABC Radio.
The singer/guitarist adds, �I mean, we�re a rock band, but we�re way more than a rock band. Rock bands are so pigeonholed and so afraid to walk outside of their comfort zone. KISS isn�t like that, so for us this was something that seemed very natural.�
Simmons has a similar opinion, maintaining that a KISS collaboration with Scooby-Doo �makes perfect sense.�
The bassist also points out, �Anything that�s iconic, that stands the test time is classic, and we only get involved in that,� noting that KISS previously has worked with such other animated franchises as SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly Oddparents and Family Guy, not to mention being the subject of various comic books over the years.
The plot of Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery centers around a big Halloween concert that the band is scheduled to play at a KISS-themed amusement park called KISS World. Unfortunately, a mysterious character named the Crimson Witch is scaring off visitors to the park, which could lead to the show being cancelled. Enter Scooby-Doo and the rest of the young Mystery Inc. gang, who proceed to join forces with KISS to see if they can foil the evildoer�s sinister plan.
The movie includes six classic KISS songs, and features voice cameos from such stars as Garry Marshall, Penny Marshall, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Pauley Perrette and Darius Rucker.
Stanley says the animated flick compares favorably to another feature-length KISS project, the campy live-action 1978 TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park.
�This is much more cohesive, and that was quite disjointed and kind of [had] a lot of loose ends,� Paul maintains. �So this is much more a finished product, and�we�re just really pleased with it.�
In other KISS news, Simmons tells ABC Radio that the band is writing new material, which may or may not result in a new studio album.
�Some of us think there�s a new record coming, some of us don�t,� he says. �So stay tuned.� Drummer Eric Singer, meanwhile, adds, �Some of us hope there�s a new record coming.�
