SAN DIEGO, Calif. – In 1978, the rock band KISS was animated for the first time in the episode "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park." But rumor has it the band was so unhappy with "KISS Meets The Phantom," no one was allowed to mention it in their presence after it aired.
In 2003, KISS tried cartoons again with a Halloween episode of "What’s New, Scooby-Doo?" Apparently that wasn't good enough, either, because KISS is back with Velma, Shaggy, and their groovy panel van once again in "Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery."
This time, Scooby got it right, because the metal legends take the lead, according to outspoken bass player/band leader Gene Simmons.
"This is the most expensive Scooby movie of them all, but it really could be a KISS movie with Scooby as a guest star," Simmons told FOX411. "There really is shared space."
In "Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery," Starchild (Paul Stanley), Demon (Gene Simmons), Catman (Eric Singer) and Spaceman (Tommy Thayer) join the Scooby-Doo gang on a magical, musical, mystery adventure at KISS World, an amusement park dedicated to the band, for a special Halloween concert. But they discover that the Crimson Witch has summoned The Destroyer from Kissteria, and the dastardly duo plan to destroy the earth -- which the Scooby gang and KISS team up to [SPOILER ALERT] save!
"The great thing about doing KISS meets Scooby Doo is because of the length of it," Stanley says. "As opposed to just a short, animated piece, we really got a chance to flesh it out, and we had people working who wanted a cohesive script. Whereas, I have to say with 'KISS Meets the Phantom,' to this day, I am not sure what that's about. But this holds together really well, and it is very true to Scooby-Doo and very true to us."
Six classic KISS songs are featured in "Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery," alongside a humorous, original new song, "Don't Touch My Ascot," performed by the band and written just for the film.
"There is no new song in the sense that we sat down and wrote a new KISS tune," Stanley says. "That's been overstated quite honestly. We'd be better off describing it as an Easter egg. It's not Easter and it's not an egg, but at the same time, it's something that if you stay until the end, you will enjoy something unexpected."
KISS fans who watched Simmons on "Gene Simmons: Family Jewels," know that in addition to being a rock star, he is also an astute businessman and a master of marketing. Hence, the new animated film. But its also this talent that has helped keep the band in the limelight since its inception in 1973. One might say, it helps keep the band relevant, but that is a word that Simmons disdains.
"Relevance is for cowards. Relevance means you're concerned with what critics have to say. We bury them in the backyard as mulch. Relevance means nothing," Simmons corrects. "You have to be unique because of your uniqueness. You create your own relevance. There's nothing like KISS. We have KISS condoms all the way to KISS caskets."
"Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery," which also features the voice of Pauley Perrette, Matthew Lillard and Grey Griffin, is currently available on Digital HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and will be released on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD on July 21.
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