Scooby-Doo (2002)
- Before Freddie Prinze Jr. was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The incredible score for Scooby-Doo was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
Scooby-Doo is a 2002 American live-action comedy directed by Raja Gosnell, based on the Hanna-Barbera animated series. Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini star as Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma, with a CGI Scooby-Doo, who reunite after a two-year split to investigate supernatural activity at a resort called Spooky Island. Matthew Lillard's Shaggy was the film's most celebrated performance β his vocal cadence, physical comedy, and genuine affection for the character captured the animated original's spirit so perfectly that he eventually took over the official voice role.
The film was originally written by James Gunn as a darker, PG-13 comedy but was softened for a family audience. Scooby-Doo earned $275 million worldwide on a $84 million budget. The film launched a franchise including a sequel, two animated prequel films, and confirmed that the nearly 40-year-old Scooby-Doo property retained massive commercial appeal with new generations of audiences when given a big-budget live-action treatment.
