Welcome back to Behind The Scenes Saturday!! Today is all about Scooby-Dooby-Doo! Scooby-Doo and his many adventures were a major staple in my childhood and I’ll always love this film. So, don’t go into the spooky castle, make sure your soul doesn’t get stolen, and enjoy these fun pictures and bits of trivia!!

(Trivia provided by IMDb.com)

(Pictures provided by google.com)

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

• The film’s director, Raja Gosnell wanted Daphne and Fred to be played by a real life couple. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. were his first choices for the roles. Prinze Jr. was worried that the film wouldn’t live up to the original cartoons, so he initially turned it down. However, Gellar was able to convince him to join.
• The film was originally going to have a darker tone and was set for a PG-13 rating. Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) would’ve been a confirmed stoner, Velma (Linda Cardellini) and Daphne would’ve had a side relationship, and there were many more marijuana references. Sarah Michelle Gellar stated that after everyone signed on, the film was changed to be more family friendly. Ironically, the original cut of the film got an R rating and some of the cleavage in the film had to be covered using CGI.
• When Daphne tried to convince Shaggy and Scooby (Neil Fanning) to investigate the castle with her, Shaggy stated, “Like, Scoob and me don’t do castles. Because castles have paintings with eyes that watch you, and suits of armor you think is a statue with a guy inside that follows you every time you turn around!” This is a reference to the very first Scooby-Doo episode, What A Night For A Knight.
• Frank Welker, who voiced Fred in all of the Scooby-Doo cartoons, voices one of the evil creatures in this film.

• Filming was very difficult for Sarah Michelle Gellar because she had to shoot for her show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer at the same time. The producers of both projects arranged things to where she would spend 2 weeks in Los Angeles to shoot Buffy, then spend the next 2 weeks in Queensland, Australia to shoot this film, and alternate that way.
• Neil Fanning was on set every day to provide Scooby’s dialogue for the rest of the cast to interact with. Fanning and Matthew Lillard ended up becoming close friends after figuring out how to make Shaggy and Scooby’s friendship more convincing.
• In order to perfect his Shaggy voice, Matthew Lillard started out by screaming for a very long time until his voice became hoarse. Over time, it worked less and less, so he had to just try to imitate how his voice sounded before.
• In an early draft of the script, the Luna Ghost was supposed to be the main villain. That’s why the ghost is in the film’s poster.

• When the gang met up at the airport, there were going to be flashbacks that showed what each character has been up to: Fred was on a book tour, Velma was in a support group, and Daphne was learning martial arts. Understandably, the flashbacks were cut for fear of dragging out the scene.
• Freddie Prinze Jr. hated wearing Fred’s signature ascot. Sarah Michelle Gellar hated wearing Daphne’s purple go-go boots, and she changed into comfy sneakers every chance she got.
• After filming was done, Freddie Prinze Jr. was forced to shave his head because the bleach ruined his hair.
• Through most of the 1990s, the film was in development hell. Jim Carrey, Sara Gilbert, Kevin Smith, Mike Myers, and Janeane Garofalo were supposedly attached to the project at different times.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt, Christina Applegate, Laura Prepon, Nicole Sullivan, Tori Spelling, and Jennifer Aniston were considered for the role of Daphne.
• Isla Fisher was almost cast as Daphne. Because Raja Gosnell wanted a real couple to play Fred and Daphne, the part went to Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, Fisher greatly impressed the casting directors at her audition so she ended up landing the role of Mary Jane.
• The band Weezer was approached to act in the film, but they declined.
• Tim Curry is a longtime fan of Scooby-Doo and he was offered the role of Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson). Rumors speculated that he turned down the role after learning that Scrappy-Doo appeared in the film. The film’s writer, James Gunn debunked this rumor, saying it was completely fabricated.

• Alyssa Milano, Carla Gugino, Alexis Bledel, and Christina Ricci were all considered for the role of Velma.
• Matthew Lillard’s performance in Thir13en Ghosts helped him land the role of Shaggy.
• Because she was still filming for Buffy The Vampire Slayer at the time, Sarah Michelle Gellar had to wear a red wig while she worked on this film.
• Lochlyn Munro auditioned for the role of Shaggy. Neil Patrick Harris was also considered.

• There was a scene where Daphne and Velma kissed, but it was cut from the film. In 2023, Sarah Michelle Gellar said it was one of the film’s deleted scenes that deserves to see the light of day.
• In the 1990s, Tim Burton was offered the chance to direct the film with complete creative control. He eventually passed on the project.
• Anthony Anderson almost played the Voodoo Maestro, but scheduling issues with Kangaroo Jack prevented this. The role ended up going to Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
• Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Fred.

• A full-sized stand-in Scooby puppet was created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop for the film. It was rejected in favor of making him CGI instead.
• In an interview, Sarah Michelle Gellar was asked which of her films would she forbid her children to watch: I Know What You Did Last Summer or Cruel Intentions. She chose this film.
• There are a few hints that Mondavarious is Scrappy. He scratches his ear as if he had fleas. Also, in his office, he has bookends that are shaped like dog heads, and a carved dog head statue.
• The original script had Don Knotts as the main villain, which would’ve connected with Fred’s line that referred to Scooby’s mistake at his Christmas party.