Scooby-Doo (film) - Production

Production

Producer Charles Roven began developing a live-action treatment of Scooby-Doo in 1994. Actor Mike Myers also expressed interest in playing Shaggy. However, by the end of the decade, the combined popularity of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, along with the addition of the script and updated digital animation led Warner Bros. to fast track production of the film.

Scooby-Doo was filmed on location in and around Queensland, Australia. Production of the film commenced February 12, 2001 at the Warner Bros. Movie World theme park.

The film was originally set to have a much darker tone, essentially poking fun at the original series, much like The Brady Bunch Movie and was set for a PG-13 rating. Shaggy was set to be a stoner, Velma and Daphne had a side relationship, and there were many marijuana references. Several rumors about these aspects in the original cartoon series were passed around by fans of the original and were to be incorporated into the live action film. One marijuana reference that was retained was the use of "Mary Jane" as the name of Shaggy's love interest. Especially noteworthy was the scene where they met on the plane. After learning her name was "Mary Jane" Shaggy states that that is his favorite name, a not-so-subtle reference to his other love.

According to Sarah Michelle Gellar, after the cast had signed on there was a change and the film became more family-friendly. Some of the original adult jokes are still in the film. They are also included in deleted scenes on the home media releases. Gellar also said her character and Linda Cardellini's shared an onscreen kiss that did not make the final film. "It wasn't just, like, for fun," she said, explaining it took place in the body-switching scene. "Initially in the soul-swapping scene Velma and Daphne couldn't seem to get their souls back together in the woods. And so the way they found was to kiss and the souls went back into proper alignment."