|
- LATEST MOVIES
- From Warner Brothers -
- WARNER BROS. PICTURES'
....
All photos courtesy
of Warner Bros.
Scooby
Doo
Zoinks! Two years after a
clash of egos forced Mystery Inc. to close its doors, Scooby-Doo and
his clever crime-solving cohorts Fred (FREDDIE PRINZE JR.), Daphne (SARAH
MICHELLE GELLAR), Shaggy (MATTHEW LILLARD) and Velma (LINDA CARDELLINI)
are individually summoned to Spooky Island to investigate a series of
paranormal incidents at the ultra-hip Spring Break hot spot.
Concerned that his frightfully popular resort might truly be haunted,
Spooky Island owner Emile Mondavarious (ROWAN ATKINSON) tries to reunite
those notoriously meddling detectives to solve the mystery before his
supernatural secret scares away the college crowds.
Scooby and the gang will have to overcome their personal differences
and forget everything they think they know about fake ghouls and phony
creatures to crack the case, save themselves and possibly…the world.
Ruh-roh!
Warner Bros. Pictures presents
a Mosaic Media Group Production of a RAJA GOSNELL film, the live action
adventure Scooby-Doo, starring FREDDIE PRINZE JR., SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR,
MATTHEW LILLARD, LINDA CARDELLINI and ROWAN ATKINSON.
Based on the classic characters created by Hanna-Barbera Productions,
Scooby-Doo is produced by CHARLES ROVEN and RICHARD SUCKLE and directed
by RAJA GOSNELL, from a screenplay by JAMES GUNN and story by CRAIG
TITLEY & JAMES GUNN. The executive producers are ROBERT ENGELMAN,
ANDREW MASON, KELLEY SMITH-WAIT and WILLIAM HANNA and JOSEPH BARBERA.
The film editor is KENT BEYDA, A.C.E.; the production designer is BILL
BOES; and the director of photography is DAVID EGGBY, A.C.S.
Scooby-Doo will be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL
Time Warner Company.
This film has been rated PG for "some rude humor, language and
some scary action."
www.scoobydoo.com / AOL Keyword:
Scooby Doo
* * *
BEHIND THE MYSTERY: THE
GENESIS AND EVOLUTION OF SCOOBY-DOO
The longest continually
running cartoon series and one of the longest running mystery series
in television history, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? premiered on September
13, 1969 on CBS. Since then, Scooby and the Mystery Inc. gang - Fred,
Daphne, Shaggy and Velma - have appeared in 310 episodes that have aired
on numerous networks for over three decades since the show's inception.
Currently, in an average week, nearly two million viewers tune in to
watch the Scooby-Doo series on the Cartoon Network. What makes Scooby-Doo
so popular and long lasting? According to David Kleeman, executive director
of the American Center for Children and Media in Chicago, "The
show combines a lot of elements that kids love: humor, adventure and
mystery, and it manages to be exciting without a high level of violence."
"It doesn't matter whether you're five years old or fifty, you
grew up with Scooby-Doo," observes Scooby-Doo feature film producer
Charles Roven. "It's the ultimate wish fulfillment. The show revolves
around characters in their teens or early twenties who are out on their
own solving mysteries with no parental involvement. The only adults
on the show are the ones being outsmarted by the gang. And best of all,
it revolves around Scooby-Doo, a walking-talking dog. Who hasn't fantasized
about becoming a member of the Mystery Inc. gang?"
When Hanna-Barbera Studios first designed Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the
rest of the Mystery Inc. gang, the look and images of the characters
were based on an idea for a proposed cartoon show, originally to have
been titled either Mysteries Five or Who's Scared? When the network
rejected these titles as being potentially too scary for Saturday morning
programming, the studio revised the original series design and format,
and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? was born.
Though Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? was the first cartoon to incorporate
an action-adventure format with a dog as star and human characters in
supporting roles, according to legend, the character of Scooby-Doo was
something of an afterthought. The Hanna-Barbera creative team decided
they needed something else to break up the monotony of explanations
between the four main characters. It was suggested that they try drawing
a dog and ultimately decided to model him after a large canine breed-the
Great Dane. When the team discovered there was a woman working in the
Hanna-Barbera painting department who actually bred prize-winning Great
Danes, she was consulted about the characteristics of the breed…and
then the crew went in the opposite direction to create Scooby-Doo!
Longtime fans of the series, Roven and producer Richard Suckle began
developing a feature film based on Scooby-Doo about eight years ago.
"At the time, our production deal with Turner Pictures had just
commenced, and Turner had just purchased the rights to the catalogue
of Hanna-Barbera characters," Suckle recalls.
"We felt it was time to take advantage of the revolutionary visual
effects that have been developed in recent years to create a life-like
Scooby," Roven says. "By combining CGI with live action, we
can do justice to the television series and give audiences a glimpse
of what Scooby and the gang would be like if they existed in the 'real'
world today."
Adapting Scooby-Doo for the big screen presented as challenging a riddle
as any faced by the Mystery Inc. gang. "There is a lot of responsibility
that comes with doing a live-action version of a pop culture icon like
Scooby-Doo," Roven admits. "We wanted to not only meet the
expectations of the fans, and incorporate the conventions of the show
- exciting action sequences, scary sequences, comedic moments, celebrity
guests and of course the unmasking of the villain - but also add depth
to the characters and their relationships."
"To take a beloved cartoon like Scooby-Doo and just do a 90 minute
version of a 30 minute episode would disappoint a tremendous number
of fans, myself included," Suckle concurs. "As depicted in
the television series, Mystery Inc. is a cohesive unit - they only split
up to search for clues and set traps for bad guys. We were able to open
up the world of Scooby-Doo and bring more depth to the characters by
establishing tension within the gang in the beginning of the film, and
then thrusting them back together to solve the mystery of Spooky Island,
where they're forced to work through their differences. This allows
the audience to discover that they are in fact all very human - they've
got a lot of conflicts not only with each other, but within themselves
that have to be worked out."
For screenwriter James Gunn, adapting Scooby-Doo as a feature film was
a dream assignment. "I grew up watching Scooby-Doo every Saturday
morning, and if I did something bad, I was grounded from watching it,
which was hell!" Gunn jokes. "Creatures and monsters always
scared the heck out of me, so I wanted to make the creatures in this
film as real and frightening as possible. I also wanted to put our heroes
into an earth-shattering situation, in which essentially they have to
save the world. As for writing Scooby, I just sat back in my seat, as
it were, and watched what he would do next. He's a great performer!"
For the mammoth task of shepherding Scooby-Doo from the page to screen,
the producers turned to Raja Gosnell, director of the hit comedies Big
Momma's House and Never Been Kissed, who is also an accomplished editor
of many blockbusters including Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire. "Raja
is the perfect director for Scooby-Doo because he knows how to make
you laugh, both as a director and as an editor," Roven attests.
"The characters in this film have a lot of heart, but they're also
flawed. Raja knows how to bring out the best in every character and
really make an audience relate to and care about them. He also brought
an enormous sense of visual style to the film."
"My family and I are enormous Scooby-Doo fans," Gosnell enthuses,
"and I loved the idea of making a film that honors the cartoon
yet delves beyond those confines; a film that really explores the characters
and their relationships with Scooby, who has this wonderful innocence
about him. He's a very simple soul. He's hungry. He's scared. He's happy.
And he just wants to be with his buddies. He's got a timeless quality
about him that is extraordinarily appealing."
* * *
DETECTIVES FOR HIRE: CASTING
MYSTERY INC. AND
THE ECCENTRIC VISIONARY OF A CREEPY ISLAND RESORT
To play Scooby-Doo's colorful
crime-solving cohorts, the filmmakers brought together four of Hollywood's
most talented young actors. Self-proclaimed Scooby-Doo fanatic Freddie
Prinze Jr. plays Fred Jones, the self-proclaimed Mystery Inc. leader
and driver of the gang's mobile ghost-hunting office, the Mystery Machine.
Initially, however, Prinze was hesitant to get involved with the project.
"I'm such a huge fan of the Scooby-Doo series, I didn't want to
be a part of the film unless it matched the quality of the cartoon,"
confesses Prinze, who owns every episode of Scooby-Doo on tape, as well
as a Scooby-Doo bowling ball engraved with his "bowling name":
Mystery Machine. "Then I read the screenplay and my whole outlook
completely changed. The script is phenomenal and hysterically funny.
It had me laughing aloud - a lot. And I decided that I really wanted
to participate in the film."
"Freddie is incredibly funny," Richard Suckle says. "His
genuine love for the show and extensive knowledge of the stories and
characters really capture the spirit of what Scooby-Doo is all about.
He had a great take on Fred Jones and knew just how to play up the character's
arrogance to great comic effect."
Prinze relished the opportunity to flesh out the Fred Jones character
to give him more substance than his unflappable cartoon counterpart.
"In the cartoon, there are touches of Fred not really paying attention
to the rest of the gang. I decided to amplify this aspect of his personality
to make him funnier and goofier," Prinze says. "Fred is not
quite as clever as he thinks and can be rather arrogant. Although each
Mystery Inc. member is important to the group dynamic, Fred sometimes
forgets that there are passengers in the Mystery Machine! He adores
the public and they adore him. And that doesn't sit well with the rest
of the gang - especially Velma - which causes some tension within the
group."
Assuming the role of perpetual damsel-in-distress Daphne Blake is the
ever-capable Sarah Michelle Gellar. "On her television series Buffy,
Sarah plays a character who is extremely capable of taking care of business
physically," Roven notes. "With Daphne, she is actually playing
against type, taking on the role of a girl who is constantly getting
captured and always needs to be rescued by the gang."
"Daphne is often perceived as the stereotypical pretty girl. She's
the kind of person who didn't always believe in herself because other
people tend to judge her exterior without looking any further,"
says Gellar, who helped transform the two-dimensional detective into
a passionate young woman who is struggling to redefine her role in the
Mystery Inc. crew. "The group separation allows Daphne to find
her own voice, and their subsequent adventure on Spooky Island is a
journey for her to prove herself and become an important and integral
part of the gang."
As part of her journey of self-discovery, Daphne becomes a student of
martial arts and a master of self-defense. "She's tired of always
being in jeopardy and having to call the gang for help," Gellar
says, "so she decides to take control and kick butt."
Though Gellar is accustomed to the physical demands of playing Buffy
the vampire slayer, stepping into Daphne's butt-kicking purple go-go
boots presented its own set of unique demands. "Playing Daphne
has been a real challenge for me - and the Make-Up department to cover
my bruises!" Gellar jokes. "It's been an incredibly physical
role. Sometimes it's harder to play the character that doesn't know
how to do things correctly and trips herself up than someone who relies
on her physical talents like Buffy."
Perhaps the most physically demanding role in the Scooby-Doo dynamic
is that of Shaggy, Scooby's best buddy and partner in cowardice and
food consumption. "For years my friends have teased me that if
there ever was a part made for me, Shaggy was it," reveals Matthew
Lillard, who plays the happy-go-lucky pizza-holic. "Fortunately,
when the Scooby-Doo feature film came together, I was at a place in
my career to have a good shot at the role."
"Matthew is a fantastic actor with terrific comedic timing and
a flair for physical comedy," Gosnell says. "When we met with
him about the part, he didn't come in and try to 'do' Shaggy. He blended
the iconic Shaggy-isms with his take on the character, which was a really
funny, compelling mix that made Shaggy seem totally natural and not
an imitation of the cartoon."
As played by Lillard, Shaggy not only must outrun ghosts via skateboard
and escape from spooky creatures using a quad bike, but together with
Scooby, he provides the bulk of comic relief in the film. "Normally
I'm not keen on slapstick humor, but it's been exciting to make the
physical commitment to bring Shaggy to life as fully as possible,"
says Lillard. "I tried to retain his lopey walk, the way he carries
himself, and the register of his voice and make all of these physical
characteristics part of myself. It was a lot of work - especially considering
that most of my scenes are with Scooby, so I was acting opposite a mark
or a stuffed animal. But it was all worth it. Making Scooby-Doo has
been a dream come true."
One of the ways in which the filmmakers expanded the world of Scooby-Doo
was to - zoinks! - create a rift between Shaggy and Scooby. "Shaggy
and Scooby are best friends, brothers and soul mates," Suckle says.
"Their relationship is one of the cornerstones of the series and
of this movie. We thought it would be interesting to see someone come
between them, so we created the role of Mary Jane, Shaggy's love interest.
He falls for Mary Jane, (played by Isla Fisher) which puts him in an
awkward position with Scooby, who is used to being the number one priority.
Well, maybe the second priority after food! For the first time ever,
a girl causes tension between them and takes the characters and the
audience into new territory."
Also venturing into new territory is the character of Velma Dinkley,
the undisputed brains of the bunch, portrayed by Linda Cardellini. "Velma
loves solving the mysteries, even though she never really gets all the
credit she deserves," says Cardellini, best known for her starring
role on the acclaimed television series Freaks and Geeks. "But
more than anything, she truly loves the gang. Even though she tends
to be more serious than the others, she is always laughing, especially
at Shaggy and Scooby."
"Velma is always very focused and precise and intent on solving
the mystery," Gosnell adds. "In our film, we show that while
she is the one who solves the crimes, Fred gets all the glory for the
plans and traps that she comes up with, and it bothers her. As the story
progresses, Velma finally says what she's always wanted to say to the
gang. She expresses her inner Velma, so to speak."
For Cardellini, bringing Velma to life was an enjoyably daunting task.
"Knowing that there are thousands of other people out there like
me with big expectations made it a little nerve wracking at first,"
Cardellini admits. "I really wanted to make Velma the person I
remembered as a child. I always viewed her as the 'cool' uncool girl;
she's smart, she loves what she does, and she's comfortable with who
she is. But it was so much fun to put on the Velma uniform - her trademark
orange turtleneck sweater, the orange socks and the big thick glasses
- and go for it."
"It was almost scary to walk on set and see Linda, because she
incorporated all of Velma's mannerisms and vocal nuances into her characterization,"
Suckle says. "She was literally a living, breathing version of
Velma."
For the role of Emile Mondavarious, the mysterious, eccentric visionary
behind the haunted Spring Break island oasis Spooky Island, the filmmakers
had only one actor in mind: world renowned comedian Rowan Atkinson.
"Rowan was the only actor who could possibly play Mondavarious,"
says Roven. "He's an incredibly multifaceted actor who brings great
nuance and texture to the character. He really keeps you guessing. Just
when you think you know who Mondavarious is, he reveals another layer
of his personality."
"I was very flattered to be offered the role because Scooby-Doo
is such a well-known and joyful cartoon," Atkinson comments. "Mondavarious
appears to be a nice chap, very keen to please. But then suddenly he
can become a bit distant, and you're not sure what he's thinking. He's
got a duality to him which is deceiving and quite fun to play."
Eventually, Mystery Inc. pegs Mondavarious as a suspect. "When
he asks the gang why they suspect him, Fred replies, 'Because I find
you creepy,' which I think is as good a reason as any other," Atkinson
jokes. "And I do think that Mondavarious is indeed a little bit
creepy. You'll have to see the movie to know where his true agenda lies!"
"I always saw Mondavarious as a lovable eccentric like the Wizard
of Oz," Gosnell relates. "Rowan brings all of his personal
charm and the charisma associated with his on-screen personas to Mondavarious.
When the camera is rolling, he's incredibly inventive and always looking
for that perfect moment: How can this scene be even funnier? Can we
make it more real? He's constantly creating as many opportunities as
he can for his character and for the movie."
"Rowan Atkinson is an absolute comic genius and so much fun to
work with!" adds Freddie Prinze Jr., echoing the sentiments of
the entire cast. "I had to try really hard to keep my focus when
we were shooting together because he kept cracking me up, take after
take."
* * *
SOLVING THE CASE BEHIND THE SCENES
According to producer Charles
Roven, creating a uniquely entertaining look for Scooby-Doo was as crucial
as crafting an entertaining script and casting the film with a talented
ensemble of actors. "We wanted to give the film a tremendously
vibrant, visual style, and I believe we achieved our goal," Roven
says. "Bill Boes, our Production Designer and Leesa Evans, our
Costume Designer, helped to create an exciting film with a vast array
of extraordinary sets and costumes. David Eggby, our Cinematographer,
did a great job in saturating the screen with visual eye candy, and
Raja pushed everyone's imaginations to the limit."
"I describe this movie as a 'lighting cocktail,'" jokes David
Eggby, who has served as Director of Photography on visual effects-laden
films like Pitch Black and Dragonheart. "Raja really wanted the
colors to 'pop' off the screen, and Bill Boes did an incredible job
of designing sets that radiate with bright, poppy colors. Since the
film takes place predominantly at night, it was a challenge to capture
those vivid colors while lighting to give the illusion of dark exteriors.
Also, Bill's sets were quite big and many of them required extensive
lighting; each set required a different approach to the lighting scheme.
The trickiest set to light was the cavern, where the film's finale takes
place. There really wasn't anywhere to hide any lights, so I designed
a special lighting system."
In designing the sets, Bill Boes had to take into account the requirements
of the camera department and visual effects team, as well as remain
true to the spirit of the original Scooby-Doo series. "We incorporated
all of the cartoon conventions into our visual language when we designed
the sets," Boes says. "There's always a mysterious castle
with medieval suits of armor and skeletons; there's always a library;
and there's always a hidden door somewhere. And there are splashes of
wild colors everywhere, because the series debuted at the tail end of
the '60s psychedelic era, so we really played up that aspect. For instance,
the exterior of Spooky Castle is purple, but the interior is blue. Each
room and every door is a different color. We really went totally over
the top, but we always kept within the original visual landscape of
Scooby-Doo."
In addition to the sprawling sets built on six sound stages at the Warner
Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, the production
also relied on a significant amount of location work. The film's dynamic
opening sequence was filmed inside the (no longer functioning) Tennyson
Power Station in Brisbane. "That power station is like something
straight out of the cartoon!" Boes reports. "It looks just
like all the old factories in the series - the '50s architecture with
its glass bricks and the smoke stacks provided the perfect framework
for us to build the Wow-O Toy Factory set."
The other major location utilized by the production was the Tangalooma
Wild Dolphin Resort on Moreton Island in Queensland, which doubled as
Spooky Island, the freakily fun theme park for college kids run by Emile
Mondavarious. Boes rooted the Spooky Island design in "Polynesian,
Tiki and Voodoo influences," he says. "Lots of weird masks
and faces. Tons of variety and color. We had a huge amount of fun designing
it." (The Scooby-Doo Visual Effects team also contributed to the
overall look of Spooky Island, digitally enhancing Spooky Castle as
well as the amusement park rides.)
"Bill's artistry amazes me," Matthew Lillard gushes. "For
example, the benches on Spooky Island aren't just benches - they're
coffins with skeletons coming out of them that look like benches! So
even though it was difficult to work with an 'invisible' Scooby, it
was inspiring and fun to work in the environments that Bill created."
"Setting the movie on a Spooky Island opened up a myriad of design
possibilities, because we weren't tied to replicating anything in the
'real world,'" says Gosnell. "I'm especially proud of what
Leesa Evans accomplished with her costume design for everyone on the
Island, which we wanted to be very unique. We didn't want any of the
cliché dancing skeletons, Draculas, Wolf Men or witches on broomsticks.
Leesa was incredibly inventive and detailed, down to the tribal heads
on the hotel guards to the body paint and tattoos she used on the bad
guys."
According to Evans, her main challenge was to stay true to the original
Scooby-Doo wardrobe while embellishing it with modern sartorial flair.
"We spent a lot of time working out how to make those original
colors really 'pop', and then how to get them to pop some more,"
Evans says. "With the main cast, we had two different colors of
costume for each character - one for day and one for night, which were
exactly the same shade, just different tones. The darker tone was used
for the daytime and the lighter tone to accommodate the night lighting.
But we did stay very true to the original costumes. Velma almost always
wears her orange cowl neck sweater and thick-rimmed glasses, Fred sports
his trademark blue and white, Shaggy wears his familiar green shirt
and brown pants, and Daphne is a fashion plate in her signature purple
palette."
* * *
LIKE, WOW! THE CINEMAGIC
OF BRINGING SCOOBY
TO THE SILVER SCREEN
To create the first-ever
live-action adaptation of the world's most beloved dog, cartoon icon
Scooby-Doo, the filmmakers seamlessly brought the characteristics of
the animated crime-fighting pooch into a new dimension though the use
of state-of-the-art computer generated imagery (CGI).
"Scooby is the central character in the movie and a large amount
of the inertia, the thrust of the movie, is born out of his look and
mannerisms," Visual Effects Supervisor Peter Crosman explains.
"A full palette of CGI options is a virtually limitless way for
us to create Scooby's persona, allowing us to infuse him with his cartoon
characteristics - especially his facial expressions, his jaw structure
and smile-and still make him look realistic."
From the beginning of production, director Raja Gosnell emphasized that
the three-dimensional star of the film must be both believable and true
to character. "Scooby has to walk and talk and interact with his
human co-stars and perform other humanistic actions, but at the end
of the day, he must feel like a real dog and also exhibit all the charm,
humor and mannerisms that we associate with Scooby-Doo," Gosnell
says.
"Creating a principal CGI character, especially one like Scooby-Doo,
who interacts with a real environment and human co-stars - combined
with the additional quixotic component of humor - has been an enormous
challenge," says Crosman. "It's only in the last two or three
years that it has become technologically possible to do so. With Scooby,
we had the added pressure of meeting the expectations of all the Scooby
fans out there."
The intricate process of creating a 3-D Scooby-Doo began with the complex
task of developing his look. To protect the integrity of the cartoon
while composing Scooby-Doo's three-dimensional life, Crosman and his
Visual Effects team endeavored to hybridize the characteristics of a
real Great Dane with the cartoon dog. "Scooby has an unlimited
amount of facial expressions, just like a human actor, so he needed
to be built correctly in terms of the muscle structure in his face,
in his ears and eyes," Crosman reports. "Visual effect house
Rhythm and Hues created a biological Scooby: his bones, muscles, eye
color, and ears, retaining his inherent color, as well as the tell-tale
spots on his body, his bent ear and elongated dopey walk. Then we brought
in his personality and facial expressions."
Once Scooby's look was perfected, the Visual Effects team used story-boarded
concepts for the superhound's scenes as guidelines to complete each
phase of the CGI process. Backgrounds for these scenes were filmed;
then reference points for Scooby were inserted into the shots and temporary
animation "dropped in" to ensure that, as Crosman stresses,
"the proposed CGI shots stayed true to the mannerisms and intent
of Scooby's character." After each sequence was thoroughly reviewed
and approved by the filmmakers, the VFX artists generated a final rendering
with the appropriate verisimilitude of fur, eyes, positioning of the
tongue, etc. for an accurate multi-textured creation of the three-dimensional
Scooby-Doo.
Because CGI effects are added after filming, the actors were often faced
with the challenge of working without a physical Scooby-Doo on the set.
As Sarah Michelle Gellar reports, "Working 'with' Scooby has taken
a lot of imagination and coordination with the other actors. We all
have to be in sync, asking Where do you see Scooby right now? What face
do you think he's making?"
"When actors work together there's usually a certain chemistry
they generate with each other, but we had to create that for Scooby,"
Crosman explains. "We made sure that the cast always knew where
Scooby would be positioned in each sequence, what facial expressions
he would be making, and how tall he was - whether he was sitting, standing,
running, and so forth."
To help the actors working with Scooby, as well as for use as a reference
point for the digital imaging team and the computer generated effects
to come, John Cox and his crew at John Cox's Creature Workshop created
two full-size, three-dimensional Scooby-Doo models as stand-ins. The
first model positioned Scooby-Doo standing on all fours in the classic
"show dog" pose, and the second sculpture situated Scooby
in an upright standing pose, which was jokingly referred to as "Franken-Scooby."
These models were created with internal poseable skeletons and were
mounted on wheels for ease of movement in the different sequences. Using
the stand-in models helped give the actors direction as to where Scooby
was situated and also served as a guide to appropriately light and shade
the CGI-animated Scooby.
Another invaluable resource for the filmmakers and actors working with
Scooby-Doo was Neil Fanning, who voices the crime-fighting canine for
the film. Fanning was on-set for virtually all of Scooby's scenes, invoking
the spirit of the invisible Great Dane and delivering dialogue to provide
emotional cues for the cast.
"Although each character in the movie is very integral to the whole,
the title is Scooby-Doo, so that gives him a certain heightened importance,"
Charles Roven explains. "We had to make very sure we gave him his
due, in the same way we took care of the other main characters - giving
them maximum opportunities to deliver their best performances as these
characters. While the actors could talk to us, ask us questions and
tell us if they felt they needed another take, we had to take care of
Scooby on his behalf, because he certainly wasn't there to take care
of himself! Although when you see the movie, you won't believe that."
According to Crosman, the most demanding sequence for the Visual Effects
team to animate was a fight sequence in which Scooby stands up on his
hind legs. "To animate any dog standing on his hind legs is a challenge,
but Scooby also had to 'act' around Shaggy," he says. "He
has to fight like a boxer whilst still remaining a dog. That's about
as challenging as it gets!"
Creating the perfect rapport between man and man's best friend was essential
to the film. "Getting a comic performance from Scooby was something
that was not predictable nor easy to plan, but having Matthew Lillard
play Shaggy was a great help to us," Crosman says. "Matthew
was able to bring so much physical humor and authenticity to Shaggy
that it was a pleasure to create Scooby's interactions with him. Matthew's
genius and energy while performing [with the invisible Scooby] ensured
that Scooby-Doo works as a real buddy movie with lots of laughs."
"Matthew was always fully prepared and he helped us enormously,"
says Gosnell of Lillard's work ethic. "After each take he'd ask,
Was that enough room for Scooby? Do I need to reposition? Matthew really
attached himself to Scooby in every way on set and that absolutely shows
onscreen."
How does Lillard describe his experience of working with an invisible
best pal? "Working with Scooby-Doo was like working with a ghost!
So much of acting is getting energy back from someone, and responding
to what you're given. When nothing's given, it's tough," he confesses.
"Using a lot of imagination helped me to keep my groove as Shaggy,
and I always kept the cartoon in my mind and tried to envision what
Shaggy and Scooby would be doing in a similar situation. Inevitably
for Scooby and Shaggy, it involved a lot of eating and a lot of running
for our lives."
* * *
RHOSTS? RUH-ROH!
In addition to Scooby-Doo,
the Visual Effects wizards also created the mysterious and ferocious
creatures who terrorize the Spring Breakers at party hotspot Spooky
Island. "The creatures were fun and less complex to render than
Scooby," Crosman says. "They're big, tall, lanky characters
with big long fingers. They have the ability to scoop up a human body
as if it were a much smaller animal. The challenge in those sequences
was to make the actors believe they were really being picked up by a
twelve-foot high creature with big scary features. So John Cox built
a giant model of one of the creatures so the cast could see exactly
what they were dealing with. Then we lifted the actors up on wires and
gave them reference points for the creatures they were 'facing,' and
guided them about how to react to this giant creature carrying them
around as if they were weightless."
For his part, Freddie Prinze Jr. enjoyed the demanding CGI shooting
process. "In one particular scene, a creature picks me up in the
air by my leg, so to get the shot, I was lifted into the air by four
wires," Prinze recalls. "I had to balance in-air while looking
at the creature, reacting to invisible gas that shoots from his mouth
and to the CGI Scooby, who is also in the scene! It was a whole lot
of digital information that required a lot of imagination and coordination.
It was very challenging, but I also felt terrific when Raja got the
shot. Those are the moments when, as an actor, you know you're giving
all that you have and it pays off with great rewards."
* * *
IF THE VAN'S A-ROCKIN',
DON'T COME KNOCKIN'!!
Secrets of the Mystery Machine
Perhaps the greatest mystery
of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? series is not the identity of a particular
ghost or goblin, nor the actual ingredients of Scooby Snacks; it is
the question every devoted fan has debated: "What does the inside
of the Mystery Machine look like?"
As the getaway van for the Mystery Inc. gang, fans have long been looking
for clues to uncover what's shaking behind those flower-painted doors.
For the first time ever, audiences worldwide will be able to explore
the psychedelic interior of the Mystery Machine.
In Scooby-Doo, a clash of egos forces Mystery Inc. to close its doors,
and the Mystery Machine shifts its role from the mobile ghost-hunting
office for the gang to the positively Shag-adelic home of Shaggy and
Scooby.
The distinctive aqua and lime exterior adorned with the outrageous orange-lettered
logo no longer conceals the mysterious interior of the windowless van.
Shaggy and Scooby-Doo have blanketed vermilion shag carpeting on the
van's walls, floor and ceiling, accented by screaming green area rugs.
A television, surfboard, beanbag chair, refrigerator, hammock-plus a
hibachi for grilling -- equip the Mystery Machine with all the comforts
of home. (A custom-made sunroof hatch located over the hibachi keeps
the van up to fire code standards.)
Pop the hood and the Mystery Machine unveils a basic 6-cylinder automatic
transmission engine, but this Shag-mobile is no ordinary van. To create
the one-of-a-kind vehicle for the film, Scooby-Doo production designer
Bill Boes started with the body of an Australian-model Holden van and
customized it like a man possessed. Boes' goal "to customize the
van so that it would be like no other 'off the shelf' van" is an
incredible transformation from the original Holden van to the ultimate
crime-fighting Mystery Machine.
To American sensibilities, the uniquely shaped Holden van looks like
the illicit offspring of a utility van and a station wagon with its
long snout of a front end, reminiscent of an early 1970's Ford, and
the back-end that resembles a traditional van. Boes had to investigate
the best way to unmask the Mystery Machine hiding within the body of
the Holden. "We began the reformation by first taking a really
old rusted Holden van and cutting off the front end," Boes explains.
"We wanted the boxy-shape of a Chevy van, so we completely changed
the front configuration to reflect the retro style of Scooby-Doo. We
custom-made a front grill and created round headlights in a square casing.
Next, we grinded every part of the van down, a sanding process which
takes out all of the burrs [bumps and dents] and evens the whole surface."
The newly smoothed van became a canvas on which the chop-shop guru and
his production team flexed their artistic muscle. The choice of colors
and design for the exterior paint began with more than 50 renderings
before the options were narrowed to five. From those five, approximately
50 additional mutations were considered: redesigned logos, sparkly paint
and airbrushing, amongst others. Determined that the Mystery Machine
personify the Scooby-Doo ideal, Boes and his team revisited vintage
footage from the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? cartoon and finally decided
to restore the van's classic style and colors. His additional personalized
detail to the Mystery Machine's exterior is a flaming mahogany swirl
on the bottom portion of the van in place of the traditional cerulean
color.
Further disguising the original Holden van and birthing the Mystery
Machine, Boes' additional tricked-out body work includes extra flared
wheel casings; a wooden bumper to complement the surfboard-esque retro
theme; a jacked-up back end which was actualized with the use of larger
rear tires; and the final touch- the personalized license plate reading
"MYST INC".
The Shag-alicious result is the ultimate dream machine for Shaggy and
Scooby, perfect for cruising the coastline, scarfing Scooby snacks and
escaping from ghosts and monsters. Complete with all the freewheeling
accoutrements that man and man's best friend could ever need, this customized
beauty ensures that our crime-fighting duo need never leave the comfort
of the Mystery Machine to get groovy.
* * *
A MYSTERY INC. DOSSIER
A brief fact sheet on Scooby-Doo and his partners in crime:
FRED JONES (AKA "Freddie")
With blond hair and good looks that would inspire confidence in anyone
(except maybe Scooby and Shaggy), Fred Jones is the leader of the Mystery
Inc. gang. Though he's not as clever as Velma at picking up clues, and
his arrogance occasionally undermines team unity, Fred is the one who
drives The Mystery Machine, gives the gang their assignments, and pairs
them up for their missions. His knack for setting Velma's elaborate
traps to catch ghouls, ghosts and bad guys is scarcely diminished by
the fact that most of the traps backfire! Though Fred loves Scooby,
occasionally, they clash over their differing views about how dogs should
behave.
Known For: Unwavering confidence and calm in the face of danger.
Hidden Talent: A flair for
teamwork.
Catchphrases: "Let's
split up, gang!"
"I've got a plan…"
"That wraps up another mystery."
DAPHNE BLAKE
Everybody loves beautiful, stylish Daphne Blake. She's always up for
adventure, with hundreds of plunges into perilous predicaments under
her fashionable lime green belt. And she's great for the ego since she
always needs to be rescued. Unlike her canine colleague, Daphne loves
the challenges presented by the unknown. She also enjoys a good "whodunit"
and hopes to become a famous mystery writer someday.
Known for: Always being a
damsel in distress…whose countless brushes
with disaster never mess up her impeccably coiffed hair.
Hidden Talent: She's transformed
her body into a dangerous weapon.
Catchphrases: "Would
you do it for a Scooby snack?"
"Help!"
VELMA DINKLEY
A veritable Sherlock in spectacles, and the undisputed brains of the
outfit, Velma Dinkley is always the first to decipher the clues, devise
clever phantom-catching traps and deduce who's hiding under the mask.
Velma tends to get separated from the gang almost as often as Scooby,
but for opposite reasons: Scooby runs from the clues, while Velma intently
follows them.
Known for: Unfaltering commitment
to finding clues and cracking
cases; losing her glasses.
Hidden Talent: Self-expression.
Catchphrases: "Jinkies."
"I found a clue!"
"I've lost my glasses! I can't see without my glasses!"
NORVILLE "SHAGGY" ROGERS (AKA "Shagster")
Part beatnik, part hippie and all cool, Shaggy is Scooby's groovy, unkempt
companion who is happiest when he's loping alongside his best pal, Scooby-Doo.
(Usually, they're headed in the opposite direction of trouble). Like
Scooby, Shaggy shies away from clue-hunting and rarely cracks a case
- but his tendency to inadvertently mingle with monsters and bungle
Velma and Fred's carefully laid traps somehow always leads to the unmasking
of the bad guys. And, man oh man, can this dude eat!
Known for: Constant hunger
and never-failing cowardice.
Hidden Talent: He like, shreds
on a skateboard, man.
Catchphrases: "Zoinks!"
"Like wow!"
"Man oh man."
"Like, uh oh."
"_____ makes me hungry."
"Here we go again!"
"Scooby-Doo, where are you!?"
SCOOBY-DOO (AKA "Scoob," "Scoobert")
He's afraid of ghouls, vampires, zombies, mummies... even his own shadow.
And when the going gets tough, Scooby gets going.... as far away as
possible! Speaking semi-intelligible English, the only four-pawed member
of Mystery Inc. unwittingly helps his ghostbusting teenage pals solve
monstrous mysteries and unmask pseudo-spirits. The key to Scooby's heart
- and to whatever courage he can muster - is Scooby Snacks. He'll do
anything for 'em, even wear disguises and venture into haunted houses.
But you always get the feeling that the big, lovable pooch would rather
be anyplace than the spooky place where he always happens to be.
Known For: Constant hunger
and never-failing cowardice.
Hidden Talent: An ability
to walk upright while wearing high heels.
Catchphrases: "Ruh-roh."
(Uh-oh)
"Rooby Rack?" (Scooby Snack)
"He he he he he he he he!"
"Reah." (Yeah)
"Relp!" (Help!)
"Scooby Dooby Doo!"
* * *
ABOUT THE CAST
FREDDIE PRINZE JR. (Fred
Jones) has entered the ranks as one of Hollywood's most sought after
and most recognized young stars. Following the rave reviews of his breakout
performance in the 1999 box office hit She's All That, Prinze began
to carve out a place for himself as one of his generation's hottest
new leading men. After opening #1 at the box office, the film grossed
over $103 million domestic and internationally.
Prinze will next lend his voice to the animated comedy feature Happily
N'Ever After for Vanguard Films' John H. Williams (Shrek) alongside
Sigourney Weaver and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Happily N'Ever After is
inspired by classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales and is based on Greenlight's
European animated television series SimsalaGrimm.
Prinze left his hometown of Albuquerque after finishing high school
and moved to Los Angeles to focus on his acting career. After making
his feature film debut opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter Gallagher and
Claire Danes in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, Prinze went on to star
with Parker Posey in the independent cult-hit film, The House of Yes.
The box office smash I Know What You Did Last Summer followed with an
ensemble including Ryan Phillippe, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Sarah Michelle
Gellar. Prinze reprised his role in the sequel, I Still Know What You
Did Last Summer. Recent film credits include Miramax's Down to You with
Julia Stiles and Boys and Girls with Jason Biggs and Claire Forlani,
Head over Heels with Monica Potter and Summer Catch with Matthew Lillard.
Determined and accomplished
are two words that best describe SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR (Daphne Blake).
A veteran of television, theater and the big screen, Gellar, a Golden
Globe nominee, currently stars in her sixth season of the critically
acclaimed drama, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She has most recently been
seen on the big screen for James Toback's Harvard Man, which premiered
last year at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Gellar also starred in the tremendously successful I Know What You Did
Last Summer and the blockbuster Scream 2. She won a 1998 Blockbuster
Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Summer and was nominated
for a 1998 MTV Movie Award for her role in Scream 2. She also starred
opposite Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions which garnered her 2 MTV
Awards: Best Actress, and Best On-Screen Kiss.
With a career in the world of entertainment that has spanned nearly
20 years, the precocious Gellar won an Emmy in 1994 for her role on
the ABC daytime drama All My Children and completed classes at the High
School for the Performing Arts in New York one year ahead of schedule.
Other television credits for Gellar include: An Invasion Of Privacy
(CBS/MOW), A Woman Named Jackie (CBS/Mini-Series) and All My Children
(ABC). Other film credits include Simply Irresistible (Fox); Over The
Brooklyn Bridge (Cannon Films) and High Stakes (Vidmark). Theater credits
include Jake's Women opposite Matthew Broderick at Circle in the Square
and The Widow Claire at the Old Globe Theater.
Starring in Buffy The Vampire Slayer has its pressures even for a veteran
actor like Gellar. For the grueling schedule, Gellar utilizes all of
her skills as an actor and couples them with her talents in gymnastics,
Tae Kwon Do and other martial arts in order to play her role as the
teenage vampire slayer.
A New York native, Gellar resides in Los Angeles. Currently, Gellar
is providing her voice for the animated features Happily N'Ever After
and 2004: A Light Knight's Odyssey.
In Miramax's box-office success
Scream, MATTHEW LILLARD (Shaggy Rogers) burst onto the scene and captured
audiences with his hyper-kinetic portrayal of the teen serial killer
"Stuart," earning him critical acclaim and worldwide recognition.
This past summer, Lillard starred in the horror film, Thirteen Ghosts,
co-starred in the romantic comedy feature film Summer Catch and appeared
in Love's Labour's Lost opposite Kenneth Branagh. Other film credits
include S.L.C. Punk, Finder's Fee, She's All That, Wing Commander, Senseless
and The Curve with Keri Russell.
Lillard began his acting career with a co-starring role in John Waters'
Serial Mom, alongside Kathleen Turner and Ricki Lake. He continued to
land roles, including Chris O'Donnell's best friend in Mad Love; a memorable
portrayal as a serial killer in Hackers and as an anti-abortion extremist
opposite Cher and Anne Heche in HBO's If These Walls Could Talk.
Born in Michigan, Lillard was raised in California. After high school
he attended Pasadena College of the Arts for several semesters and then
moved to New York to study at the distinguished Circle in the Square
theater company.
Through her exposure on the
critically adored NBC series Freaks and Geeks, LINDA CARDELLINI (Velma
Dinkley) was singled out by dozens of major publications as one of the
most extraordinary young actors in Hollywood. And they were right.
Since finishing the series Cardellini has worked non-stop in both feature
films and theatre. She recently starred in The Unsaid, in which she
starred opposite Andy Garcia and was seen last summer in the critical
and audience favorite, Legally Blonde, with Reese Witherspoon.
As early as age 10, when she was first asked to sing in a school play,
Cardellini knew what her future would be. She immersed herself in school
productions and drama classes, getting her big break with a starring
role in the television series Bone Chillers. She has also appeared in
the films Dead Man on Campus and Good Burger.
After breaking into the scene in Freaks and Geeks in the fall of 1999,
she starred that season in American Movie Classics' original four-part
dramedy The Lot, set in a 1930's film studio. The multi-plot story revolved
around her character, an innocent young Midwesterner who goes to Hollywood
to become a star. When AMC opted to continue the multi-part series this
season, Cardellini re-joined her original castmates for several guest-star
appearances, winning repeat rave reviews.
Cardellini is also genuinely committed to her first love, theatre. She
has performed in Europe, starring in the 14th century Dutch tragedy
Lancelot, one of the earliest secular feminist plays ever discovered
and only recently translated into English and also appeared in the West
Coast premiere of Adam Rapp's award-winning Ghosts in the Cottonwoods.
Cardellini currently resides in Los Angeles.
A budding Electrical Engineer
with degrees from Newcastle and Oxford Universities, ROWAN ATKINSON
(Mondavarious) attracted wide critical notice while performing at the
Edinburgh Festival in 1977. After mounting his own Revue at London's
Hampstead Theatre in 1978, he became a founder member of the BBC's Not
the Nine O'clock News team. This fast became a major success with four
series, Platinum and Gold LP's, many best-selling books, a Silver Rose
at Montreux, an International EMMY and a British Academy Award. The
series also made him BBC Personality of the Year.
In 1981 Atkinson became the youngest performer to have a one-man show
in London's West End - a sell-out season at the Globe Theatre won him
the Society of West End Theatre's Award for Comedy Performance of the
Year. In 1983 he embarked with writer Richard Curtis on their situation
tragedy Blackadder for the BBC. Over the ensuing five years the four
series won three British Academy Awards, an International EMMY, three
ACE awards and personal awards for his performance, including Best Entertainment
Performance. Once again Atkinson was voted BBC Personality of the Year.
On stage he took the lead in Larry Shue's The Nerd at the Aldwych Theatre
in 1985. In the following year he mounted a new one-man show in the
West End and after a sell-out season it was transferred to Broadway.
This show went on to tour successfully in Australia, New Zealand, the
Far East and the UK. In 1988 he undertook a six-month run in the West
End, starring in The Sneeze, a collection of humourous one-act plays
by Anton Chekhov.
Atkinson's next major television undertaking was the creation of the
silent comedy series Mr. Bean for ITV and HBO. The pilot program won
the Golden Rose of Montreux and was nominated for an International EMMY.
Subsequent episodes have continued to win plaudits, including an International
EMMY, two BANFF Awards and an ACE Award for best Comedy in 1995. The
series has been sold to over 200 territories. It is the highest rated
comedy show of the decade on commercial television, and produced by
the production company Tiger Aspect, of which Atkinson is a partner
and for whom he has also appeared in a number of highly successful documentary
programs on subjects ranging from comedy to his passion, the motor car.
In 1995 he starred as the lead role, Inspector Raymond Fowler, in the
first series of Tiger Aspect's number one rating situation comedy The
Thin Blue Line written by Ben Elton. A second series was produced in
the summer of 1996. For HBO and the BBC, Tiger also produced Rowan Atkinson
on Location in Boston, a one-hour special featuring highlights from
his stage shows. The production won an ACW award (1993).
Atkinson has appeared in a number of films, including Never Say Never
Again with Sean Connery; The Tall Guy with Jeff Goldblum; Nick Roeg's
The Witches, and Steven Wright's The Appointments of Dennis Jennings
for HBO which won the 1989 Oscar for best short film. Other film appearances
include Hot Shots - Part Deux, Four Weddings and a Funeral and the voice
of Zazu in The Lion King.
He also co-produced and appeared in Bean - The Ultimate Disaster Movie
(1997). The Polygram film, produced by Working Title in association
with Tiger Aspect, was a huge international hit.
Throughout 2000, Blackadder Back & Forth, a 35 minute film shot
on 70mm, was shown at London's Millenium Dome. With Rowan portraying
Edmund Blackadder for the first time for a decade, the comedy features
all the other stars of the original television series and proved to
be the most popular attraction at the Dome.
In 2001 Atkinson appeared as Enrico Polini in the Paramount Pictures
film Rat Race, directed by David Zucker. Atkinson is also involved with
the creation and production of the Mr. Bean animated series, produced
by Tiger Aspect Productions, currently showing on television in the
UK.
Atkinson is currently in production with the movie Johnny English in
which he plays the lead role.
The boisterous Southern California-based
quintet SUGAR RAY (Themselves) masterfully mixes elements of pop, punk,
hip-hop, reggae, New Wave, and good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll to create
a stunningly multi-faceted sound that is the trademark of the group.
Coming together in 1992 from the various bedroom communities in Orange
County, California to form Sugar Ray are: Craig "DJ Homicide"
Bullock as DJ, Stan Frazier on drums, Murphy Karges on bass guitar,
Mark McGrath with vocals and Rodney Sheppard on guitar.
Sugar Ray released their first album, Lemonade and Brownies in 1995
and toured virtually non-stop for the next two years, opening for the
Sex Pistols, Cypress Hill and KoRn. 1997 brought them an RIAA double
platinum-certified sophomore effort, Floored, and they followed this
success with the 1999's smash hit, the triple platinum 14:59. In 2001,
Sugar Ray released their eponymous album which includes the hits "When
It's Over" and "Answer The Phone."
Scooby-Doo marks the second feature film appearance for Sugar Ray; they
also appeared in the comedy Father's Day.
* * *
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
"I watched a lot of
cartoons as a kid," says editor-turned-director RAJA GOSNELL (Director)
in explaining his natural affinity for pacing that has fueled some of
the most successful comedies of the last decade, from the Home Alone
series to Mrs. Doubtfire to Big Momma's House.
Gosnell's ability to create multi-layered humor with wide popular appeal
has been apparent since he made his directorial debut in 1997 with Home
alone 3 after 15 years as an editor. That success was followed in short
order by Never Been Kissed, an offbeat romantic comedy starring Drew
Barrymore and David Arquette, and Big Momma's House, an uproarious farce
starring Martin Lawrence that became one of the biggest hits of 2000,
earning in excess of $115 million domestically.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gosnell apprenticed at Lions Gate Films
in the late '70's with Robert Altman. After serving as an assistant
editor on Altman's Quintet, A Perfect Couple and H.E.A.L.T.H., he graduated
to editor on the musical-comedy Popeye. Gosnell then went on to assist
Oscar-winning editor William Reynolds on a number of films before earning
his first solo credit for the Oscar-nominated live action short The
Silence.
As an editor, Gosnell collaborated with such renowned directors as Barry
Levinson, John Hughes and Garry Marshall on Good Morning Vietnam, Miracle
on 34th Street and Pretty Woman, respectively. Yet it was his long-term
association with ditrector Chris Columbus - beginning with 1988's Heartbreak
Hotel - that catapulted Gosnell to the top of the editing field. Together
they created some of the most memorable and successful comedies of the
1990's, including Home Alone, Only the Lonely, Home Alone 2: Lost in
New York, Mrs. Doubtfire and Nine Months.
CHARLES ROVEN (Producer)
has distinguished himself for nearly two decades as a motion picture
producer. He is a co-founder of Atlas Entertainment and its affiliated
companies, Atlas/Third Rail Management and Third Rail Records, which
have become a part of Mosaic Media Group, an integrated multi-media
film, television and management company.
In addition to producing Bulletproof Monk, Roven is completing post
production on the live action version of Scooby-Doo starring Freddie
Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini.
Roven took the reins of Atlas Entertainment and the other Atlas entities
after an eight-year partnership with music manager Robert Cavallo, who
left the companies in 1998 to become chairman of Buena Vista Music Group
and Hollywood Records. The company's success also benefited from the
talents of Roven's now-deceased wife, Dawn Steel, who joined the venture
from her former post as president of Columbia Pictures.
One of the industry's most diverse filmmakers, Roven has spearheaded
a broad slate of projects since the founding of Atlas Entertainment
in 1990. He has either overseen production or served as a producer of
Final Analysis, Honey, I Blew Up the Kids, Cool Runnings, Man's Best
Friend, Sister Act II: Back in the Habit, Angus, Twelve Monkeys, Fallen,
City of Angels and Three Kings. Roven began his career as a talent manager,
subsequently bringing an attuned sensibility of working with artists
to the realm of production.
While focusing on Mosaic's feature film activities, Roven also participates
in the music management division. Currently, he has been involved in
the production of the Scooby-Doo soundtrack, utilizing one of the division's
most prolific bands, Outkast, for the debut single for the film's release.
He is also noted for facilitating other synergy between the organization's
music and film divisions. In 1998, the soundtrack for the motion picture
City of Angels garnered three Grammy Awards, the coveted title of best-selling
soundtrack of the year and #1 singles for Atlas/Third Rail clients Alanis
Morissette and The Goo Goo Dolls.
RICHARD SUCKLE (Producer)
attended the University of Chicago and New York University. Following
his graduation in 1991, the Philadelphia native moved to Los Angeles
where he began his career at Roven/Cavallo Entertainment, which in 1993
became Atlas Entertainment, the feature production division of Mosaic
Media Group, an integrated multi-media, film, television and management
company.
During his eleven years with Atlas Entertainment, Suckle has participated
in the development and production of many projects on the company's
slate. Some of these include Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys, starring
Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt; and Fallen, starring Academy Award Winner
Denzel Washington, directed by Gregory Hoblit, which Suckle also served
as Associate Producer.
Co-head of Atlas Entertainment's film production arm, Suckle also serves
as a manager for Danny Leiner, who directed the Twentieth Century Fox
comedy Dude, Where's My Car?
JAMES GUNN (Screenplay and
Story) was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri in a large Irish Catholic
family. At the age of twelve he began his filmmaking career with an
eight-millimeter camera. His first film featured his brother Sean Gunn
(currently an actor on WB's The Gilmore Girls) being disemboweled by
zombies.
While at Columbia University in New York earning his MFA in creative
writing, Gunn applied for a part-time job filing papers at famed B-movie
studio Troma Entertainment, and ended up writing the screenplay for
a movie called Tromeo & Juliet instead. He was paid $150 to do so,
and he produced the film as well. In 1997, Tromeo became a cult hit,
playing in theaters around the world, including over a year of midnight
screenings in Los Angeles. Gunn stayed at Troma for two years as the
President of Production and for a time ran his own TV station, Troma's
Edge TV, in the Netherlands and Amsterdam.
Gunn left Troma to write and star in the feature film The Specials,
alongside Rob Lowe, Jamie Kennedy and his brother Sean. When released
in 2000, this film about a group of superheroes on their day off had
literally dozens of people flocking to the theater while it played in
LA and New York.
Gunn wrote the critically acclaimed novel The Toy Collector, released
by Bloomsbury Press in 2000. He also wrote, with Lloyd Kaufman, the
non-fiction book, All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From
The Toxic Avenger.
As the writer of the Scooby-Doo screenplay, this marks the first movie
he's written that he's allowing his mother to see. Gunn also wrote the
words and music to The Creature Chant used throughout the film.
In addition, Gunn has written Spy vs. Spy for director Jay Roach and
Warner Bros. Pictures. He has also written TV pilots for the WB and
Fox, and is currently writing the feature The Newlyweds, a romantic
comedy for Warner Bros., and the remake of the 1979 horror classic,
Dawn Of The Dead, for Universal. Most recently, however, Gunn wrote
this very biography, speaking of himself
in the third person throughout.
CRAIG TITLEY (Story) is credited
with the story for Scooby-Doo and the story adaptation for the Warner
Bros. comedy See Spot Run. With his "dog days" now behind
him, Titley is set to direct his two-legged Kung-Fu action/comedy script
The Tenth Master for Columbia Pictures and is currently writing an action/adventure
film for MGM based on the real-life adventures of Maury Kravitz, the
stock broker-turned-Indiana Jones who discovered Genghis Khan's tomb.
ROBERT ENGELMAN (Executive
Producer) served as executive producer on Little Nicky; Mystery Men;
Blade; One Night Stand; Kazaam; Mortal Kombat and Man's Best Friend.
He also produced Jim Carrey's hit comedy The Mask.
Engelman's television credits include The Bambi Bambanek Story, Women
With A Past, Frankenstein, The College Years and Seeds of Tragedy. Engelman
began his career as an assistant director on such films as Steel Magnolias;
Eight Million Ways to Die and Pennies From Heaven.
ANDREW MASON (Executive Producer)
executive produced the Warner Bros./Village Roadshow 1999 smash hit
The Matrix, and is currently executive producing the two sequels, also
starring Keanu Reeves.
Mason produced (for New Line Cinema) the 1998 Science fiction thriller
Dark City, and is currently producing an Australian romantic comedy
Danny Deckchair starring Rhys Ifans and Miranda Otto, to be distributed
in North America by Crusader Entertainment.
Beginning his career in the early 1970's, Mason has been a film editor
for documentaries and commercials, headed a highly successful commercial
production company, run a film laboratory and formed Australia's first
visual-effects company. In 1990, Mason joined forces with Alex Proyas
to produce music videos and commercials and in 1993 Mason served as
visual-effects supervisor and second-unit director on Proyas' The Crow.
Mason's Sydney-based company, City Productions, is developing and producing
Australian and international pictures. Mason recently executive produced
the vampire thriller Queen of the Damned, the upcoming Down and Under,
starring Jerry O'Connell and Estella Warren (which Mason executive produced
in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and Castle Rock Entertainment)
and for Crusader Entertainment the Australian drama Swimming Upstream,
starring Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis.
Executive Producer KELLEY
SMITH-WAIT brings more than fourteen years of production experience
to her roles at Atlas Entertainment as both producer and head of physical
production and business affairs.
As an executive at Mosaic, Smith-Wait recently oversaw production on
the action thriller Rollerball, directed by John McTiernan, written
by William Harrison and starring Chris Klein, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos,
LL Cool J and Jean Reno. She is currently executive producing Bulletproof
Monk, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William Scott.
Smith-Wait has served as executive producer of the critically acclaimed
Three Kings, which was written and directed by David O. Russell. Smith-Wait
is also credited as co-producer of City of Angels, Brad Silberling's
remake of Wings of Desire and Fallen, a supernatural thriller starring
Denzel Washington. She has also served as associate producer of Twelve
Monkeys, Angus and Final Analysis.
During their 60-plus-year
partnership, internationally renowned cartoon legends WILLIAM HANNA
and JOSEPH BARBERA (Executive Producers) have created a famed collection
of animated characters unrivaled in the world of television animation.
The two have enjoyed one of the most enduring and successful relationships
in entertainment history and together have created some of the world's
most recognizable and beloved characters including Tom and Jerry (for
MGM), Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Yogi
Bear and Jonny Quest among many others.
Interestingly, neither man started out in the field of animation - Hanna
was an engineer and Barbera was a banker - but when the two collaborated,
the result was nothing short of magical. Hanna's animation career started
during the Depression when he took a position at Harman-Ising, the Hollywood
animation unit that made the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies
cartoons. In 1937, he was hired by MGM as a director and story editor.
Several weeks later, Joe Barbera came aboard as an animator and writer.
Hanna's precise comedic timing and ability to manage top creative talent
were the ideal complement to Barbera's strong animation skills and storytelling
instincts.
Hanna and Barbera's first collaboration at MGM was Puss Gets The Boot
which introduced audiences to the inimitable Tom and Jerry. The animation
team received tremendous acclaim in the 1940's, when their cartoon cat,
Tom, and mouse, Jerry, danced alongside Gene Kelly in the motion pictures
Anchors Aweigh and Invitation to Dance and alongside Gene Kelly in Dangerous
When Wet. Over the years, Tom and Jerry went on to win an incredible
seven Academy Awards for the team of Hanna and Barbera during their
years at MGM.
Concerned by the advent of television in the mid-50's, MGM eliminated
the studio's animation department and, suddenly unemployed, Hanna and
Barbera decided to make cartoons directly for the small screen. Instead
of viewing television as animation's demise, the team saw it as a window
of opportunity for new, original animation and new cartoon starts. In
1957, twenty years after the birth of Tom and Jerry, Hanna-Barbera Productions
opened its doors as one of the first independent animation studios to
produce series television. Many credit Hanna and Barbera with developing
the process (now referred to as "limited animation") of producing
quality animation in a timely, cost-efficient manner which is still
utilized in the field of television animation today.
The fledgling studio's first production was Ruff and Reddy followed
by The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958. The lovable blue canine became
an immediate hit and won Hanna-Barbera its first Emmy Award and marked
the first time an animated television series had been honored with an
Emmy. The studio's next series, Quick Draw McGraw, premiered in 1959
and showcased the lanky, Stetson-wearing horse on two legs, ol' Quick
Draw McGraw himself, and introduced America to Jellystone Park's most
famous bears, Yogi and Boo Boo, and the mischievous mice, Pixie and
Dixie.
Hanna-Barbera made more television history with a cowardly Great Dane
named Scooby Doo, a goofy and lovable dog with a unique scratchy voice
and foolhardy laugh. Scooby Doo, Where Are You? debuted in 1969 as a
Saturday morning cartoon and to this day continues to be one of television's
longest-running animated series.
In 1981, Hanna-Barbera developed the phenomenally successful The Smurfs,
which won Daytime Emmy Awards in 1982 and 1983 for Outstanding Children's
Entertainment Series and a Humanitas Prize (given to projects which
best affirm the dignity of the human person) in 1987.
Over the years, the studio has produced many other award-winning programs
including: The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible, The Flintstone
Kids, Dreamer of Oz, The Last Halloween, The Addams Family and The Halloween
Tree.
KENT BEYDA's (Editor) numerous
feature film credits include Big Momma's House directed by Raja Gosnell
for Fox; Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas for Universal; Out Of Towners
for Paramount; Jingle All The Way for Fox; Forget Paris directed by
Billy Crystal for Castle Rock; The Flintstones for Amblin/Universal;
Mr. Saturday Night directed by Billy Crystal for Castle Rock; True Identity
for Touchstone; Gremlins 2 for Warner Bros. Pictures; Fear; Alien Nation
for Fox; Innerspace directed by Joe Dante; Out Of Bounds for Columbia;
Fright Night for Columbia; This Is Spinal Tap directed by Rob Reiner;
Get Crazy for MGM; Saturday The 14th for New World and The Unheard Music.
He has also directed the music videos Jingle Bells / Brian Setzer Orchestra;
Meet The Flintstones / B52's; Emotion, Left The Dark / Barbara Streisand;
Infatuation, Some Guys Have All The Luck / Rod Stewart; You're Not The
Only Flame / Elvis Costello and Beast Of Burden / Bette Midler and Mick
Jagger.
The talented and colorful
BILL BOES (Production Designer) is currently at work on the feature
Fat Albert for director Forest Whitaker, the remake of the classic television
series. He has also designed last years' Monkeybone, starring Brendan
Fraser.
Boes' additional work in feature films include credits as assistant
art director on several films with seminal looks, including two collaborations
with renowned director Tim Burton, Sleepy Hollow and The Nightmare Before
Christmas; Alien: Resurrection and James and the Giant Peach.
DAVID EGGBY's (Director of
Photography) feature film credits as director of photography include
Pitch Black starring Vin Diesel, directed by David Twohy for Universal;
Blue Streak, starring Martin Lawrence; Virus, for Universal; Daylight,
starring Sylvester Stallone, directed by Rob Cohen; Dragonheart, directed
by Rob Cohen, starring Sean Connery; Mad Max starring Mel Gibson; Lightening
Jack, for director Simon Wincer; Fortress, for Miramax/Dimension; Dragon:
The Bruce Lee Story, for Universal; Harley Davidson And The Marlboro
Man, directed by Simon Wincer for MGM/Pathe; Warlock; The Blood Of Heroes
for New Line; Quigley Down Under, for MGM/UA and The Naked Country for
director Tim Burstall.
Eggby's television credits include Survive The Savage Seas; Space: Above
And Beyond, for Fox TV; Kansas for ABC TV and Thunderwith for Hallmark
Hall Of Fame, directed by Simon Wincer.
Eggby has also worked as Second Unit Director on feature films including
Ground Zero, directed by Michael Patterson; The Man From Snowy River
II, for Buena Vista; Robbery Under Arms, for The South Australian Film
Commission.
KURT WILLIAMS (Visual Effects
Producer) has been involved in all aspects of film production for nearly
15 years. After graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree
in communications and marketing, he landed in Chicago and was introduced
to the world of live action features and commercial production.
In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles and began work as a producer and assistant
director for features, television commercials and special venue projects.
His live action experience and an introduction to visual effects pioneer
John Dykstra at Apogee Productions in 1995 eventually led Kurt to help
bring Gotham City to life as the miniature effects production supervisor
for both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. He also produced miniature
sequences for Broken Arrow directed by John Woo.
These movies led the way to integrating complicated digital and miniature
effects for Chris Carter's X-Files The Movie, and the supernatural thriller
End of Days, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
For Ron Howard's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Williams worked in
conjunction with lead visual effects house Digital Domain and two others
to produce the approximate 600 visual effects shots featured in the
film.
PETER CROSMAN (Visual Effects
Supervisor) is a veteran visual effects supervisor and Second Unit Director
whose feature credits include such diverse films as Flubber, MonkeyBone,
The Horse Whisperer, as well as Independence Day and Broken Arrow.
He began his career in animation and animation effects at Industrial
Light and Magic working on the Back to the Future and Star Trek feature
series. His ground-breaking animated effects work was featured in a
CLIO award winning series of promotional IDs for MTV in the late eighties.
He has supervised numerous music videos and commercials, including the
television spot "UFO" - one of a series for RCA, which featured
the company's canine mascots being tractor-beamed into an awaiting alien
spacecraft.
© Warner Bros.
From Warner Brothers -
www.scoobydoo.com
* * *
|
