Eight R-rated Scenes Cut out of Live-action Scooby-Doo Movie

The 2002 Scooby-Doo live-action movie has a cult following that makes it one of the most iconic Hollywood movies ever.

However, it might have been more legendary if the eight scenes that made the movie R-rated, weren’t deleted from the final cut. An interview with the Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed editor, Kent Beyda, revealed that the former had multiple scenes deleted as they were considered not family-friendly.

Hardcore fans would love to breathe a sigh of relief and yell, “I told you!” for some scenes, but the rest are plain shocking. Take a look at the deleted scenes.

1. Replacing ‘Demon’ and ‘Soul’ with ‘Creature’ and ‘Protoplasm’

The first thing the test preview audience recommended a change for was the use of the words ‘Demon’ and ‘Soul’. Beyda shared that the preview was shown to a conservative audience, and they “were very offended” because of religious connotations.

2. Daphne and Velma’s Cleavage Cover-up

A racy element (among many coming up) of Velma and Daphne’s dress was on the verge of deletion but was covered up. When possessed by “demons,” both Velma and Daphne’s dress showing cleavage became a hot topic. Beyda revealed that they had to use CGI to make the necklines higher to have no or less cleavage.  

3. Daphne and Velma’s Romance

Daphne and Velma’s characters were on a completely different track and had an actual romance brewing in the deleted scenes. There were scenes such as Velma checking out Daphne as she put her luggage on the plane and singing the memorable You’re Just Too Good to be True looking at Daphne.

In one of the scenes, as Daphne and Velma’s souls get swapped in each other’s bodies, the only solution to getting them back is sharing a kiss.

4. The “Naughty Version” of Velma’s Singing

In a scene at the Spooky Island, Velma singing You’re Just Too Good to be True had another version that was cut altogether. Beyda revealed “a naughty and a nice version,” and naturally, the former was deleted. The scene had Velma taking her sweater off, revealing a “racy” bra, and dancing to Insane in the Brain by Cypress Hill.

5. Shaggy Wasn’t a Goof, but a Stoner

Another fan theory that seems to have gone canon is that Shaggy was originally a stoner. Scenes that hinted at him being a stoner did not make the final cut. One of them was a scene where ‘Pot – $5’ was written on a clay pot that Shaggy and Scooby used for flowers.

One of the scenes was related to Fred hinting at some “possessions” and even indirectly talking about students being stuck at customs for them:

The only possession these kids need to worry about is when they go back through customs.

6. Yes, the Coast Guards Were Possessed

Beyda finally resolved the mystery of “Whatever was up with the coast guards?” in the interview too. He shared that the demons very well possessed the Spooky Island guards. The speculation arose from a scene where the guards laugh hysterically and manically while ignoring Mary Jane’s emergency call.

7. Old Man Smithers’ Luna Ghost Was Originally Revealed in the End

In the movie, the audiences are introduced to Old Man Smithers’ (Nicholas Hope) Luna Ghost at the beginning. However, director James Gunn and Raja Gosnell had originally planned to reveal the ghost in the end. Beyda reveals that he was more on the sides and played like a potential villain.

8. OG couple Fred and Daphne Was Less Fairytale-like

With Daphne and Velma’s romance, the original romantic relationship between Fred and Daphne was changed a bit, too. In the Gosnell cut, the two had a more sarcastic relationship. In one of the deleted scenes, Daphne says that being scared “is not the only thing she has faked” after Fred tries to share the room with her on Spooky Island.

Much of the scenes were deleted after negative feedback from the test audience (some parents.) The movie underwent many changes to become a family-friendly movie—and still worked. 

With the first live-action Scooby-Doo’s 20th anniversary coming up, it’s time we lay back and watch the movie again.

9. About Scooby Doo

Scooby Doo is a 2002 American live-action/computer-animated fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the long-running Hanna-Barbera animated television franchise of the same name. The first installment in the Scooby-Doo live-action film series, the film was directed by Raja Gosnell from a screenplay by James Gunn, and stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Isla Fisher and Rowan Atkinson. 

Scooby-Doo is an American animated franchise comprising many animated television series produced from 1969 to the present, as well as their derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, for Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1969.

The plot of the 2002 film revolves around Mystery Incorporated, a group of four young adults and a talking dog who solve mysteries, who reunite after a two-year disbandment to investigate a mystery at a popular horror-themed tropical island resort.

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