Spooky Island - The Scooby Doo Movie

Fri, 05 May 2017

By Tangalooma Island Resort

Tangalooma is Spooky island

Did you know that the Scooby Doo movie was filmed right here at Tangalooma - yes that means you're staying at Spooky Island!

The character "Scooby Doo" made his first public appearance in 1969 in the animated TV debut of "Scooby Doo Where are you?". Fast forward to 2001 and six weeks of shooting was filmed here at Tangalooma for his first big screen movie debut. Filming was done entirely in Australia, with other fillming locations being at Bond University Brisbane, Mt. Tambourine, and Brisbane International Airport. Many of the indoor shots were created at Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.

Today there are not many reminders that the film was shot here apart from the odd white Scooby Doo laundry bin around the resort. Film props were only made for limited use and not designed to last beyond the filming periods. For example Dolphin Lodge (E Lodge) was decorated as temporarily decorated as 'Spooky Hotel' during filming. The resort has also undergone a lot of new development and transformation since 2002, with even the old Tangalooma jetty still being featured in the movie. The movie studio production took almost a year, with the film being released in June 2002.

Below are some of the original behind the scenes photos of Scooby Doo being filmed at Tangalooma:


To ensure a Scooby Doo got a global audience the movie starred many international stars including Rowan Atkinson, Freddie Prince Jr and Sarah Michelle Geller. A cameo performance was also performed in Brisbane by Pamela Anderson. There was a cast and crew of almost 400 who stayed here at Tangalooma for the entire six weeks of filming. Naturally at the time there wasn't much room left for extra guests with many choosing to stay camping in tents.

The movie is now available worldwide on DVD/BluRay and streaming services, leaving a continuous reminder that Tangalooma Island Resort was once known as Spooky Island!

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Tangalooma Island Resort

Take the world's 3rd largest sand island…add a splash of sunshine, balmy sea breezes, a dash of discovery and a handful of adventure, and you've got Tangalooma Island Resort. An island oasis, just a 75 minute cruise from Brisbane.

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