| Scoob! Holiday Haunt | |
| Based On: | |
| Music: | Dara Taylor[1] |
| Production Companies: | Warner Animation Group |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Scoob! Holiday Haunt is an unreleased American animated mystery comedy film based on Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo franchise, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group. It was set to be a prequel to the 2020 film Scoob!. The film follows a young Mystery Incorporated investigating a mystery in a holiday-themed resort.
The film was directed by Michael Kurinsky and Bill Haller from a screenplay by Paul Dini and Tony Cervone, and stars Frank Welker, Iain Armitage, Ariana Greenblatt, Mckenna Grace, Pierce Gagnon, Mark Hamill, Michael McKean, Andre Braugher, Cristo Fernández, Ming-Na Wen and Maya Hawke.
The film was to be released on HBO Max in December 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the film that August, citing cost-cutting measures and an intent to refocus on theatrical films over projects made for streaming.
To celebrate Scooby-Doo's first Christmas, 10-year-old Shaggy and the gang take him to a holiday-themed resort owned by Fred's favorite Uncle Ned. When the park is beset by a ghostly haunting, the kids must solve a 40-year-old mystery to save the resort and show Scooby the true meaning of Christmas.[2]
Additionally, Cristo Fernández, Ming-Na Wen, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, J.B. Smoove, & Patrick Warburton had been cast in undisclosed roles.[6] [7]
In June 2021, Tony Cervone said that a follow-up to Scoob! was in development.[8] On December 22, 2021, HBO Max released a sizzle reel featuring a first look at a Christmas-themed prequel film, titled Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which was to be released on the service in December 2022. The film takes place in the gang's youth, with Welker and the actors who portrayed the younger versions reprising their roles while Cervone returned to write the film with Paul Dini as well to produce the project. The film was co-directed by Bill Haller and Michael Kurinsky, and had a production budget of $40 million.
Like Scoob!, the animation services were provided by Reel FX Animation.
On August 2, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled its release, citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming.[9] [10] Tony Cervone would go on to say on the same day that the project was "practically finished".[11] Later that month, it was reported that the film would still be finished, even though Warner Bros. Discovery had no present plans to release it.[12] The film was finally finished on November 4, 2022.[13] Following Andre Braugher's death in December 2023, Cervone revealed details on the actor's casting in the film where Braugher joined the project after a ten-minute meeting. He then later accepted the part after mentioning his "soft spot for Scooby-Doo".[4]