FILM · 1999
Inspector Gadget
58 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (58)
- #001
Don Adams, the original voice of Inspector Gadget in the 1983 series, provides the voice of Brain in the live-action film.
- #002
More than 150,000 Skittles were poured into the Gadgetmobile for the scene in which it crashes into Scolex's limousine.
- #003
Lindsay Lohan turned down the role of Penny because she was working on her first film, The Parent Trap (1998).
- #004
Brendan Fraser was considered for the role of Inspector Gadget but turned it down because he was working on Dudley Do-Right (1999), another live-action film based on a non-Disney animated television series.
- #005
In 1997 and 1998, Steven Spielberg, a fan of the 1983 Inspector Gadget cartoon, considered serving as executive producer of the film and releasing it under Amblin Entertainment. His two choices for the role of Inspector Gadget were Chevy Chase and Steve Martin, but he was busy with other films, including Saving Private Ryan (1998).
- #006
More than 60 gadgets and tools were incorporated into John Brown's body and appearance. In the 1983 Inspector Gadget cartoon series, Inspector Gadget has at least 14,000 devices.
- #007
Tim Curry was considered for the role of Claw.
- #008
When the film was released, Disney and McDonald's ran a tie-in promotion called "Build Your Own Inspector Gadget." Children received parts of an Inspector Gadget toy in their Happy Meals. The promotion grew so large that parents became desperate to complete the toy for their children, traveling to different McDonald's locations for the missing pieces; many crossed state lines just to search for them. ABC News ran a story on the promotion in late July 1999 that included interviews with some parents.
- #009
At one point, Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly were approached to write and direct the film with Jim Carrey in mind as Inspector Gadget.
- #010
It was the last film produced by Caravan Pictures.
- #011
Jerry Seinfeld was considered for the role of Inspector Gadget.
- #012
Claw's line "Just Claw, one word… like Madonna" is probably a nod to Rupert Everett's friendship with Madonna; the two appeared together in The Next Best Thing, released the same year as this film.
- #013
Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey, Brendan Fraser, Robin Williams, Tim Allen, Mike Myers, Bill Paxton, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Steve Carell, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Kevin Kline were all considered to play Inspector Gadget.
- #014
"Mr. D. I. C." refers to DIC, the name of the studio that produced the 1983 Inspector Gadget animated series.
- #015
Willem Dafoe, James Earl Jones, Tim Curry, Jack Nicholson, John Lithgow, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Jon Voight and Tommy Lee Jones were considered for the role of Sanford Scolex ("Claw").
- #016
Cameron Diaz turned down the role of Dr. Brenda Bradford in favor of Any Given Sunday (1999).
- #017
While Penny visits her injured uncle in the hospital, the PA system announces "Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard," a reference to the Three Stooges and their classic routine.
- #018
This was one of several film choices in the late 1990s that led to a downturn in Matthew Broderick's career as a leading actor until The Producers (2005).
- #019
Despite generally negative reviews from critics and fans of the original 1983 Inspector Gadget series, the film was technically a success at the box office, even beating The Iron Giant (1999) and The Haunting (1999). It nonetheless barely recouped its $90 million budget worldwide and was not as successful as Disney had hoped. Its sequel, Inspector Gadget 2 (2003), went straight to video with a lower budget.
- #020
The role of Inspector Gadget was originally written for Kevin Kline.
- #021
In the shooting script, with revisions dated 18/8/98, the following writers are credited (in order): Dana Olsen, Jeff Berry, Kerry Ehrin, Zak Penn, Gary Ross, Kerry Ehrin, Edward Neumeier, John Hamburg, Michael McCullers and Audrey Wells.
- #022
Principal photography began on 20 July 1998 and was completed on 3 October 1998.
- #023
Kramer, Dr. Claw's chief scientist played by Andy Dick, was named after the character Kramer from Seinfeld (1989), who had the same notorious hairstyle.
- #024
Although the film provides a backstory for where Inspector Gadget came from, something the original Inspector Gadget (1983) cartoon never specifically answered, a trading card in 1991 had already explored this before the film. As explained there, he was an ordinary police inspector who slipped on a banana peel, had a near-death experience, was subsequently taken into surgery and was soon equipped with more than 13,000 tools hidden in his body, becoming a secret undercover agent.
- #025
Emmy Rossum auditioned for the role of Penny.
- #026
When Gadget speaks with Chief Quimby, the Dragnet theme plays. Dabney Coleman appeared in Dragnet (1987), a remake of a TV series.
- #027
The theme from Mars Attacks! is heard at the beginning of the first trailer.
- #028
The surname Scolex, pleasant as it sounds, is also the Greek word for "worm."
- #029
Although the city is named Riverton, Ohio, most of the film's settings were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- #030
At one point, talks were underway for Martin Scorsese to direct.
- #031
David Alan Grier, Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker were considered to voice the Gadgetmobile.
- #032
Rupert Everett initially wanted to use his natural English accent to play Dr. Claw, but director David Kellogg preferred that he use an American accent instead.
- #033
Development of an Inspector Gadget film began in 1993, when Universal Pictures optioned the film rights with Ivan Reitman as an interim producer under his own company, Northern Lights Entertainment. There was even a script written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. However, all future plans fell through when Disney bought the rights from DIC Entertainment, the distributor of the original show.
- #034
This is the first film to feature the names Inspector Gadget and Dr. Claw.
- #035
Alongside Officer John Brown and Inspector Gadget, Matthew Broderick also played RoboGadget, an android clone whose mission is to destroy the city and frame Gadget for it. When Dr. Claw builds him, this arch-enemy's Gadget includes various types of weapons, unlike Inspector Gadget's more harmless gadgets. RoboGadget's appearance is shinier and more plastic-looking than the original Gadget's. To make him look less 'human,' he was given a wider, artificial-looking smile and moved with stiffer motions.
- #036
The film's villain, Dr. Claw (Rupert Everett), has numerous interchangeable hands. Early in the film, one of his hands is broken and he creates a new one to replace it. The studio built a bayonet-mounted prosthetic arm, which allowed him to fit different attachments into place to operate puppets or to easily remove and swap one out.
- #037
When Scolex considers a supervillain title, he thinks of Hook but says it is taken. This is a nod to Peter Pan (1953), which features a villain named Captain Hook.
- #038
The letter G in the Gadget logo is clearly the reversed D of the famous Disney logo typeface.
- #039
Christopher Walken and Jon Voight were considered for the role of Sanford Scolex.
- #040
One of the teddy bear costumes from The Avengers (1998) appears in the opening scene.
- #041
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Gadget.
- #042
Kelsey Grammer was accepted for the role of Inspector Gadget.
- #043
Some of the sound effects in the largely inappropriate painful guru scene in the trailer differ from those heard in the film's theatrical release.
- #044
It is the 174th live-action film produced by Disney.
- #045
From the first concept drawing, the idea was for Inspector Gadget to be made up entirely of familiar household objects. Stan Winston Studio's early drawings included a whistle, a PEZ dispenser, a light bulb, a tape measure, a flashlight, Christmas tree lights, super glue, a garden hose, tubes, magnets, batteries, fishing rods, a pen, a turkey baster, a video camera and a magnifying glass.
- #046
The robotic legs in the film were also used in Bicentennial Man (1999).
- #047
Robert Zemeckis was considered to direct this film.
- #048
In May 2015, it was announced that a reboot produced by Dan Lin was in development. In late October 2019, Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell were hired to write the film, and it was reported that the film would go directly to Disney+. However, as of 2023, there has been no news about the planned live-action reboot.
- #049
Matthew Broderick (Inspector Gadget) and Andy Dick (Fraser) also worked together on The Cable Guy (1996) and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998).
- #050
The Gadgetmobile, designed by Brenda Bradford, is a white and chrome 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible rather than the Matra Murena/Toyota Celica hybrid from the Inspector Gadget (1983) cartoon, and it cannot transform from a minivan into a police vehicle and often drives itself.
- #051
Joe Dante stated that he was interested in directing this film.
- #052
Christina Applegate was accepted for the role of Dr. Brenda Bradford.
- #053
The original Inspector Gadget (1983) cartoon was indirectly tied to Saban Entertainment, this live-action film was released by Walt Disney Pictures, and Saban's flagship "Power Rangers" had Disney-era entries.
- #054
According to an article published in late August 1998, Hank Azaria reportedly signed on to play Claw before production began. He most likely dropped out to work on Mystery Men (1999), Cradle Will Rock (1999) and Mystery, Alaska (1999). And in the end Rupert Everett was brought into the cast at the last minute during production.
- #055
It features Smash Mouth's song All Star, which would become famous for its inclusion in Shrek (2001). Rupert Everett would go on to appear in Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007).
- #056
Both Frances Bay (Thelma) and Richard Kiel (the famous villain with the silver teeth) had previously appeared in Happy Gilmore (1996).
- #057
Some fans or viewers may be confused by the wording of the title and may think Gadget Inspector is more appropriate, since the main character is turned into a cybernetic unit of the police force.
- #058
Matthew Broderick plays both Inspector Gadget and Robo-Gadget, while Joely Fisher plays Brenda and Robo-Brenda.
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