Trivia / Fat Albert

• Blooper: As director Joel Zwick and producer John Davis pointed out in the DVD Commentary, Fat Albert's belt is present in the real world, but is missing in the cartoon world. They claimed it was because the animators forgot to add it in, and it was too late to fix it by the time anyone noticed it.
• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $45 million. Box office, $48.1 million (US), $48.6 million (worldwide).
• Creative Differences: Forest Whitaker left the film due to artistic differences with Bill Cosby.
• Creator Killer: Not so much for Bill Cosby, but more of a dud for director Joel Zwick. The film got negative reviews and although it didn't really bomb that much, it was still a bit of a box office disappointment (it grossed $48 million domestically out of a $45 million budget, and only $435,000 worldwide). Except for the direct-to-video Elvis Has Left the Building, Zwick has since gone back to the small screen.
• Deleted Role: Denise Richards filmed a cameo as a store saleswoman and was seen in the original trailer but her scene was deleted from the final cut.
• Franchise Killer: Given how this film is based on a Bill Cosby creation and features the man himself prominently within the film, a lot of modern-day viewers will have trouble looking at the film without thinking of the numerous sexual assault charges he's been accused of recently. It doesn’t help that this movie is what killed off the Fat Albert franchise in general.
• Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros.": This is the only piece of Fat Albert media to be released in countries like the UK and Japan.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: According to an article about the making of the animated segments of the film, the characters from the series had to be redesigned for the movie because the original designs were owned by Filmation's then-rights-holder, Hallmark. Said changes are slight, though, with the characters in the movie overall appearing more cartoonish compared to how they appear in the show.
• What Could Have Been: David Gordon Green unsuccessfully lobbied to direct the film, even personally writing a letter to Cosby.

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