Synopsis

Arthur Dent's ordinary day collapses when he learns that Earth is about to be demolished for an intergalactic bypass. Rescued by his alien friend Ford Prefect, Arthur is swept into space just before the planet's destruction. Alongside an eccentric president, a depressed robot, and a former acquaintance, he travels across the galaxy while searching for meaning, survival, and the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Factoids & Trivia

• Douglas Adams worked on the screenplay before his death in 2001. Afterward, Karey Kirkpatrick helped restructure and complete the script, while retaining many of Adams' ideas created specifically for the film.

• The project spent more than 20 years in development. Earlier plans involved Jay Roach as director and a markedly different proposed cast before the production was eventually revived under Spyglass and Disney.

• The film deliberately treats itself as a new version of the story rather than a literal reproduction of the novel, radio series, and 1981 television adaptation. Its expanded Arthur-Trillian relationship and new material reflect Adams' habit of reinventing the story for each medium.

• The animated entries from the Guide were designed as a distinctive visual element, combining simple graphic shapes with surreal jokes. Some hidden gags were reportedly removed because they were considered too inappropriate for a family film.

• Simon Jones, who played Arthur Dent in the original radio and television versions, appears in the movie as the holographic Magrathean message.

• The film's pre-title sequence was shot at Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. Principal photography was completed in August 2004, ahead of the film's April 2005 release.

• The number 42 receives a carefully timed visual joke: Deep Thought explains its significance approximately 42 minutes into the movie.