Sabrina's surname was changed from 'Sawyer' to 'Spellman' for the television series, whilst Marnie Littlefield was renamed Jenny Kelley.
Melissa Joan Hart didn't have to audition for the role of Sabrina. Her mother Paula Hart's production company acquired the character rights from Archie Comics in hopes that her daughter could play her. The television movie was such a success that it later became a popular television series.
This film was later adapted into the TV series Sabrina, la bruja adolescente (1996), with all of the actors being recast except for Melissa Joan Hart and Michelle Beaudoin. Compared to the film, the television series was more slapstick in nature and added a laugh track in the first season.
Melissa Joan Hart was nineteen years-old when she filmed this movie, which is the only time when she was a real teen (playing the teenage Sabrina Spellman) throughout the franchise.
Paula Hart acquired the rights for the Sabrina character from Archie Comics for $1.