The film makes extensive use of computer-generated imagery to create the ghosts, and it is the first feature film to have a fully CGI character in the lead role. It goes for a darker interpretation of Casper in comparison to the previous comics, cartoons and theatrical shorts, notably providing the character a tragic backstory that addresses his death.
Casper was released in cinemas on May 26, 1995, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the film for its faithfulness to its source material (specifically the title character's portrayal), visual effects, music score, and performances, but criticized its dark tone and humor. The film earned $288 million[2] on a $55 million budget,[2] and spawned two direct-to-video indirect prequels, Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) and Casper Meets Wendy (1998) as follow-ups to the film and released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and an animated television spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper.
Plot
Following the death of her father, neurotic and spoiled heiress Carrigan Crittenden discovers she has only been left Whipstaff Manor, located in Friendship, Maine, in the will while his vast wealth has gone to several charities. Carrigan and her lawyer and close friend Dibs find a map within the will's papers that tell of an alleged treasure hidden inside the manor, but find the property haunted by a friendly ghost named Casper and his poltergeist uncles the Ghostly Trio. They unsuccessfully attempt to force the ghosts out by way of paranormal experts and a demolitions team.
A lonely Casper watches a news report about paranormal therapist James Harvey and is instantly smitten with his teenage daughter, Kat, prompting Casper to inspire Carrigan in summoning Harvey to Whipstaff. Kat dislikes her father's reputation and obsession with contacting the ghost of his late wife, Amelia. The Harveys move into Whipstaff, but Casper's attempt to befriend them fails when his uncles try to torment and scare them away, which eventually fails.
Casper gains the Harveys' trust when he serves them breakfast, and follows Kat to school, where she becomes popular when her class learns she is living in Whipstaff, and agrees to host their Halloween party there. Her classmate Amber plots with her friend, Vic, to humiliate Kat during the party. Harvey attempts therapy sessions with the Ghostly Trio, who reveal they know Amelia; in exchange for convincing Carrigan to leave them alone, they promise to get Harvey a meeting with his wife.
Kat learns Casper has no memory of his life, and restores his old playroom in the attic to remind him. Casper recognizes an old wooden sled his father bought him, and remembers playing outside until he caught a severe cold and died of pneumonia, becoming a ghost to keep his father company. A newspaper article reveals that Casper's father was declared legally insane after he built a machine, the Lazarus, which he claimed could bring the dead back to life. Casper and Kat venture to the basement and find the Lazarus. Carrigan and Dibs sneak inside and steal the formula that powers the machine, plotting to use it to grant themselves immortality. However, they attempt to kill each other to test the theory and retrieve the treasure that they think is in the basement's locked vault. This culminates in Carrigan attempting to run Dibs over with her Range Rover, but instead crashing into a cliff-side tree; upon exiting her car, Carrigan falls to her death and becomes a ghost.
Harvey becomes depressed after the trio pulls a prank on him, prompting them to take him out on the town. They plan on killing him to make themselves a quartet, but have a change of heart after the drunken therapist declares he will tell Carrigan off so they can stay in their home. However, Harvey accidentally falls to his death.
In the laboratory, the ghostly Carrigan confronts Casper and Kat, stealing what she believes to be the treasure from the vault and launching Dibs out a window when he tries to double-cross her. As Carrigan demands to be brought back to life, Casper and Kat trick her into saying that she has no unfinished business on Earth, causing herself to be ejected into the afterlife. The treasure is revealed to be Casper's prized baseball, signed by Duke Snider; the map was part of a game Casper played with his father. Harvey, now a ghost and still in his drunken state, returns with Casper's uncles; after bringing him back to his senses, Kat's despair over this prompts Casper to sacrifice his one chance to return to life, restoring Harvey instead.
The Halloween party kicks off upstairs; Amber and Vic's prank is thwarted by the Ghostly Trio, and they flee in terror. A boy dances with Kat, and is revealed to be Casper, temporarily granted physical form by Amelia, who had become an angel after her death. Amelia meets with Harvey, explaining that the Ghostly Trio kept their promise to get him a meeting with her, and tells him that she was so content with her family while alive that she has no unfinished business and thus did not become a ghost. Amelia departs as the clock chimes ten, promising Harvey that they and Kat will be together again one day; after kissing Kat, Casper transforms back into a ghost, then inadvertently scares Kat's guests away. Kat is nonetheless impressed with the party, and the Ghostly Trio play their nephew's theme for them to dance to.
Cast
Malachi Pearson as the voice of Casper McFadden, a lonely ghost who was originally a 12-year-old boy who died of pneumonia. He spends most of his afterlife in Whipstaff Manor, dealing with his ghostly ghoulish uncles' antics while hoping to find a friend. He finds one in Kat, while also developing a crush on her.
Christina Ricci as Kathleen "Kat" Harvey, Dr. Harvey's 13-year-old daughter and Casper's love interest who has lost her mother and wants to make a friend.
Bill Pullman as Dr. James Harvey, Kat's widowed father; a ghost therapist interacting with the 'living impaired', helping them to cross into the next dimension while hoping to find his deceased wife.
Cathy Moriarty as Catherine "Carrigan" Crittenden, a glamorous, treacherous, and greedy woman upset about her late father only leaving Whipstaff Manor to her in his will. She discovers that the house contains a treasure, though unknown to her is only Casper's baseball. She hires Dr. Harvey to exorcise the ghosts in order to get it. Carrigan ultimately dies and becomes a ghost, before being ejected into the afterlife for all eternity.
Eric Idle as Paul "Dibs" Plutzker, Carrigan's attorney.
Joe Nipote as the voice of Stretch, the hot-tempered leader of the Ghostly Trio who bonds with Dr. Harvey. He is the eldest member of the trio.
Brad Garrett as the voice of Fatso. He is usually the outlet for Stretch's anger, and he is known for being obese.
Joe Alaskey as the voice of Stinkie. The quietest of the three, he is known for his odor, particularly his halitosis.
Executive producer Steven Spielberg was planning a film adaptation of Casper the Friendly Ghost. He saw an episode of the television series Brooklyn Bridge directed by Brad Silberling and saw potential in this work, recruiting Silberling for directing Casper.[4]Alex Proyas had initially signed on as director, but left due to creative differences with the screenplay.[5] In an interview with Comic Book Resources, he claimed that he was intrigued with doing a children's fantasy, and wanted to do a more dark film, akin to The Wizard of Oz.[6]J. J. Abrams did an uncredited rewrite of the script.[7] The screenplay gave a backstory of Casper being the ghost of Casper McFadden, a boy who died of pneumonia at 12, though some of the comics, particularly in the 1960s, portrayed him as born a ghost to ghost parents.[8]
Principal photography began on January 27 and ended on June 8, 1994. Although some location footage was filmed in Camden, Maine, Whipstaff Manor was largely a studio set.[9] Extensive use of computer-generated imagery was used to create the ghosts, and it was the first feature film to have a fully CGI character in a leading role.[10] One 90-second scene with Casper and Ricci took eight months to create.[11] In the mirror scene, Dr. Harvey was also supposed to transform into Spielberg. According to director Silberling, the cameo was filmed, but was cut for pacing reasons. Spielberg was relieved, feeling that he is not much of an actor himself and was nervous in front of the camera.[12]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by award-winning composer James Horner, who had worked on a number of previous films for Amblin Entertainment, including An American Tail and The Land Before Time. The track "One Last Wish" would go on to accompany Universal Pictures' "Logos Through Time" Montage, as part of their centennial anniversary.[13] The track "Descent into Lazarus" was used in a trailer for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, another film by Universal Pictures and has music by James Horner. The soundtrack was remastered and reissued as a commemorative twenty-fifth anniversary edition by La-La Land Records on August 4, 2020. The soundtrack was originally released however on April 29, 1995, almost five weeks before the film.[14]
Casper opened at #1 over the Memorial Day weekend, grossing $16.8 million over its first three days from 2,714 theaters, averaging $6,205 per theater. Over four days it grossed $22.1 million, averaging $8,140 per theater.[16] It stayed at #1 in its second weekend, grossing another $13.4 million, and boosting its 10-day cume to $38.9 million. It played solidly all through the summer, ending up with a final gross of $100.4 million in North America, and an additional $187.6 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $288 million, far exceeding its $55 million budget and becoming a commercial success.[2]
Critical response
Casper has an approval rating of 52% based on 42 professional reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.1/10. Its critical consensus reads: "A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness".[17]Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned Casper a score of 49 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.[19]
Time Out London described it as "an intimate and likeable film".[20]Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, calling it a "technical achievement, it's impressive, and entertaining. And there is even a little winsome philosophy".[21] Robert Firsching of AllMovie gave the film his above average star rating while praising the film for its visual effects.[22]
The CGI effects, which were considered cutting edge at the time, and the performances of the main cast were praised, especially considering that, in the scenes where the Harveys interact with the ghosts, Pullman and Ricci were actually acting either with nothing or with stand-in maquettes used as animators' references.
In his 2015 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin gave the film a "BOMB" rating, objecting to the portrayal of Casper as a deceased child rather than a ghost.[23]
Casper debuted on VHS and LaserDisc on October 10, 1995.[28] A DVD release then premiered on September 23, 2003.[29] A Blu-ray version was released on September 2, 2014.[30]
Following the release of Casper, Simon Wells co-wrote a screenplay for Casper 2, which he was set to direct. However, in July 2000, Universal Pictures cancelled the sequel due to the disappointing sales from the direct-to-video Casper films and the hesitation of Christina Ricci.[36][37]
