| Casper | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Brad Silberling |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Casper the Friendly Ghost byJoseph Oriolo[a] |
| Produced by | Colin Wilson |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dean Cundey |
| Edited by | Michael Kahn |
| Music by | James Horner |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures[1][2] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes[3] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $55 million[4] |
| Box office | $290.3 million[4] |
Casper is a 1995 Americansupernaturalfantasy comedy film based on thecartoon characterCasper the Friendly Ghost. It was directed byBrad Silberling, in his featuredirectorial debut, and written bySherri Stoner andDeanna Oliver. The film starsChristina Ricci,Bill Pullman,Cathy Moriarty, andEric Idle, with the voices of Joe Nipote,Joe Alaskey,Brad Garrett, and the film introduction of Malachi Pearson in thetitle role. The film follows the title character who peacefully haunts a mansion called Whipstaff Manor inFriendship, Maine, meets and befriends a teenage girl named Kat Harvey (Ricci), the daughter of Dr. James Harvey (Pullman), a paranormal therapist who is hired to move into Whipstaff in order to rid the mansion of its spectral inhabitants.
Filming took place from January to June of 1994.Casper makes extensive use ofcomputer-generated imagery (CGI) to create theghosts, and 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 andtheatrical shorts, providing the character a backstory that addresses his death.
Casper was released in cinemas on May 26, 1995, byUniversal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and earned $290.3 million[4] on a $55 million budget.[4] It spawned twodirect-to-video prequels from20th Century Fox Home Entertainment—Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) as well asCasper Meets Wendy (1998)—in addition to an animated television spin-off,The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper.
Following the death of her father, neurotic and spoiled heiress Carrigan Crittenden discovers she has only been left Whipstaff Manor, located inFriendship, 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, only to find that the property is haunted by a friendly ghost namedCasper and hispoltergeist uncles theGhostly Trio. They unsuccessfully attempt to force the ghosts out by way ofexorcism,Ghostbusting, 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 James 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.
The following morning, 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 theirHalloween party there. Her classmate Amber plots with her friend, Vic, to humiliate Kat during the party, while James attempts therapy sessions with the Ghostly Trio, who reveal that they know Amelia. In exchange for convincing Carrigan to leave them alone, they promise to get James a meeting with his wife.
Kat learns that Casper has no memory of his life, and restores his old playroom in the attic to remind him. Casper recognizes an old woodensled his father bought him, and remembers playing outside until he caught a severe cold and died ofpneumonia, 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 herRange Rover, but instead crashing into a cliff-side tree. Upon exiting her car, Carrigan falls to her death and becomes a ghost.
James 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 they have a change of heart after the drunken therapist declares he will tell Carrigan off so they can stay in their home. However, James 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 remind her that now that she has Casper's treasure, her "unfinished business" is fulfilled, causing her to be ejected into theafterlife. The treasure is revealed to be Casper's prized baseball, signed byDuke Snider; the map was part of a game Casper played with his father. James, 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 James 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 James, 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 James that they and Kat will be together again one day. After kissing Kat, Casper transforms back into a ghost, inadvertently scaring the guests away, but Kat is nonetheless impressed with the party. James declares that it is not over yet and the Ghostly Trio play their nephew's theme for them to dance to.
Executive producerSteven Spielberg was planning a film adaptation ofCasper the Friendly Ghost. He saw an episode of the television seriesBrooklyn Bridge directed byBrad Silberling and saw potential in this work, recruiting Silberling for directingCasper.[6]Alex Proyas had initially signed on as director, but left due to creative differences with the screenplay.[7] In an interview withComic Book Resources, he claimed that he was intrigued with doing a children's fantasy, and wanted to do a more dark film, akin toThe Wizard of Oz.[8]J. J. Abrams did an uncredited rewrite of the script.[9] 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.[10]
Principal photography began on January 27 and ended on June 8, 1994. Although some location footage was filmed inCamden, Maine, Whipstaff Manor was largely a studio set.[11] Extensive use ofcomputer-generated imagery (CGI) provided byIndustrial Light & Magic was used to create the ghosts, and it was the first feature film to have a fully CGI character in a leading role.[12] One 90-second scene with Casper and Ricci took eight months to create.[13] 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.[14]
Two people have claimed to be the character Casper's sole creator,Seymour Reit andJoe Oriolo, but neither had retained any rights to the character, and Oriolo died years before production on the film began. However, the filmmakers gave Reit a substantialhonorarium.[15]
The soundtrack was composed and conducted byJames Horner, who had worked on a number of previous films forAmblin Entertainment, includingAn American Tail andThe Land Before Time, and performed by theHollywood Studio Symphony. The track "One Last Wish" would go on to accompany Universal Pictures' "Logos Through Time" Montage, as part of their centennial anniversary.[16] The track "Descent into Lazarus" was used in a trailer forHow 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.[17]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [citation needed] |
| Filmtracks | [18] |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Sign of Ghosts" | 7:31 | |
| 2. | "Carrigan and Dibbs" | 2:40 | |
| 3. | "Strangers in the House" | 2:36 | |
| 4. | "First Haunting/The Swordfight" | 5:01 | |
| 5. | "March of the Exorcists" | 2:45 | |
| 6. | "Lighthouse—Casper & Kat" | 4:56 | |
| 7. | "Casper Makes Breakfast" | 3:41 | |
| 8. | "Fond Memories" | 3:38 | |
| 9. | "'Dying' to Be a Ghost" | 7:02 | |
| 10. | "Casper's Lullaby" | 5:39 | |
| 11. | "Descent to Lazarus" | 10:20 | |
| 12. | "One Last Wish" | 4:19 | |
| 13. | "Remember Me This Way" | Jordan Hill | 4:28 |
| 14. | "Casper the Friendly Ghost" | Little Richard | 2:10 |
| 15. | "The Uncles Swing/End Credits" | 6:23 | |
| Total length: | 1:14:09 | ||
Casper opened at #1 over theMemorial 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.[19] 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 $100.8 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. Its 2025 re-release grossed $1.8 million, bringing its total in North America to $102.7 million and its worldwide gross to $290.3 million.[4][20]
Casper has an approval rating of 59% based on 110 professional reviews on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.7/10. Its critical consensus reads: "A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness".[21]Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assignedCasper a score of 49 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.[23]
Time Out London described it as "an intimate and likeable film".[24]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".[25] Robert Firsching ofAllMovie gave the film his above average star rating while praising the film for its visual effects.[26]
In his2015 Movie Guide,Leonard Maltin gave the film a "BOMB" rating, objecting to the portrayal of Casper as a deceased child rather than a ghost.[27]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids' Choice Awards | May 11, 1996 | Favorite Movie | Casper | Nominated | [28] |
| Saturn Awards | June 25, 1996 | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Christina Ricci | Won | [29] |
| Best Fantasy Film | Casper | Nominated | |||
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | 1996 | Worst Picture | Universal Pictures | Nominated | [30] |
| Young Artist Awards | 1996 | Best Performance by a Young Actor: Voiceover Role | Malachi Pearson | Won | [31] |
| Best Family Feature: Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||||
| Best Young Leading Actress: Feature Film | Christina Ricci | Nominated |
Casper debuted onVHS andLaserDisc on October 10, 1995.[32] A UK VHS release then premiered on August 19, 1996, byCIC Video. ADVD version was released on September 23, 2003.[33] ABlu-ray version was released on September 2, 2014.[34] A new 4K remaster of the film was released on4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on August 12, 2025, to celebrate its 30th anniversary, with a theatrical release of this version then following starting on October 3, 2025.[35][36]
The success ofCasper secured Silberling the job of directing the 1998 filmCity of Angels, a remake ofWings of Desire.[6] A brief clip fromCasper is seen in the 2024 filmSonic the Hedgehog 3, in a scene in whichKnuckles the Echidna gets scared by the titular ghost while watching the film during one ofSonic's movie nights.[37][38]
An animated series,The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, was released in 1996 based on the film.[39] Fatso (season 1–2), Stinkie,[39] Stretch and Casper were all voiced by the actors from the film, while Dr. Harvey was voiced byDan Castellaneta, and Kat byKath Soucie.
In 2006,Classic Media produced another television film based on the character calledCasper's Scare School. The film features Casper being sentenced to a school that will teach him how to scare others. In 2009, the film spawned aspin-off animated series with the same title.
In April 2022, a live-action series was reported to be in development atPeacock withWu Kai-yu being the showrunner.[40] As of 2025 the show is still in development and no news has been heard on it since then.
WithHarvey Entertainment retaining prequel rights toCasper,[41]20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, in co-production withSaban Entertainment, released two direct-to-video follow-ups to the film; an indirect prequel,Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997),[42] and its sequelCasper Meets Wendy (1998).[43]
Following the release ofCasper,Simon Wells co-wrote a screenplay forCasper 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-videoCasper films and the hesitation of Christina Ricci.[44]
In 2000, Harvey Entertainment returned once withMainframe Entertainment to produce a film calledCasper's Haunted Christmas.[45] Released byUniversal Studios Home Video, the film was all done in computer animation, as opposed to its live-action predecessors.
In 2013,DreamWorks Animation announced that they were rebootingCasper as a computer-animated reboot film,[46] with Simon Wells, who at one point was previously attached to write and direct the unproduced sequel to the live-action film,[44] to write and direct, with writing duoJohn Altschuler andDave Krinsky (King of the Hill,Blades of Glory) to co-write the film's script.[47] It was set to be DreamWorks' second attempt at an animated film based on characters from theClassic Media library, but nothing came of it since its announcement. Concept art for an unproduced film was posted on ArtStation by animator Danny Williams in December 2023, stating that the pitch "never went anywhere".[48]
There were severalvideo games based on or tied-in with the film released on the major consoles of the time, such as the3DO,Super NES,Sega Saturn,PlayStation,Game Boy Color and originalGame Boy. ACasper game forSega Genesis was planned but never released.[49] An LCD handheld game was released forTiger Electronics in 1995.
