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Casper (film)

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Casper is a 1995 American supernatural fantasy comedy film directed by Brad Silberling, in his feature film directorial debut, based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo. The film stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, with voice talents of Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett, and the film introduction of Malachi Pearson in the title role. The film follows the title character who peacefully haunts a mansion called Whipstaff Manor in Friendship, 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.

Casper
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrad Silberling
Written by
Based onCasper the Friendly Ghost
by Seymour Reit
Joe Oriolo
Vincent E. Valentine II
Produced byColin Wilson
Starring
CinematographyDean Cundey
Edited byMichael Kahn
Music byJames Horner
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • May 26, 1995 (1995-05-26)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$55 million[2]
Box office$288 million[2]

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

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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

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  • 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.
  • Garette Ratliff Henson as Vic DePhillippi, Kat's crush and Amber's friend.
  • Jessica Wesson as Amber Whitmire, Kat's rival and Vic's friend.
  • Amy Brenneman as Amelia Harvey, James' deceased wife and Kat's mother.
  • Ben Stein as Rugg, Carrigan's lawyer.
  • Chauncey Leopardi and Spencer Vrooman as Nicky and Andreas, two preteen boys who explore Whipstaff in the opening scene.
  • Wesley Thompson as Mr. Curtis, Kat, Amber and Vic's form teacher.
  • Michael McCarty as a bar drunk.

Cameos

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Production

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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]

 
The film was shot in Camden, Maine.

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

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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]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [citation needed]
Filmtracks     [15]

All tracks are performed by James Horner except where noted.

Track listing
No.TitleArtistLength
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 Hill4:28
14."Casper the Friendly Ghost"Little Richard2:10
15."The Uncles Swing/End Credits" 6:23
Total length:1:14:09

Reception

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Box office

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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

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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]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Kids' Choice Awards May 11, 1996 Favorite Movie Casper Nominated [24]
Saturn Awards June 25, 1996 Best Performance by a Younger Actor Christina Ricci Won [25]
Best Fantasy Film Casper Nominated
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards 1996 Worst Picture Universal Pictures Nominated [26]
Young Artist Awards 1996 Best Performance by a Young Actor: Voiceover Role Malachi Pearson Won [27]
Best Family Feature: Musical or Comedy Nominated
Best Young Leading Actress: Feature Film Christina Ricci Nominated

Home media

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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]

Legacy

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Main article: Casper the Friendly Ghost in film

The success of Casper secured Silberling the job of directing the 1998 film City of Angels, a remake of Wings of Desire starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.[4]

TV series

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A cartoon series, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, was released in 1996 based on the film.[31] Fatso (season 1–2), Stinkie,[31] Stretch and Casper were all voiced by the actors from the film, while Dr. Harvey was voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and Kat by Kath Soucie.

In April 2022, a live-action series was reported to be in development at Peacock.[32]

Prequels

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With Harvey Entertainment retaining prequel rights to Casper,[33] 20th Century Fox released two direct-to-video follow-ups to the film; an indirect prequel, Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997),[34] and its sequel Casper Meets Wendy (1998).[35]

Cancelled sequel

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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]

Video games

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There were several video games based on or tied-in with the film released on the major consoles of the time, such as the 3DO, Super NES, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Game Boy Color and original Game Boy. A Casper game for Sega Genesis was planned but never released.[38] An LCD handheld game was released for Tiger Electronics in 1995.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Casper (12A)". BBFC. September 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Casper". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  3. ^ Cheng, Cheryl (July 30, 2015). "N. Brock Winkless IV, the Puppeteer of Chucky in 'Child's Play,' Dies at 56". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Ojumu, Akin (February 16, 2003). "The family that grieves together..." The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  5. ^ "Proyas vanishes from 'Casper' pic". Variety. November 28, 1993. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Khoury, Jorge (October 26, 2008). "- Talking with Director Alex Proyas". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Jensen, Jeff (June 9, 2011). "Super 8: Steven Spielberg meets J.J. Abrams". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "The physics of Casper the Friendly Ghost: why can't he open the door?". The Guardian. May 29, 2017. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Sharma, Dhruv (July 24, 2022). "Where Was Casper (1995) Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Gomsy Media LLC. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "Visual and Special Effects Film Milestones". AMC Filmsite. Tim Dirks. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  11. ^ Wharton, David (May 26, 1995). "Magic Behind 'Casper': Universal Studios Hollywood opens an exhibit today that demystifies some of the film's ghostly special effects". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  12. ^ Cindy Pearlman (1995-06-21). "Ghost Busters". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
  13. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "New Universal Logo - Logos Through Time - 100th Anniversary (2012) HD". YouTube. March 2012.
  14. ^ "CASPER: 25th ANNIVERSARY REMASTERED LIMITED EDITION (2-CD SET))". La-La Land Records. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  15. ^ "Filmtracks: Casper (James Horner)". Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "Weekend Box Office: 'Casper' Has a $22-Million Holiday". Los Angeles Times. May 31, 1995. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  17. ^ "Casper". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 9, 2022.  
  18. ^ "Casper". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "CASPER (1995) A". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  20. ^ "Casper Review. Movie Reviews - Film - Time Out London". Timeout.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  21. ^ Ebert, Roger (May 26, 1995). "Casper movie review & film summary (1995)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  22. ^ Firsching, Robert. "Review by Robert Firsching". AllMovie. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  23. ^ Maltin, Leonard (2014). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 978-0698183612.
  24. ^ Mangan, Jennifer (March 28, 1996). "Poll Position". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Saturn Awards". SaturnAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 11, 2003. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "The Stinkers 1995 Ballot". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Archived from the original on July 11, 2000.
  27. ^ "17th Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 2, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  28. ^ "'Batman', 'The Cure' flip-flopped in Japan". El Paso Times. September 29, 1995. p. 61. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  29. ^ Patrizio, Andy (August 13, 2003). "Casper". IGN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  30. ^ Casper Blu-ray. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via www.blu-ray.com.
  31. ^ a b Cabrera, Maria (February 7, 2016). "Joe Alaskey Dies: Voice Of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck & Tweety Passes Away [VIDEO]". Enstars. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  32. ^ Otterson, Joe (April 11, 2022). "Casper Live-Action Series in the Works at Peacock". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  33. ^ Matzer, Marla (April 16, 1997). "Direct-to-Video Family Films Are Hitting Home". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  34. ^ |last=Leydon |first=Joe |access-date=August 14, 2017 |work=Variety |date=October 1, 1997}}
  35. ^ McGahan, Michelle (October 17, 2016). "Hilary Duff's 'Casper Meets Wendy' Snapchat Is The Halloween Throwback We All Need — PHOTO". Bustle. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  36. ^ Duke, Paul (July 12, 2000). "Wells sets 'Time' with WB, D'Works". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  37. ^ Mink, Sammy (March 10, 2014). "{TB EXCLUSIVE} CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST SET TO FLY BACK INTO PRODUCTION!". The Tracking Board. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  38. ^ "Titles Designed & Developed By RSP". Riedel Software Productions. October 16, 1997. Archived from the original on January 27, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
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