Casper (film)

Casper is a 1995 American supernatural fantasy comedy film based on the cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. It was directed by Brad Silberling, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver. The film stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, with the voices 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.

Filming took place from January to June of 1994. Casper makes extensive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create the ghosts, 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 and theatrical shorts, providing the character a backstory that addresses his death.

Casper was released in cinemas on May 26, 1995, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and earned $290.3 million on a $55 million budget. It spawned two direct-to-video prequels from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment—Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) as well as Casper Meets Wendy (1998)—in addition to an animated television spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper.