Four different iterations of Casper the Friendly Ghost as presented in films. From left to right: 2000's animated direct-to-video film Casper's Haunted Christmas, 2006's animated television film Casper's Scare School, 1995's theatrical feature Casper, and 1997-1998's Saban produced direct-to-video films: Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy.
The Casper film franchise consists of a total of five films featuring the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost, with one being released theatrically and the rest being release in either television or straight-to-video. The first three were live-action films using the character in computer-generated imagery while the other two were completely computer-animated made films.
Theatrical Film[]
Casper films
Casper (1995)[]
Casper was release on May 26, 1995, grossing over $287 million worldwide making it a commercial success, but was met with mix reviews from critics, although Roger Ebert gave it 3 out of 4 stars. With this film, an attempt was made to give Casper a back-story explaining his tragic death and also showing his human form, while also exploring its theme's of death. The film stars Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman with Malachi Pearson voicing the titular character and Devon Sawa portraying his human form. While the film was a success, the studio didn't produce a sequel feeling like the general public wouldn't be invested in one, so their was a spin-off animated series that follows after the events of the film.
Direct-to-video/Television films[]
Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)[]
Casper: A Spirited Beginning was released on video on September 9, 1997. This was confirmed to be a prequel to the 1995 film, supposedly giving more details Casper's back-story, but was contradictory by its story and settings. Mainly down to it having Casper dying on present day and no mention of Whipstaff and the Ghostly Trio aren't directly related to him. The film also has an ensemble cast of big-name actors such as Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, Rodney Dangerfield and Michael McKean, as well as the voice cast of James Earl Jones as Kibosh and Pauly Shore as Snivel.
Casper Meets Wendy (1998)[]
Casper Meets Wendy was released on video on September 22, 1998, and is a sequel to Casper: A Spirited Beginning while still being a prequel to the original. The film decided to introduce the witches by adding Wendy the Good Little Witch who was a popular character that appeared in the classic comics and cartoons. The role was given to Hilary Duff in her first major film when she was eleven years old. The film stars, Cathy Moriarty (who portrayed the villainess in the 1995 film), Shelley Duvall, Teri Garr, and George Hamilton.
Casper's Haunted Christmas (2000)[]
Casper's Haunted Christmas was released on video on October 31, 2000. Unlike its predecessors, this film was all done in CGI animation. The film has Brendan Ryan Barret, who was Casper's best friend Chris Carson in Casper: A Spirited Beginning voice Casper himself.
Casper's Scare School (2006)[]
Casper's Scare School was released on October 20, 2006. It was the second Casper film that was done in CGI animation. The film would spawn a spin-off series with the same title.
Cancelled Film[]
Casper 2[]
Following the release of Casper, Simon Wells co-wrote a screenplay for Casper 2, which he was set to direct. However, in July 2000, it was reported that Universal Pictures had cancelled the sequel due to the disappointing sales from the direct-to-video Casper films and the hesitation of Christina Ricci.
[[Category:Caspe [[Category:Casper/Movie [[Category:Movies [[Category:Direct-to-Vi| Casper films | ||
|---|---|---|
| Theatrical film | Casper | |
| Direct-to-Video/Television films | Casper: A Spirited Beginning | Casper Meets Wendy | Casper's Haunted Christmas | Casper's Scare School | |