Casper (1995)
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The story
After her father's death, a spoiled heiress, Carrigan Crittenden, inherits the haunted Whipstaff Manor in Maine. She enlists a paranormal therapist, Dr. James Harvey, and his daughter, Kat, to clear the house of its spectral inhabitants. Amidst the chaos of trying to evict the ghosts, a friendly ghost named Casper finds himself drawn to Kat. While the Ghostly Trio—Casper's rowdy uncles—attempt to scare the humans away, Casper seeks to form a genuine bond with the girl who is also struggling to cope with her own life in the haunted mansion.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Carrigan Crittenden inherits Whipstaff Manor and seeks a hidden treasure, hiring Dr. James Harvey to clear the ghosts. Casper, a friendly ghost, becomes smitten with James's daughter, Kat. While the Ghostly Trio tries to scare the humans, Kat and Casper grow close. Kat discovers Casper's tragic backstory: he died of pneumonia as a boy and became a ghost to stay near his father. They find a machine called the Lazarus, which his father built to bring the dead back to life. Carrigan and her lawyer, Dibs, attempt to steal the machine's power but end up in a fatal confrontation. Carrigan dies and becomes a ghost, while James also dies after a series of events. In the end, Casper sacrifices his chance to become human to bring his friend James back to life as a ghost. The film concludes with a Halloween party where Casper is briefly turned human by an angel to dance with Kat before returning to his ghost form.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brad Silberling
- Writers
- Sherri Stoner · writer; Deanna Oliver · writer
- Cast and characters
- Christina Ricci · Kat Harvey; Bill Pullman · Dr. James Harvey; Cathy Moriarty · Carrigan Crittenden; Eric Idle · Dibs; Malachi Pearson · Casper; Joe Nipote · Stretch; Joe Alaskey · Stinkie; Brad Garrett · Fatso
- Genres
- supernatural; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- loneliness; friendship
- Tone and mood
- supernatural; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- haunted house; ghosts; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost
- Franchise connections
- Casper the Friendly Ghost
- Content notes
- death
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success despite mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 49 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Production trivia
- First feature film to have a fully CGI character in the lead role; One 90-second scene with Casper and Ricci took eight months to create; The film was shot in Camden, Maine
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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