Countdown to Halloween: Beloved 1995 Movie “Casper” Turned 30 This Year

Time to feel a little old once again. The beloved 1995 adaptation of “Casper” turned 30 this year! And everyone’s favorite friendly ghost will be making a couple appearances on the big screen during the Dietrich Theater’s Spooky Fest. So, let’s start talking about the 1995 movie “Casper”!

“Casper” is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey arrives to communicate with Casper and his uncles, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat.

Casper quickly falls for her, but their budding relationship is complicated, not only by his transparent state, but also by his trouble-making apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.

The 1995 movie “Casper” is a beloved childhood Halloween classic that the entire family can sit back, relax and enjoy. It’s also one of those movies that I’ve watched several times back in the VHS days and still try to catch it whenever the modern classic is available on streaming.

“Casper” is a charming and nostalgic comfort movie that still holds up well today, especially with its blend of humor, heart and impressive special effects for the mid 90s. Some of the humor appeals to both children and adults, with a few jokes flying over the heads of younger viewers.

The titular character’s obnoxious uncles provided most of the slapstick comedy and classic haunted house gags. A lot of their over the top antics deliver plenty of jokes and laughs for everyone. Casper’s uncles terrorize some people (including the movie’s villain) with their antics and even have a “night on the town” with Dr. Harvey.

Not only does “Casper” feature some humorous moments, the 1995 modern classic also has a few moments that can actually be heart-felt, such as when Casper describes the circumstances of his untimely death and Dr. Harvey’s emotional reunion with his wife. That moment between Harvey and his dearly departed wife can resonate deeply with audiences dealing with loss, as it provided a heartwarming and cathartic release.

In recent years, the overall audience for this 1995 movie consists primarily of adults nostalgic for 90s movies and younger audiences discovering the movie through streaming. The movie is also celebrated for its emotional depth and unique blend of comedy and tragedy.

Trivia: This is the first feature movie to have a fully CG visual effects character in a leading role. The characters James and Kat Harvey are named after Harvey Comics, the long time publisher of “Casper the Friendly Ghost.” 

A live action sequel was proposed and a preliminary script was drafted when production for this movie wrapped. The producers decided to produce a cartoon series “The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper” instead and made a deal with the head of Fox Kids on the animated spin-off the day before the movie was released. With Harvey Entertainment retaining prequel rights to “Casper” in 2000, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, in co-production with Saban, released two direct to video follow ups: an indirect prequel “Casper: A Spirited Beginning” and its sequel “Casper Meet Wendy.”

MPA: Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements   (runtime 100 minutes)

You can check out “Casper” during the Dietrich Theater Spooky Fest on 10/25 (4 pm) and 10/29 (1 pm). If you can’t make it to the movie during Spooky Fest, the 1995 family favorite is also available to stream on Netflix or you can rent it through various PVOD platforms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8RATQJIngU

• This is the first feature film to have a fully computer-generated visual effects character in a leading role.

• A deleted portion of the attic scene involved Kat coming across an old photograph of Casper's uncles Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie when they were still humans. This was featured and shown in the storybook released alongside the film.

• During filming, Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci had to talk to tennis balls in place of the ghosts, while the ghosts were added later on.

• James and Kat Harvey are named after Harvey Comics, the long time publisher of "Casper the Friendly Ghost."

• The breakfast scene was the first scene animated, which is why Casper and the Ghostly Trio appear more solid when compared to the rest of the movie. In addition, the pancakes Casper serves the Harveys were completely animated, and not actually there on-set.

• J.J. Abrams did an uncredited re-write of the screenplay.

• A live-action sequel was proposed, and a preliminary script was drafted by Simon Wells when production wrapped. Unfortunately, Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman were attached to other projects and Ricci's dislike of the movie and doing less kids movies. The producers decided to produce a cartoon series The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (1996) and made a deal with the head of Fox Kids on an animated spin-off the day before the movie was released.

• After watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) several times, executive producer Steven Spielberg approached its director Steve Barron to direct the film. However, Barron turned it down. He would later admit it was a mistake to turn the offer down.

• It's implied in Dr. James Harvey's possession scene by the three ghost uncles that the three cameos (Clint Eastwood, Rodney Dangerfield, and Mel Gibson) match the personalities of each uncle when they were alive (Stretch - Eastwood, Fatso - Dangerfield, and Stinkie - Gibson).

• Early CGI models of Casper were closer to his original look in the comics, with oval eyes with blue rings around them. However, his face made him look more lifeless and off-putting. Steven Spielberg decided to change his look and to give Casper more "sympathetic" looking eyes. (A la E.T.)

• A scene was filmed with Zelda Rubinstein shooting out of a chimney and shouting "Go toward the light!", reprising her role from Poltergeist (1982), but it was cut.

• Original director Alex Proyas vision of the film was darker, less comedic, and more deconstructionist. He loved the idea of doing a kid's fantasy movie with his favorite film, The Wizard of Oz (1939) as inspiration. In interviews, he wanted Casper to be an opportunity to do a great kid's film with real solid emotional resonance. Unfortunately, it started to move away from his potential and left production under a week before production and the script for his vision was rewritten in late stage of production.

• Eric Idle hasn't spoken much of the film, but apparently was so disinterested in it that to this day, he doesn't even remember shooting it.

• Brad Silberling was hired as a new director, just one week after original director Alex Proyas left production.

• In 1999, despite Harvey Entertainment selling the characters' rights to different studios, Universal and Amblin Entertainment still had the rights to make a proper sequel with or without Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci. Simon Wells was even hired to write a script with the intent he would direct as well. However in July 2000, the underwhelming video-sales on Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997), and Casper Meets Wendy (1998) convinced Universal Pictures to cancel plans for a Casper 2. In a 2000 interview from Variety, Wells would admit "I'm not that disappointed that fell through."