Product Description

Steven Spielberg produced this live-action feature starring the friendly ghost created in 1940 by Joe Orolio. In it, greedy heiress Carrigan Crittenden inherits the haunted Whipstaff Manor and discovers that the house contains a treasure, which is closely guarded by three nasty ghosts. She invites ghost therapist Dr. James Harvey, and his daughter Kat, to move into the eerie mansion and get rid of the supernatural creatures. The nephew of the three spirits is Casper, a friendly ghost who becomes Kat's pal. Casper takes Kat to his father's secret lab where he once attempted to bring Casper back to life with a special machine. Carrigan eavesdrops on their conversation and decides to become a ghost herself, in the hope that she will get the booty more easily. Then she can use the machine to change back to a human. However, Carrigan doesn't realize that you can't flirt with the afterlife.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2415 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 2003-09-23
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.com
This 1995 family film tries to put a fun spin on the story of a paranormalist and widower (Bill Pullman) who moves into a new house with his daughter (Christina Ricci) and meets up with the ghost of a dead little boy. Based on the comic book about Casper the friendly ghost, the film is a dreary series of awkward interactions between live actors and computer effects, and you can almost see Pullman and Ricci reconsidering the project while on camera. A few cameo appearances from uncredited stars help things a bit. But there's no way, based on this film, that one could have guessed that its director, Brad Silberling, would go on to make the exceptional drama City of Angels. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker
In what might be an attempt at an apology to parents the world over for last summer's lifeless "Flintstones," Steven Spielberg has taken another shot at producing a TV franchise. The story is pure hokum; it involves a dead mother, a lonely child, a grieving father, hidden treasure, and a dead-are-watching-over-us finale that's almost unbearable. But the production is a wonder of creamy Gaudí-inspired sets and breathtaking computer-generated marvels. The director, Brad Silberling, gets very convincing performances from Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, and he allows Casper and his three unruly uncles, Fatso, Stretch, and Stinkie, to move around with the animated authority of Roger Rabbit. They steal the film. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Family 'Friendly'.....
Any film that can gather the family together for a fun,wholesome, and entertaining view, and hold the interest of all for it's entire length, gets 5 stars in my book. "Casper" is one of those films. It may not go down as some great piece of cinematic art, but it is one that all generations can enjoy, will leave you with a smile, and something to talk about with kids afterwards.

Based on the old comic book stories, "Casper" is a very friendly but very lonely ghost. He lives in an old mansion, that has seen better days. He is not alone in this huge house though, he lives with his three very nasty(but funny) uncles,"Stretch", "Stinky" and "Fatso". Casper only wants someone to move in,so he could have a friend, the uncles on the other hand, do their very best to scare away any visitors.
So when a greedy woman inherits the property, and believes there is a buried treasure inside, she hires an array of 'ghostbusters' to rid the house of all spirits. None seem to be able to handle this terrible trio, until one day a ghost psychiatrist and his lonely daughter(also looking for a friend),move in and try to tame the threesome. From there it's a fun and wild ride, and a touching story of friendship.

The film has a terrific cast that works well with the wonderful animation and special effects. Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci are the father and daughter team that befriend these spirits. Cathy Moriarty("Forget Paris"), and Eric Idle as her bumbling assistant add their talents as they go for the treasure.Lots of big names are cameoed throughout. Don Novello, and Dan Aykroyd reprise their roles of Father Guido Sarducci, and ghostbuster Dr. Raymond Stantz for brief appearances, just to name a couple.
The voices including Brad Garrett as "Fatso" are marvelous, and you can never go wrong when James Horner scores a film with just the right touches.

It's rated PG for some occassional mild language and thematic elements, and at an hour and a half, it just the right length, and is a delightful way to spend some laugh out loud family time together.

Ghostly fun......enjoy.....Laurie

also recommended:

The Stars Fell on Henrietta(PG)

Little House Prairie - Christmas Plum Creek & Creeper Wa [VHS]

Hasbro Games Clue

Seeing it is BOOlieving it!
Who says there are no such things as ghosts? Not if there is the ghostly inhabitants of Whipstaff Manor in Friendship, Maine!
This desolate mansion is then, in the words of one of the members of the Ghostly Trio of Whipstaff, 'intruded' by Kat Harvey (Christina Ricci) and her eccentric father Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a ghost therapist. Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) had hired Dr. Harvey to exorcise the ghosts, including Casper the friendly ghost and his three obnoxious uncles, Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie, aspiring to gain Whipstaff's 'buried gold'.
Intertwining humour, all-time 'floating' fun and a modern Cinderella story, 'Casper' promises to please as a movie which is compelling, hilarious, captivating, heart-warming, witty and above all, truly 'fleshtastic'.
'Casper' is recommended for any audience, regardless of age. ... 'Casper' ... manages to appear endearing and ultimately special.
The magic of Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci as well as that of director Brad Silberling, executive producer Steven Spielberg, and other producers weaves between each and every scene to eventually lift us off our feet.
Above all, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Casper is my all time favourite character. Truly fleshtastic. BOOlistic! You won't BOOlieve it until you see it.

A Sweet and Sentimental Comedy, Perfect for the Family
Casper is a fun children's film, that can be watched as a family and keep everyone entertained. Unlike many movies concerning ghosts, there is no reason to worry that this movie will upset or scare even the most sensitive children. Casper is sweet and endearing, and even the vicious ghosts in this film are far from threatening as they quickly bring a smile to your face and alleviate any tension with humor.
However, Casper does not rely souly on laughter, and has a strong plot to back it up. It raises spiritual questions that make you think, and has very heartfelt moments of intense emotion. You grow to care about the characters as we watch Casper and Kat in their simultaneous search for friendship, and Dr. Harvey in his quest to resolve his own unfinished business and finally get some closure.
Malachi Pearson does an outstanding job as the voice of Casper, and portrays all of his emotions very convincingly. You can also look forward to a great performance from Bill Pullman, and will love hating the bumbling villains portrayed by Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle. Unfortunately, there are times where Christina Ricci seems to have some difficulty filling her role as Kat, and occasionally makes scenes awkward and unconvincing.
The score for this film is beautiful, and adds a great deal to the spirit and mood of the movie.
There is some light use of profanity that I don't find necessary or appropriate for a family film aimed largely at children, but it can be easily overlooked.