Casper (film)

Casper
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Brad Silberling
Written by	Sherri Stoner Deanna Oliver
Based on	Casper the Friendly Ghost by Seymour Reit Joe Oriolo Vincent E. Valentine II
Produced by	Colin Wilson
Starring	Malachi Pearson Christina Ricci Bill Pullman Cathy Moriarty Eric Idle
Cinematography	Dean Cundey
Edited by	Michael Kahn
Music by	James Horner
Production companies	Amblin Entertainment The Harvey Entertainment Company
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	May 26, 1995 (1995-05-26)
Running time	101 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$55 million[2]
Box office	$288 million[2]

Casper is a 1995 American supernatural fantasy comedy film directed by Brad Silberling, in his feature film directorial debut, based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo. The film stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, with voice talents 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.

The film makes extensive use of computer-generated imagery to create the ghosts, and it 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, notably providing the character a tragic backstory that addresses his death.

Casper was released in cinemas on May 26, 1995, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the film for its faithfulness to its source material (specifically the title character's portrayal), visual effects, music score, and performances, but criticized its dark tone and humor. The film earned $288 million^[2] on a $55 million budget,^[2] and spawned two direct-to-video indirect prequels, Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) and Casper Meets Wendy (1998) as follow-ups to the film and released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and an animated television spin-off, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper.