Casper

Casper follows a gentle young ghost who lives alone in an old Maine mansion, content to float through rooms and make friends with its quiet corners. When paranormal therapist Dr. James Harvey arrives to rid the house of spirits, he brings his teenage daughter Kat along. Casper is drawn to Kat's warmth and curiosity, and he tries to connect with her while his mischievous ghost uncles stir up trouble. Their presence complicates life for the living and the dead, and human emotions collide with supernatural rules as the household adjusts to an unexpected new routine. Small jokes and sincere moments sit side by side, giving younger viewers friendly scares and older viewers an emotional thread that keeps the story grounded.

Directed by Brad Silberling and released in 1995, Casper adapts the classic comic character created by Joseph Oriolo. The film stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, and featured early CGI techniques to render the spectral characters.

It opened to a broad family audience and was a commercial success, helping studios see the value in family-friendly effects-driven pictures. Merchandise and home video extended its reach, making Casper a profitable property across several markets, and boosted global returns.

Casper left a mark on 1990s pop culture by turning a classic cartoon ghost into a mainstream live-action hero for kids. Its mix of sentiment and spectacle inspired toys, costumes, and TV tie-ins, and the film's visual approach helped normalize CGI characters interacting with human actors in family films globally.

Critical response leaned mixed to positive, the film holding a middling score among viewers while being praised for its effects and heart. Reviewers noted tonal shifts between comedy and melancholy. Major themes include friendship, grief, acceptance, and the gap between childhood imagination and adult responsibility, presented in a family-friendly package.