Casper | Rotten Tomatoes

Casper

PG

Released May 26, 1995

1h 40m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

List

52%

42 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Casper (voiced by Malachi Pearson) is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey (Bill Pullman) arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci). Casper quickly falls in love with Kat, but their budding relationship is complicated not only by his transparent state, but also by his troublemaking apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.

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Critics Consensus

A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness.

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Anne Cohen

Refinery29

It's a funny and often poignant film that's worth reexamining today.

Aug 29, 2019

Full Review

Jane Howdle

Empire Magazine

t's aimed squarely at the tinies, but there is charm enough here to make it bearable for adults too.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 16, 2010

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

A fairy tale with the soul of a rerun.

Rated: C

Jul 6, 2010

Full Review

Cassondra Feltus

Black Girl Nerds

Casper is a deeply tragic yet oddly wholesome coming-of-age tale about loneliness and grief. Though the film is essentially a meditation on death, it isn’t all doom and gloom. It still has its zany moments and mid-90s charm.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 25, 2023

Full Review

James Croot

Stuff.co.nz

More like a Cinderella story than a gothic horror, this really was one of the most under-rated movies of the 1990s and should keep viewers of all ages engrossed on a slow summer holiday day.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 6, 2022

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an erratic but generally passable adaptation that could've easily been much, much worse.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 1, 2020

Full Review

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Denise

This still aged well lol what a fun experience for the whole family! $1 movies was a great idea

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/22

Full Review

Michael S

Yeah it's a tad bit cheesy, but I still think it's a very cute film with a good heart, well done production & a good soundtrack. Christina Ricci is great too.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

Trafalgar L

A charming family film that examines life, death and the afterlife without talking down to its demographic. Brad Silberling's directing and James Horner's haunting score bring this modern day retelling of everyone's favorite ghost to life. A perfect film for Halloween.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/29/24

Full Review

MichaÃ«l M

A classic... A charming re-imagined version of the cartoon, with a gentle exploration of death and the afterlife, suitable for children.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Devlin E

Not even the first 30 minutes could spark my interest.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

Full Review

Monsol E

Cute, dated, and dumb. The plot was surprisingly convoluted for a movie about a ghost who wants friends...You have a guy looking for his wife's ghost...his daughter who just wants to move on,...some jerk ghosts who can't decide if they want these people gone, dead, or to stay....there's ALSO a botched heiress trying to find a hidden fortune...a secret machine that can RAISE THE DEAD...and Casper spends most of his time trying to hook up with Christina Ricci. [I wanted to at that age, so that's understandable.] The effects weren't good even at the time. The script is sometimes fun, sometimes sincere, and sometimes unintentionally creepy.[...so all over the place.] And I have no idea why the machine wasn't used if Casper's dad completed it, or why he didn't become a ghost...or why mean-lady's assistant didn't come back...or why angel-mom was wearing "this usually means satan" Red. There's a lot of plotholes. This is just a really mixed bag. But there's nothing terrible about it. You can probably have fun if you can set your brain on low heat.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/09/23

Full Review

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Brad Silberling

Director

Christina Ricci

Kathleen 'Kat' Harvey

Bill Pullman

Dr. James Harvey

Cathy Moriarty

Carrigan Crittenden

Eric Idle

Paul 'Dibbs' Plutzker

Malachi Pearson

Casper (McFadden)

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Casper: Official Clip - Can I Keep You?

3:29

Casper: Official Clip - A Ghost-to-Ghost Network

2:49

Casper: Official Clip - Crossing Over

3:53

Casper: Official Clip - How Casper Died

2:12

Casper: Official Clip - Breakfast with the Ghosts

2:39

Casper: Official Clip - The New Girl

2:21

Casper: Official Clip - No Problem Whatsoever

2:37

Casper: Official Clip - Dr. James Harvey, Your Therapist

3:32

Casper: Official Clip - Boo?

4:19

Casper: Official Clip - Pleasure to Meet You

2:50

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Synopsis

Casper (voiced by Malachi Pearson) is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey (Bill Pullman) arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci). Casper quickly falls in love with Kat, but their budding relationship is complicated not only by his transparent state, but also by his troublemaking apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.

Director: Brad Silberling
Producer: Gerald R. Molen, Jeffrey A. Montgomery, Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 26, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.3M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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