Joseph Oriolo and Seymour Wright created the Friendly Ghost in 1945, who made his first appearance in the comics a year later. The character was an instant success, appearing in numerous books, cartoons, and eventually movies.
In the early 1990s, Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures obtained the rights to make a live-action/animated movie based on Casper. The result was the 1995 release of Casper, starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, and Cathy Moriarty.
The story follows Casper, a friendly ghost who is trying to find companionship. He befriends a young girl named Kat Harvey (Ricci), and together they try to figure out why Casper is haunting her home. The movie was a box office success and got hatched into four sequels over the next few years.
The Casper film series is a franchise of live-action/computer-animated films based on the Harvey Comics character Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The first film in the series, Casper, was released on May 26, 1995, by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. It was followed by two direct-to-video sequels, Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy.
A fourth film, Casper’s Haunted Christmas, was released theatrically in Australia on November 16, 2000, and direct-to-video in the United States on October 31, 2001.
After the release of the fourth film, the franchise was rebooted with a new continuity in 2006 with the direct-to-video release of Casper’s Scare School.
List of All Casper Movies in Order of Release
- Casper (1995)
- Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
- Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
- Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)
- Casper’s Scare School (2008)
Casper (1995)
Director: Brad Silberling | Writers: Joseph Oriolo, Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver | Stars: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 40 minutes. | Release Date: May 26, 1995 | Language: The language is English. | Genres: The movie genres are comedy, family, and fantasy. | Filming Locations: Rockport, Maine, USA | Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, The Harvey Entertainment Company | Budget: The budget of the movie was $55 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $287 million.
The first movie in the Casper series was released in 1995 and is titled simply, Casper. The movie follows the story of the friendly ghost and his efforts to find companionship. He meets Kat Harvey (Ricci) along the way, and the two quickly become friends.
The movie was directed by Brad Silberling and written by Joseph Oriolo, Sherri Stoner, and Deanna Oliver, and stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, and Cathy Moriarty. The movie was a box office success, grossing over 287 million dollars worldwide, and got hatched into four sequels over the next few years.
In rage due to his father’s death, Carrigan Crittenden wants to sell Whipstaff Manor. The only problem is that it is inhabited by Casper the Friendly Ghost and his uncles: Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso, the “Ghostly Trio.”
When Kat Harvey’s (Dani) father dies in a car accident, she and her mother move to Whipstaff Manor in order to have a fresh start. Kat meets Casper, and the two become friends, but when Carrigan Crittenden finds out that there are ghosts in the manor, she wants them gone. Casper must find a way to stop her before she gets rid of his new friends.
To get rid of ghosts and get riches, she hires a “ghost psychologist” named Dr. Harvey, who happens to be Kat’s father in disguise. But when Casper finds out he may have to leave forever, he does everything in his power to ensure that doesn’t happen.
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Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
Director: Sean McNamara | Writers: Joseph Oriolo, Seymour Reit, Thomas McCluskey | Stars: Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, Rodney Dangerfield | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 30 minutes. | Release Date: September 9, 1997 | Language: The language is English. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, comedy, family, fantasy, and horror. | Filming Locations: Midwest Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios – 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA | Production Companies: Saban Entertainment, Sound Source Interactive, The Harvey Entertainment Company | Budget: The budget of the movie was $5 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $38 million.
The second movie in the Casper series is titled Casper: A Spirited Beginning and was released in 1997. The movie is a prequel to the first movie and tells the story of how Casper became a ghost. The movie was directed by Sean McNamara and written by Joseph Oriolo, Seymour Reit, and Thomas McCluskey. The movie stars Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, and Rodney Dangerfield.
All of the Ghosts intend to scare people on Halloween, but when they find out that Casper is scared of scaring people, they make him their leader. When Casper grows tired of being the leader, he leaves the Ghostly Trio and hangs out with a human girl named Wendy.
Wendy tells Casper that he should try to make friends with his uncles, but when he tries, they end up scaring him. Casper gets upset and runs away, but when Wendy’s house is haunted by a ghost named Kibosh, Casper must come back and help save the day.
With his friend Chris, Casper meets a new girl in town named Wendy. He falls for her immediately, but his “uncles,” the Ghostly Trio, don’t want him to get too close to her because they think she’ll find out about their ghostly activities and tell people. When Wendy’s house is haunted by a ghost named Kibosh, Casper must come back and help save the day.
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Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
Director: Sean McNamara | Writers: Jymn Magon, Rob Kerchner | Stars: Cathy Moriarty, Shelley Duvall, Teri Garr | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 30 minutes. | Release Date: September 22, 1998 (USA) | Language: The language is English. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, adventure, comedy, family, and fantasy. | Filming Locations: Walt Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch – 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, New Hall, California, USA | Production Companies: Saban Entertainment, The Harvey Entertainment Company | Budget: The budget of the movie was $10 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $50 million.
The third movie in the Casper series is titled Casper Meets Wendy and was released in 1998. The movie is a direct-to-video sequel to the first movie and follows the story of Casper as he meets a young witch named Wendy (Haley Joel Osment).
The movie was directed by Sean McNamara and written by Jymn Magon and Rob Kerchner. The movie stars Cathy Moriarty, Shelley Duvall, and Teri Garr.
Casper now lives with his uncle, Stretch, and has to go to school. When he gets there, he meets a girl named Wendy, who is able to see ghosts. The two become friends, and when the Ghostly Trio finds out that Wendy can see them, they try to scare her away. When they realize they can’t scare her, they kidnap her. It’s up to Casper to save her from his uncles and Kibosh, the ghosts’ ruler.
Wendy and his family are running a hotel and are in danger of losing it. When Casper finds out, he tries to help them by finding a treasure that will save the hotel.
Meanwhile, the Ghostly Trio is up to its old antics and is trying to scare away the guests. They try to get it for themselves when they find out about the treasure. It’s up to Casper and Wendy to stop them and find the treasure before it’s too late.
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Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)
Director: Owen Hurley | Writers: Ian Boothby, Roger Fredericks, Joseph Oriolo | Stars: Brendon Ryan Barrett, Kathleen Barr, Ian James Corlett | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 24 minutes. | Release Date: October 31, 2000 | Language: The language is English. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, comedy, family, fantasy, and horror. | Filming Locations: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Production Companies: Mainframe Entertainment, The Harvey Entertainment Company | Budget: The movie’s budget was $10 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $60 million.
The fourth and final movie in the Casper series is titled Casper’s Haunted Christmas and was released in 2000. The movie is a direct-to-video sequel to the second movie and follows the story of Casper as he tries to help Santa Claus deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
The movie was directed by Owen Hurley and written by Ian Boothby, Roger Fredericks, Joseph Oriolo, and Jymn Magon. The movie stars Brendon Ryan Barrett, Kathleen Barr, and Ian James Corlett.
Officer Snivel discovers that he has the ability to see ghosts and is assigned to a case involving the Ghostly Trio. When he finds out that they are trying to sabotage Christmas, he enlists the help of Casper to stop them. Meanwhile, Kat is trying to find a way to get rid of the ghosts for good.
Ghost Central requires every spirit to spend one day a year in the real world, or they will be banished. The Ghostly Trio decide to spend their day sabotaging Christmas, but when Officer Snivel enlists the help of Casper to stop them, they may not be able to get away with it.
Casper teams up with a girl named Amelia to try and save Christmas. When they find out that the Ghostly Trio is behind the sabotage, they must put a stop to their antics before it’s too late.
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Casper’s Scare School (2008)
Director: Robert Huszar | Writers: David I. Stern, Arne Olsen | Stars: Scott McNeil, Kathleen Barr, Alessandro Juliani | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 22 minutes. | Release Date: October 28, 2008 | Language: The language is English. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, comedy, family, and fantasy. | Filming Locations: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Production Companies: Mainframe Entertainment, The Harvey Entertainment Company | Budget: The budget of the movie was $10 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $61 million.
The fifth and final movie in the Casper series is titled Casper’s Scare School and was released in 2008. The movie is a direct-to-video sequel to the third movie and follows the story of Casper as he attends a school for ghosts.
The movie was directed by Robert Huszar and written by David I. Stern and Arne Olsen. The movie stars voices by Scott McNeil, Kathleen Barr, and Alessandro Juliani.
Kibosh learns that Casper has been hanging out with humans and is not scared of them anymore. In order to teach him a lesson, he sends Casper to Scare School, where he will learn how to be a proper ghost.
When Casper meets his fellow students, he quickly realizes he does not fit in. He befriends a girl named Raquel, and together they try to find a way for Casper to stay at the school without having to scare people.
Kibosh sends Casper to Scare School, where he will learn how to be a proper ghost. When Casper meets his fellow students, he quickly realizes he does not fit in. He befriends a girl named Raquel, and together they try to find a way for Casper to stay at the school without having to scare people.
Casper struggles to fit in at Scare School, and when he thinks he’s found a way to stay, Kibosh comes up with a new plan to get rid of him. Can Casper find a way to stay at the school and make friends with his fellow ghosts?
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Casper Movies In Order by IMDB Rating
| Movies | Rating on IMDB |
|---|---|
| Casper | 6.1/10 |
| Casper: A Spirited Beginning | 4.5/10 |
| Casper Meets Wendy | 5.3/10 |
| Casper’s Haunted Christmas | 4.6/10 |
| Casper’s Scare School | 4.5/10 |
The Casper Movies In Chronological Order
Casper movies were not released in chronological order. If you wish to watch them in the order of the events that take place, this is the order you should watch them:
- Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
- Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
- Casper (1995)
- Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)
- Casper’s Scare School (2008)
FAQs
Are All of The Casper Movies Part of The Same Series?
The Casper movies are all part of the same series, except for Casper: A Spirited Beginning. This movie is a prequel to the original 1995 film and is not considered to be part of the main series. So, if you want to watch the movies in order, you should start with Casper: A Spirited Beginning and then move on to the other films.
What are the Casper movies about?
The Casper movies follow the adventures of a friendly ghost named Casper as he tries to make friends with humans and stop the Ghostly Trio from causing mischief.
Is There A New Casper Movie In The Works?
There is no new Casper movie currently in the works. However, there have been rumors that a live-action franchise reboot is in development.
Do The Casper Movies Hold Up?
The Casper movies are definitely geared toward a younger audience, but they are still enjoyable for adults. If you’re looking for some light-hearted fun, then you’ll definitely enjoy these films.
What Is The Best Casper Movie?
While all of the movies have their merits, the best Casper movie is undoubtedly the original 1995 film. This movie is a classic and has stood the test of time. If you’re looking for a heartwarming tale about friendship, this is the movie for you.
Are The Casper Movies Connected?
Yes, the Casper movies are all part of the same series, except for Casper: A Spirited Beginning. This movie is a prequel to the original 1995 film and is not considered to be part of the main series.
Do the Casper movies have the same cast?
No, the cast of the movies changes with each installment. However, some actors do appear in more than one movie. For example, Bill Pullman appears in both the original 1995 film and its sequel, Casper Meets Wendy.
Conclusion
Casper is one of the most popular comedy horror movie franchises of all time. The movies are light-hearted and fun but also have a few scares. The Casper movies are worth checking out if you’re looking for a franchise to binge-watch.
This article provides a chronological list of all the Casper movies and some FAQs about the franchise. So, grab some popcorn and get ready to watch some ghosts!
I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Thanks for reading!
Hey, My name is Charles Eames, I am a designer, filmmaker, and lover of photographic arts. And I usually write about movies, Famous/Influential People. I am running this blog with my girlfriend Bernice.