Casper (1995): 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Friendly Ghost’s Movie – Screen Rant

Casper got a live-action movie in the '90s. A cult classic today, there are some things about Casper's making that fans should know.

Based on the Harvey ComicCasper the Friendly Ghost, Universal Pictures released a fantasy film in 1995 simply titledCasper that still has a cult following to this day. Starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, and Devon Sawa, the movie followed a spitefulheiress who hires Dr. James Harvey to hunt ghosts from her latest mansion.

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What resulted is Dr. Harvey and his daughter, Kat, making friends with Casper and his uncles as he tried to get them to cross over. The film was a hit at the box office and still shown ever Halloween. To learn more about what magic went down behind-the-scenes, scroll below!

With Casper and his uncles being ghosts, the talented people behind the movie had to create a focal point for the actors to look at before the animators went in and added CGI. To assist, they placed tennis balls on strings and had the actors look at them while acting.

Wherever the actor's eye movements went through the conversation is where the animators added the ghost's movements. Even in today's CGI-laden blockbusters,CGI can be quite expensiveand having such a luxury in the '90s -- when the technology was only being perfected at the time -- was a huge deal.

Because Dr. Harvey was a man who could talk to the dead, he traveled across America with his daughter Kat. When he got the call to talk to the ghosts inside Whipstaff Manor, he and Kat traveled to Friendship, Maine. As it turns out, most of film really was filmed in Maine.

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While Friendship was said to be the town they were in,Casper'sFandom page admits that most shots were filmed in the nearby town of Camden, Maine. Camden produced that safe yet haunting vibe so many family-friendly scary movies have.

Unlike Disney'sHaunted Mansion, which has a definite location in California, the location of Whipstaff Manor is fuzzy at best.Cinemaholicnotesthat Whipstaff Manor is a real estate on the Eastern side of Canada, though others claim Whipstaff was mirrored after theCasa Batllin Barcelona, Spain.

But regardless of where the exterior was shot, most of the interior shots were all filmed on set. The ballroom where Kat has her school's Halloween dance, however, was filmed in the mansion because it's the same location The Backstreet Boys used for their song "Everybody (Backstreets Back).

Casper does appear like a film that would have one or two musical numbers in it. One can imagine Casper looking up at the moon and singing a soft melody about missing his mother. Maybe Kat would be singing a similar song since she too missed her mother.

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As on-point as that sounds,Casper has no musical numbers in it but that wasn't always the plan. Casper's uncles were supposed to break into song. Titled"Lucky Enough to Be A Ghost," the song was about the trio's depression and the difficulties of being a ghost. The scene, however, was cut because it was too expensive.

After exploring Whipstaff Manor and realizing there were real ghosts inside, Dr. Harvey runs into the bathroom to wash his face because he couldn't believe what hethought he saw. As he looks in the mirror, his face quickly changes to Clint Eastwood's,Rodney Dangerfield's, and finally Mel Gibson's (above). As fun as these cameos were, there was supposed to be one more cameo made by Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg filmed the scene but when it came time for the editing process, there were just too many cameos. Spielberg's bitended up getting the cut because he wasn't the "strongest" of the group. Bill Pullman did an amazing job of being terrified at the three faces, though.

After the success ofCasper,fans wanted to see more. A sequel seemed like the next logical step but before it could be filmed, Universal released a few direct-to-video sequels to keep fans interested (i.e.Casper: A Spirited Beginning andCasper Meets Wendy).

Sadly, the direct-to-video sequels didn't do so well, which made Universal hesitant about any further Casperprojects.After hiring director Simon Wells to write and direct the supposed follow-up, it was finally canceled due to scheduling conflicts with Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman.

Bill Pullman did a fantastic job as a single father and grieving widower. However, his name wasn't the only name in the pool of potential actors to play Dr. Harvey.

According to theCasper Fandom page, actors like Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Robin Williams were all potential candidates.The A.V. Club, meanwhile, reports that Pullman snagged the part of Dr. Harvey because of his kids. He said,"That was one I really remember looking forward to taking, so that I could bring my kids to the set.They were right at the perfect age to enjoy all the magic of that."

When Casper transforms into a young boy, he's portrayed by Devon Sawa. But when Casper is a ghost, his voice is not Devon Sawa's but Malachi Pearson. At the time, Pearson was a child who also did voice work.

According toE!, Pearson auditioned for the role six times and didn't think he did well enough to land the part."I thought I blew it so bad, I told my mom, 'I don't think I got this one! This one's over.'" Not too long after that, Pearson was offered the role of one of the most famous CGI ghosts in cinematic history.

Casper was far ahead of its time in terms of digital effects. The CGI was so amazing for the '90s and still looks fantastic today, despite its age.Even better, it wasn't just one ghost that was created via CGI; it wasCasper'suncles and those that died and came back to life as well.

Shockingly,Casper's director Brad Silberling tweeted that there were "more CG shots in the kitchen sequence [of Casper]than in all of Jurassic [Park]." The aforementioned scene involved Casper making everyone breakfast and his uncles blasting through the ceiling and eating all the food.

Christina Ricci was everyone's favorite spooky girl because of her dark features and bold eyes. After starring as Wednesday Addams inThe Addams Family, she was the perfect choice for Kat inCasper. However,years after the movie came out, Ricci was asked about her time inCasper and she had a shocking response.

"Looking back, that movie sucked. It made no sense. I'm supposed to fall in love with a ghost? How does this work? And he's like a cartoon, well part of him?" Does this mean she's taken her stance against a possible sequel?

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Layne is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Layne loves to write about her favorite topics and shows. When you don't find her playing around outside, you can find her writing away in the closest coffee shop.

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Casper (1995): 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Friendly Ghost's Movie - Screen Rant