Casper (1995)

Casper: Directed by Brad Silberling. With Chauncey Leopardi, Spencer Vrooman, Malachi Pearson, Cathy Moriarty. An afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.

“Brad Silberling has done a lot of directing for various TV episodes and such, but he does also direct movies. In this case, he brings the story of Casper to life in an impressive way. This is one fun film from start to finish.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere isnu0026#39;t much to the story, especially in the first half, but this is where it is the most fun. The nicely thought out dialogue and the funny antics of the ghostly trio, Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso, all keep this picture highly entertaining. The second half of this 100 minute film slows down just a bit to get more story going. At this point the ghostly trio are a little less involved and Casper takes the stage.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe CG is outstanding. I know the ghosts look all cartoony, but this is a childish film. Anyhow, they look great. The voice acting is also spot on. Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, and Brad Garrett match wonderfully to their ghost characters. Malachi Pearson is also a solid Casper.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll the actors for the human characters are magnificently cast as well. Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman portray a nice father daughter relationship. Cathy Moriarty matches as the evil Carrigan Crittenden and who better than Eric Idle to play her goofy comedic sidekick. There are also a ton of enjoyable cameos in this movie, including Dan Aykroyd as the Ghostbuster Raymond Stantz.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCasper is truly one fun family film, except for a couple occasions where the u0026quot;Bu0026quot; word comes out of somebodyu0026#39;s mouth. Watch this if the opportunity arises.”