HallowScream - Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. And, after the modest success of Casper, Universal and Amblin were keen to produce a sequel. However, that wouldn't end up happening, as The Harvey Entertainment Company would cut a deal with 20th Century Fox and Saban Entertainment to produce a pair of direct-to-video prequels. The first of these would be Casper: A Spirited Beginning, released in 1997. Directed by Sean McNamara, this movie stars Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, Brendon Ryan Barrett, Michael McKean, Debi Mazar, Rodney Dangerfield, Shannon Chandler, and Richard Moll, with the voice talents of Jeremy Foley, James Ward, Jess Harnell, Bill Farmer, Pauly Shore, and James Earl Jones. 

        The movie opens with Casper being one of five ghosts on board a spectral train heading to Ghost Central Station, where new ghosts are trained in the ways of being a ghost. Unfortunately, the confused Casper bothers one of the other passengers, who tosses him out of the window. The train goes on to Ghost Central Station as planned, but Casper is left behind, and floats aimlessly for a while. After a night of aimless floating, Casper winds up in Deedstown, and he inadvertently causes a ruckus in town, as he has no idea he's a ghost. 

       It's here where we meet Chris Carson, a loner boy who lived with his widower father Tim, who is a major city contractor, who is looking to tear down a historic site, the Applegate Mansion, which is being thwarted by Chris's teacher, Ms. Sheila Fistergraff. Also hampering any efforts to demolish the Applegate Mansion is the Ghostly Trio, Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie, who are haunting the mansion. Chris, who is obsessed with the paranormal and supernatural, especially ghosts, wants to hang out with and be friends with the Trio, but they're not up to the idea. Also, it turns out that Chris is being picked on by a punk kid named Brock Lee, and his two goons Leon and Danny, with Jennifer being the only one to stand up for Chris, despite hanging out with Brock and his goons. 

        Back at Ghost Central Station, the ghost boss, called Kibosh, finds out that Casper didn't arrive on the train as he was supposed to, and dispatches his sniveling lackey, Snivel, to find Casper and bring him back to Ghost Central. In Deedstown, Chris strike's an instant friendship with Casper, shows him to Applegate Mansion, and introducing him to the Trio, who see an opportunity to prove their haunting techniques are better than the traditional haunting techniques taught by Kibosh and his crew at Ghost Central. Chris then takes off as he is set to return to school for an Open House. Unfortunately, Tim doesn't attend, as he's swamped at work, as every single demolition crew in Deedstown has bailed on attempting to demolish the Applegate Mansion due to being scared off by the Trio. Tim's assistant, Angie, suggests an unorthodox demolition company called Armageddon Demolition, which is run by a military sergeant named Bill Case. Bill's methods of demolition involve explosives of multiple types. 

         Back at Applegate Mansion, Casper is struggling to learn the Trio's techniques, and they kick him out. The next morning, Tim apologizes for missing out on the Open House at Chris's school, and decides that for that night, the two would have a sit-down dinner, without interruptions, and then a trip to the batting cages. Chris also mentions that Ms. Fistergraff set up a parent-teacher conference at 4 pm for Tim to go to, and he promises to be there. Upstairs, a depressed Casper tells Chris that he's leaving, but Chris offers to teach Casper how to be a ghost. Casper takes Chris's teachings a bit better than those of the Trio, and even helps Chris get back at Brock. Casper heads off, and scares a criminal sticking up a convenience store being run by George Jefferson. No, really, Sherman Hemsley is playing the owner of a convenience store in this movie. Random. 

        Unfortunately, Tim flakes out on the parent-teacher conference, as he thinks that Ms. Fistergraff is trying to convince Tim to stop the demolition of Applegate Mansion, and Tim's office catches fire because of Bill, showing the explosives he will use to destroy the mansion. Word gets back to the Trio that Casper saved the life of a human and they go after him, capturing him after he and Chris make dinner for Chris and Tim. Unfortunately, Chris's efforts to introduce his father to Casper fail, and Tim takes off for work reasons, as the Mayor, Johnny Hunt, wants to see him. Upset, Chris throws a few things into a backpack and runs off, only to run afoul of Brock, who along with Leon and Danny, drags Chris to the Applegate Mansion and locks him in a closet. The problem? Earlier that evening, Bill snuck a bomb and a few sticks of dynamite in the mansion, meaning the place, and anyone in it, was rigged to blow. Kibosh, meanwhile, has gotten word of everything going on in Deedstown, with Casper, the Trio, and Chris. But, it's when Snivel reports that Casper is learning haunting techniques that Kibosh finally acts and makes his way to Deedstown to capture the Trio and Casper.

       The next morning, Casper, who escaped from the Trio, returns to the Carson house, much to Tim's shock. But, Casper finally puts things into perspective for Tim: Chris is lonely because Tim is too caught up with his work and is neglecting his ten-year-old son. Finally seeing the truth, Tim asks Casper to help find Chris, and Casper suggests Chris is in the mansion. Unfortunately, Tim can't get ahold of Bill, and flags down Fistergraff, who drives him to the mansion, and even helps him to find Bill to stop the detonator on the bomb in the mansion. Bill, however, is unmoved by Tim calling the demolition off, and is knocked out of the tree by Fistergraff. Tim tosses the detonator away, but the bomb has a default timer, setting it to blow in one minute. Tim, however, rushes inside to save Chris, after shaking Bill up and exclaiming "You raving yahoo maniac! My only son's in there!" 

         Tim finds Chris, and uses a crowbar to open the locked closet, and the two rush out when Casper offers to take care of the bomb. Kibosh, having already captured the Trio, arrives in the mansion to also capture Casper, but is shocked when the bomb goes off and causes Casper to grow to massive size, and shrink back to normal once the detonation is complete. The crowd outside the mansion cheers, and Mayor Hunt decides to maintain the mansion as a historical landmark. Kibosh, having seen the error of his ways, decides to let the Trio stay together,.but remarks that Casper still needs basic training. However, the Trio claim to be Casper's uncles in an effort to keep him around. Kibosh agrees, and reminds the Trio "a family has to stick together for all time," departing with a warning: "Make sure you four never darken my door again." 

         Tim and Chris reconcile, and Tim remarks how Chris has a really great teacher in Ms. Fistergraff. When Brock and his goons show up, Jennifer points out how he almost got Chris killed by the bomb, and how he (Brock) is a butt. Inside the mansion, Tim and Fistergraff remark on a way to reopen Applegate Mansion as a historical building, with the gimmick of it being a haunted house, thus having a need for ghosts, specifically Casper and the Trio. And, when Chris points out Brock and his goons, the Trio go and teach them a lesson. Chris then introduces Jennifer to Casper, and she's a bit spooked. And, it when we pan out on the crowd dispersing, and Brock and his goons hanging from a tree branch by their underwear, that Casper decides to call himself "Casper the Friendly Ghost." 

       Okay, so as far as a late '90s direct-to-video movie, Casper: A Spirited Beginning is harmless Halloween fun. The idea of a workaholic father and his loner ten-year-old son playing a key role is kinda fascinating, and also centering a big conflict on an old mansion that happens to house our main ghosts is kinda fun. Steve Guttenberg and Lori Loughlin were both really good as Tim and Fistergraff, as was Brendon Ryan Barrett as Chris. Other great character actors like Rodney Dangerfield as Mayor Hunt, Michael McKean as Bill Case, Debi Mazar as Angie, and Richard Moll as Principal Rabie, all did a good job filling out the supporting cast.

        The voice performances by Jeremy Foley as Casper, James Ward as Stretch, Jess Harnell as Fatso, and Bill Farmer as Stinkie, while not as memorable as the performances of Malachi Pearson, Joe Nipote, Brad Garrett, and Joe Alaskey in those same roles, were decent for  the story at hand. Pauly Shore was pretty funny, albeit in small doses, as Snivel. But, to me, the big standout among the ghosts was Kibosh. The late James Earl Jones brought a menacing gravitas to the role that many subsequent voice actors in the role of Kibosh, such as Kevin Michael Richardson, haven't quite been able to fully replicate. 

       Overall, not bad as a direct-to-video movie, but definitely feels more standalone and a bit disconnected from the 1995 film. I'm giving Casper: A Spirited Beginning a rating of 3.5/5. Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and HallowScream will continue with two titles related to the story of Frankenstein: Tim Burton's short film Frankenweenie and Mel Brooks' comedy classic Young Frankenstein.