Casper's Haunted Christmas
Fully computer-animated Casper film with a Christmas setting.
In 2000, Universal Studios Home Video released *Casper's Haunted Christmas*, a fully computer-animated film based on the friendly ghost character. Unlike earlier Casper movies that mixed live-action with CGI, this one was made entirely with computer animation. The Harvey Entertainment Company and Mainframe Entertainment produced it, and it hit U.S. shelves on October 31, 2000.
The story begins when the Ghostly Trio’s scare spree at a drive-in is interrupted by Casper, who then gets a warning from Officer Snivel about his low scare quota. After the Trio takes Snivel’s whistle, it summons Kibosh, the King of Ghosts. Kibosh tells Casper he must intentionally frighten one person by December 25 or be sent to a void called the Dark. To force the issue, Kibosh takes the Trio’s haunting licenses and sends them to Kriss, Massachusetts, a Christmas-themed town they despise. There, they meet the Jollimore family. Casper’s friendly nature leads him to befriend the daughter, Holly, so the Trio calls in Casper’s cousin Spooky and his girlfriend Poil to impersonate Casper and do the scaring. After several failed attempts, the Trio hatches a plan to steal all the Christmas presents in Kriss (echoing *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!*), set booby traps at the Jollimores’ house, and scare the townspeople before being banished. Casper, Spooky, and Poil turn the tables by scaring the Trio with a fake Kibosh made from a giant Santa. Casper then summons the real Kibosh, but Snivel reveals the booby traps violate a no-scaring order. To avoid banishment, the Trio claims the traps are a Christmas gift for Kibosh, who enjoys watching torture. He accepts this, returns their licenses, and leaves. The ghosts celebrate Christmas with the Jollimores.
Brendon Ryan Barrett, who played Chris Carson in *Casper: A Spirited Beginning*, voices Casper. Randy Travis contributed original music. The voice director was Kris Zimmerman, the producers included Byron Vaughns, and Owen Hurley directed. Ian Boothby and Roger Fredericks co-wrote the script.
For marketing, Baskin Robbins—whose logo appears on an ice cream shop in the film—created a Casper-themed ice cream flavor available in December and inserted a coupon for free sundaes inside each VHS copy.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Owen Hurley
- Producer
- Byron Vaughns
- Writer
- Ian Boothby / Roger Fredericks
- Based On
- Casper the Friendly Ghost · Seymour Reit / Joe Oriolo
- Narrator
- David Kaye (rhyming scene only)
- Starring
- Brendan Ryan Barrett / Kathleen Barr / Ian James Corlett / Graeme Kingston / Terry Klassen / Scott McNeil / Tegan Moss / Colin Murdock / Tabitha St. Germain / Lee Tockar / Samuel Vincent
- Music
- Robert Buckley
- Editing
- Andrew Duncan
- Studio
- The Harvey Entertainment Company / Mainframe Entertainment
- Distributor
- Universal Studios Home Video (United States) / The Harvey Entertainment Company (International)
- Released
- 31 October 2000
- Runtime
- 86 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows Casper after a scaring spree at a drive-in theater, where the Ghostly Trio are confronted by Officer Snivel, who informs Casper his scare quota is down. The Trio blow Snivel's whistle, summoning Kibosh, the King of Ghosts, who explains Casper must intentionally scare one person per year by December 25 or be sent to a void called The Dark. Kibosh confiscates the Trio's haunting licenses and sends them to the Christmas-themed town Kriss, Massachusetts, where they meet the Jollimore family. Casper befriends the daughter Holly, causing the Trio to call in Casper's lookalike cousin Spooky and his girlfriend Poil to scare someone disguised as Casper. After failed attempts, the Trio plot a scaring spree stealing Christmas presents (referencing How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and setting booby traps. Casper, Spooky, and Poil scare the Trio with a fake Kibosh, then summon the real Kibosh. The Trio claim the traps are a gift for Kibosh, who enjoys watching torture, and they spring them. Kibosh returns their licenses, and the ghosts celebrate Christmas with the Jollimores.
Reader's Guide
Casper's Haunted Christmas is notable as the first fully computer-animated Casper film, marking a departure from the live-action/CGI hybrid approach of its predecessors. The film features Brendon Ryan Barrett, who previously voiced Casper's best friend in Casper: A Spirited Beginning, as the voice of the title character. Country musician Randy Travis provided original music for the film. In the United States, Baskin Robbins created a tie-in promotion with the VHS release, inventing a Casper-themed ice cream flavor available throughout December and inserting a coupon for free ice cream sundaes inside every video. A soundtrack featuring original country-styled covers of classic Christmas songs (including Winter Wonderland, Deck the Halls, and Jingle Bell Rock) performed by Ricky Van Shelton and Randy Travis, among others, was released under Koch Records. The original Casper the Friendly Ghost theme, performed by Travis, appears in the opening sequence and on the soundtrack.
Did You Know?
- The film was released on October 31, 2000, by Universal Studios Home Video.
- It was fully made in computer animation, unlike its live-action/CGI predecessors.
- Brendon Ryan Barrett, who voiced Casper, previously starred in Casper: A Spirited Beginning as Casper's best friend.
- Baskin Robbins created a Casper-themed ice cream flavor and included a coupon for free sundaes inside every VHS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Casper's Haunted Christmas?
It is a 2000 direct-to-video fantasy film set during the Christmas season, produced by Harvey Entertainment and Mainframe Entertainment, and shipped to U.S. home-video shelves by Universal Studios Home Video on October 31, 2000.
Who voices Casper in Casper's Haunted Christmas?
Brendon Ryan Barrett provides the voice of the friendly ghost in this particular entry.
How does Casper's Haunted Christmas differ from the earlier Casper movies?
While the 1995 and 1998 Casper features blended live-action footage with computer-generated imagery, this 2000 installment was rendered entirely in computer animation.
What is the basic plot of Casper's Haunted Christmas?
After Casper interrupts the Ghostly Trio's scare routine at a drive-in, Officer Snivel warns him about his low scare quota, and the Trio's theft of Snivel's whistle triggers the summoning of Kibos.
Who directed Casper's Haunted Christmas and who composed its score?
Owen Hurley directed the film, and country artist Randy Travis composed the original music.
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