While "Casper, the Friendly Ghost" was just a sweet, little cartoon, Casper goes beyond expectations with superb graphics, an all-star cast, and some humor. While the ghosts are still cartoony, they could easily be right alongside the living actors; the animations are seamless and the interactions intelligent. However, and unfortunately, Casper had a darker side to it which won't appeal to younger kids. It deals with death just a little too much; the main bad guy is willing to kill herself to get money. Also, how is it that when alive, the people look normal, and when dead, they turn into cartoon ghosts... and when Casper is alive, he seems about twice as old than what he seems like as "the friendly ghost." While Casper isn't the best kids movie, the funny uncles and spectacular setting keep it alive, and a film worth watching.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.