The number of cultural references that end up getting groans rather than chuckles surpasses all of the positive aspects of this film which is rather low on the amusement scale. Because Casper hasn't scared anybody all year, he is doomed with his uncle's to spend Christmas in a town that all the scary ghosts hate until Casper can successfully scare someone, and they end up spending time with the most annoying, pedestrian family ever presented in an animated film. The voice overs are completely forced and the frights are only minimal, appearing when the green ghost king Kibosh appears. The film is mainly corny rather than funny, and the romance between Casper and a human girl is ridiculously presented, accompanied by a truly annoying theme song.
I enjoyed the 1995 film on both a camp and sentimental level, but I found this one hard to stay engaged with. This film is definitely made with little care to making the animation come to life and as a result, it is flat and lifeless, perhaps a metaphor for the lives of these ghosts. It's obvious to me that even pre teenagers will be very bored so it's mainly made for the taste of preschoolers and early elementary, and even that is questionable. It's obvious to see why this went straight to video because it probably would have failed miserably on the big screen and by avoiding any type of critical attention, can remain unscathed. One interesting aspect is the brief narration by somebody who sounds strangely like Boris Karloff, the narrator of the Grinch. The uncle ghosts, crude but funny in the original film, are just totally crass here. I can say that I never laughed once even though a few moments did make me smirk, but that's not enough to recommend it.
I enjoyed the 1995 film on both a camp and sentimental level, but I found this one hard to stay engaged with. This film is definitely made with little care to making the animation come to life and as a result, it is flat and lifeless, perhaps a metaphor for the lives of these ghosts. It's obvious to me that even pre teenagers will be very bored so it's mainly made for the taste of preschoolers and early elementary, and even that is questionable. It's obvious to see why this went straight to video because it probably would have failed miserably on the big screen and by avoiding any type of critical attention, can remain unscathed. One interesting aspect is the brief narration by somebody who sounds strangely like Boris Karloff, the narrator of the Grinch. The uncle ghosts, crude but funny in the original film, are just totally crass here. I can say that I never laughed once even though a few moments did make me smirk, but that's not enough to recommend it.