Wikipedia
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper is an animated television spin-off and a sequel of the feature film Casper, which, in turn, was based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character of Casper the Friendly Ghost.[2]
| The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated |
| Based on | Casper the Friendly Ghost by Seymour Reit Joe Oriolo |
| Developed by | Sherri Stoner & Deanna Oliver |
| Directed by | Alfred Gimeno (seasons 1–2) Marija Miletic Dail (seasons 3–4) |
| Voices of | Malachi Pearson Kath Soucie Dan Castellaneta Joe Nipote Joe Alaskey Brad Garrett Rob Paulsen Miriam Flynn Tress MacNeille Frank Welker Jim Cummings Debi Derryberry Sherry Lynn April Winchell Tim Curry |
| Composers | Michael Tavera Thom Sharp Bruce Babcock Charles Fernandez Harvey Cohen Ron Grant |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jeffrey A. Montgomery |
| Producers | Alfred Gimeno (seasons 1–2) Marija Miletic Dail (seasons 3–4) |
| Editors | Paul D. Calder Ken Solomon |
| Production companies | Amblin Television Harveytoons Universal Cartoon Studios |
| Distributor | MCA TV (North America) HIT Entertainment (Internationally)[1] |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox Kids |
| Picture format | NTSC, 4:3 |
| Original release | February 24, 1996 – October 17, 1998 |
Production
At the time that principal filming wrapped on Casper, a sequel was proposed and a treatment was written, but a combination of less-than-stellar box office gross (although the film grossed $100 million in the US, the budget was more than half of that total and analysts predicted much higher earnings for the film) and the fact that both Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman were attached to other projects after Casper and would not be available until more than a year later caused the idea to be scrapped. The producers then decided to abandon the live-action sequel ideas and instead develop a cartoon series to continue the story.
The show aired on Fox Kids television from 1996–1998 for 3 seasons.[3] 52 episodes were produced, but only the first 46 appeared on Fox, with the remaining debuting on Fox Family Channel. Many of the same people who worked on this show also worked on Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain (the latter of which was a spin-off from the former; coincidentally, the former had also debuted on Fox).
The new Casper broke from earlier versions, following a sitcom-style pattern of one-liners and pop culture gags in a manner similar to the Casper feature. The show would also frequently break the fourth wall. The show used old Casper supporting characters such as Casper's cousin Spooky, Spooky's "ghoulfriend" Pearl (or "Poil" as rendered by Spooky's Brooklyn accent), and Nightmare the Ghost Horse who, unlike in the original cartoons and comics, does not talk. The show also introduced new characters, including Casper's super-loud teacher Ms. Banshee.
Characters
- Casper McFadden has been haunting his family home of Whipstaff Manor for some time, having died from pneumonia (according to a newspaper seen during the scene in the attic from the feature film) after he played out in the cold for too long when he was 12 years old. Now in the care of his three trouble-making uncles, Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso, Casper's afterlife is not exactly pleasant. He has to put up with his uncles' outrageous antics, and his wish to gain a friend in a human is usually ruined. The only exception to this was when Kat and Dr. Harvey moved into Whipstaff. Kat became a close friend to him. Casper has been a ghost for just over a hundred years, as Stinkie and Fatso once stated that Casper's age is 115 and a half years old. Casper himself is very friendly and outgoing, but he sometimes appears rather shy. Most ghosts view his behavior as unusual, as they believe ghosts should not be friendly or polite in any way. Other ghosts are sometimes even afraid of his good manners, to which Casper sometimes uses to his advantage. One example was when the Ghostly Trio appealed to Casper for help after being convicted in a supernatural court, which denied them to be ghosts any longer as they had no unfinished business on Earth, therefore they would have to crossover. Casper intervened, and revealed quite honestly that his uncles had not taught him how to be scary yet, enabling them to remain as ghosts on Earth. As in the film, Casper is voiced by Malachi Pearson.
- The Ghostly Trio are Casper's uncles, who love scaring humans, or as they call them, "fleshies", "skinbags", "bone-bags" and "skinsacks". They include Stretch, the tallest, and hot-headed leader, Stinkie, who almost always smells, and in turn loves anything smelly. He uses his bad smell as a weapon or annoyance on others, and Fatso, who is seen as the least intelligent of the brothers, and loves to eat almost anything. The three are chaotic in every sense, and can't resist scaring or causing trouble no matter what the cost. They order Casper around constantly, who they refer to as "Bulbhead" or "Short-sheet". However, despite being considered mean spirits, they do on a number of occasions display compassionate sides. One example was when Casper was accidentally turned into a baby. The Ghostly Trio at first reluctantly, took care of him, but soon bonded with him, particularly Stretch. They also appeared to be worried about Casper when they thought he was going to face "the most evil spirit to haunt the Earth", Whitebeard, on his own. There was a rare occasion when Casper became furious and shouted at the Trio for not restraining their own anger during a "frightening storm", which fed off the fury of others. Casper even planned on leaving his uncles, which surprised them further. However, using the best thing to compliments only the Trio could give, such as "fun to knock around", "easily insultable", and even admitting that they liked him, they persuaded him to stay. In the film, the primary turning point for the Ghostly Trio was when they kept their promise to Dr. Harvey, and brought his wife Amelia, to speak to him one last time. As in the feature film, they are voiced by Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey and Brad Garrett. Starting with Season 3, however, the role of Fatso was taken over by Jess Harnell.
- Dr. James Harvey (or "Doc" as he is called by the Ghostly Trio) is a psychiatrist and is shown to be an alumnus of Johns Hopkins University. In the film, after his wife Amelia's death, he has gone on to become a "ghost therapist” to find and make contact with his wife, because he believes she is a ghost. However, after learning that she instead became an angel, he and his teenage daughter Kat stay at their new home of Whipstaff, where he continues to work as a ghost therapist, trying (unsuccessfully) to rehabilitate the mischief-making Ghostly Trio. Dr. Harvey is an easy-going guy with a big heart. He obviously loves Kat, although he sometimes appears rather neglectful of his motherless daughter's emotional needs. This was demonstrated in the scene from the film where he speaks with his departed wife when he says he is worried that he's not taking good care of her, but Amelia assured him that he was doing a good job, although she gave him some "motherly" advice ("Don't pick up the extension every time she gets a phone call, french fries are not a breakfast food..." etc.) Dr. Harvey tolerates the Ghostly Trio antics, and it is because of this that they grow to like him, and kept their promise to him so he could speak to Amelia. The animated version of Dr. Harvey deviates slightly from the film version, in that the animated Dr. Harvey was totally focused on being a therapist and used psychological epithets when talking to everyone, including his own daughter. Kat, Casper and the Ghostly trio simply regarded this as an eccentricity. The role was originated by Bill Pullman in the Casper film, but he is voiced by Dan Castellaneta on the show.
- Kathleen "Kat" Harvey is the daughter of Dr. Harvey and is portrayed as the stereotypical teenager who has a sense of humor. She is about 13 years old (about the age Christina Ricci, who originated the role in the Casper film, was when the film was filmed) and is a good companion to Casper. Kat hates having to put up with the Ghostly Trio because none of them get along with her. Any time they spend together usually involves insulting each other. On one occasion, after the Trio made fun of her for not being able to get a job, Kat made a bet with them saying she could get a job, and bring home a paycheck before they could. The end result was all of them getting a job in the same theatre, which became partly destroyed, after which they declared a draw. But there are rare occasions when Kat and the Ghostly Trio would work together. One example was when to Kat and Casper's surprise, the Trio were trying to return the goldfish Kat won at a fair back to its mother. At first she thought they were going to turn it into a "ghost fish", but when they told her what they were planning, she became slightly emotional and decided to help. Another example was when Dr. Harvey was given his own television show in order to help all ghosts. Both he and Casper became famous and power hungry, resulting in Kat and the Ghostly Trio being neglected, and treated badly. This resulted in them working together to remind Dr. Harvey what was more important. Kat is voiced by Kath Soucie on the show.
- Spooky is Casper's mischief-minded cousin. He looks up to the Ghostly Trio as his heroes and, while having no true dislike for Casper, despises his cousin's lack of interest in scaring humans. As such, Spooky is always trying to out-scare Casper and become the best in class, but usually fails. However, underneath the gruff, ghostly exterior, Spooky may also have a slight soft spot for his cousin. Spooky is visually very similar to Casper, but he has a black nose and freckles, wears a brown "doiby" hat, and speaks in a Brooklyn accent. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen.
- Pearl or "Poil" is Spooky's "ghoulfriend". Often absent-minded, Pearl is almost always oblivious to current situations and takes things way too literally. She adores Spooky and everything about him, right down to the freckles on his face and his black nose, is good friends with Casper and doesn't care as much for the Ghostly Trio as Spooky does. She is voiced by Miriam Flynn.
- Miss Maddie Banshee is the teacher at Casper, Spooky and Poil's ghost school. Befitting her name, Miss Banshee can yell and scream loud enough to be heard several towns away, even to wake the dead. Miss Banshee enjoys being a teacher, but dreams of being a professional opera singer. All three of the Ghostly Trio have a crush on Miss Banshee, and constantly compete for her affections. Miss Banshee is okay with the Trio, but remains unimpressed with their efforts. She is voiced by Tress MacNeille.
- Amber Whitmire and the Jennifers are classmates and rivals of Kat's at Friendship Junior High School. Amber and the Jennifers are portrayed as rich, mean, and spoiled queen bees. Jennifer #1 has dark brown hair and wears glasses and is the closest to Amber, Jennifer #2 has strawberry blonde hair, and Jennifer #3 has light brown hair and a snorting laugh and is the least intelligent of the three as she has been held back two times in junior high. Amber is voiced by Sherry Lynn and the Jennifers are voiced by Debi Derryberry.
Episodes
This section needs a plot summary. (April 2022) |
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 10 | February 24, 1996 | May 18, 1996 | |
| 2 | 16 | September 7, 1996 | February 22, 1997 | |
| 3 | 20 | September 6, 1997 | February 27, 1998 | |
| 4 | 6 | September 12, 1998 | October 17, 1998 | |
Season 1 (1996)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Spooking Bee" "Fugedabouit" "The Flew" | February 24, 1996 |
| 2 | 2 | "Paws" "The Alphabet Song" "Is So Too" | March 2, 1996 |
| 3 | 3 | "Legend of Duh Bigfoot" "The Ghostly Day" "Invasion of the UGFO's" | March 9, 1996 |
| 4 | 4 | "Rocket Booster" "A Really Scary Casper Moment" "The Day of the Living Casper" | March 16, 1996 |
| 5 | 5 | "Three Boos and a Babe" "The Whipstaff Inmates" "Elusive Exclusive" | March 30, 1996 |
| 6 | 6 | "Paranormal Press" "Another Spooky and Poil Moment" "Deadstock" | April 20, 1996 |
| 7 | 7 | "Poil Jammed" "The Who That I Am" "A Picture Says a Thousand Words" | April 27, 1996 |
| 8 | 8 | "Spooks, Lies and Videotapes" "Ghostfather" | May 4, 1996 |
| 9 | 9 | "Rebel Without a Date" "Don't Bank on It" | May 11, 1996 |
| 10 | 10 | "Casper vs. the Ultimate Fan Boy" "Field of Screams" | May 18, 1996 |
Season 2 (1996–97)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Grim and Bare It" "Fatso of the Opera" | September 7, 1996 |
| 12 | 2 | "Dead of the Class" "A Spooky and Poil Moment" "Y-Files" | September 14, 1996 |
| 13 | 3 | "Losing Face" "Galloping Ghost" | September 21, 1996 |
| 14 | 4 | "Aunt Misbehavin'" "Split Personalities" | September 28, 1996 |
| 15 | 5 | "Something to Stink About" "Pulp Friction" | October 5, 1996 |
| 16 | 6 | "Ectospasms" "Stink of the Road" "Doc's Depression" | October 12, 1996 |
| 17 | 7 | "Boo to the Future" "All That Falderal" | October 19, 1996 |
| 18 | 8 | "Spooky and Poil Meet the Monsters" "You Know You're Alive When..." "13 Ways to Scare a Fleshie" "The Trick's a Treat" | October 26, 1996 |
| 19 | 9 | "Frightening Storm" "The Ghostly Trio" "The Legend of Whitebeard" | November 2, 1996 |
| 20 | 10 | "Three Ghosts and a Baby" "I Wanna Be Rude" "Leave It to Casper" | November 9, 1996 |
| 21 | 11 | "Luck of the Spookish" "Daycare Nightmare" | November 16, 1996 |
| 22 | 12 | "Scream Card" "You Know You're Alive When..." "Lady Screams the Boos" | November 23, 1996 |
| 23 | 13 | "A Christmas Peril" "Ms. Banshee's Holiday Hits" "Good Morning Dr. Harvey" "Fright Before Christmas" | December 21, 1996 |
| 24 | 14 | "A Midsummer's Night Scream" "You Know You're Alive When..." "Auntie Maimed" | February 7, 1997 |
| 25 | 15 | "Gargoils" "Ms. Banshee's Public Domain Hits" "Boosom Buddies" | February 14, 1997 |
| 26 | 16 | "What Goes Around" "Scavenger Haunt" | February 21, 1997 |
Season 3 (1997–98)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Columboo" "All About "C"" | September 6, 1997 |
| 28 | 2 | "Hat Sick" "Cancion de Olor" "The Boo-Muda Triangle" | September 13, 1997 |
| 29 | 3 | "Intensive Scare" "F-A-T-S-O" "Stench!" | September 20, 1997 |
| 30 | 4 | "The Phantom of the Oprah" "Stretch's Information Tidbit" "The Crying Game" | September 27, 1997 |
| 31 | 5 | "Free Goldie" "I'd Pick Your Nose" "Birthday Boos" | October 4, 1997 |
| 32 | 6 | "Rats!" "Stinkie Time Theater" "Great Ghouly Governess" | October 11, 1997 |
| 33 | 7 | "Aboove the Law" "Ten Little Fatsos" "Haunt-a-Thon" | October 31, 1997 |
| 34 | 8 | "This Old Manor" "Scareobicize" | November 3, 1997 |
| 35 | 9 | "Gingersnap Out of It" "Send a Good Stink Up Their Noses" "Ghostly Locks and the Three Scares" | November 10, 1997 |
| 36 | 10 | "Boopardy" "Do You Like Me?" "MacDeath!" | November 17, 1997 |
| 37 | 11 | "The Scummies" "Three-Ring Whipstaff" "It's Best to Be the Most" | November 27, 1997 |
| 38 | 12 | "The Son Also Rises" "Stretching Is Good for You" "Ghostfinger" | December 12, 1997 |
| 39 | 13 | "Mom Always Likes Ghouls Best" "Dare to Scare" "Bury Maguire" | December 19, 1997 |
| 40 | 14 | "Four Funerals and a Wedding" "I Can Be Anything" "Family Reunion" | February 6, 1998 |
| 41 | 15 | "Horrid Copy" "I'm Nothing Without My Hat" "Caspeer Pressure" | February 13, 1998 |
| 42 | 16 | "That Thing You Boo!" "A Good Walk Poiled" | February 13, 1998 |
| 43 | 17 | "Jasper" "It's Great to Be a Ghost" "The Boo-Bloods of Whipstaff" | February 20, 1998 |
| 44 | 18 | "Ghost Jam" "Do the Spooky" "Dr. Harvey and Mr. Gruesome" | February 20, 1998 |
| 45 | 19 | "Politically Co-Wrecked Casper" "Three Little Letters" "Pen and Tell Her" | February 27, 1998 |
| 46 | 20 | "Jack and the Scream Stalk" "Boo Bash a Bone Bag" "Artistic? That's a Stretch!" | February 27, 1998 |
Season 4 (1998)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | 1 | "Scaredy Boo, Where Have You Got To?" "Casper's New Theme Song" "The Daunting Game" | September 12, 1998 |
| 48 | 2 | "At the BOO-vies" "Sing Yourself Happy" "Snowball's Chance" | September 19, 1998 |
| 49 | 3 | "NYPD BOO" "Three Cool Ghouls" "Working Ghouls" | September 26, 1998 |
| 50 | 4 | "Scream Test" "Ms. Banshee's Kid Songs" "The Doctor Is Out" | October 3, 1998 |
| 51 | 5 | "Miami Nice" "If You're Unhappy and You Know It" "That Advice Stinks" | October 10, 1998 |
| 52 | 6 | "BOO-kini Beach" "Garlic Bread Man" | October 17, 1998 |
Voice cast
- Malachi Pearson
- Kath Soucie
- Joe Nipote
- Rob Paulsen
- Brad Garrett
- Tress MacNeille
- Jim Cummings
- Miriam Flynn
- Joe Alaskey
- Dan Castellaneta
Additional voices
- Susan Tolsky
- Benny Grant
- Pat Fraley
- Jeff Bennett
- Jess Harnell
- Charlie Adler
- Zelda Rubenstein
- Jack Angel
- Debi Derryberry
- Nancy Cartwright
- Joe Lala
- Michael Finnegan
- Ben Stein
- Sherry Lynn
- Jonathan Harris
- David Coburn
- Frank Welker
- E. G. Daily
- Christine Cavanaugh
- Tony Jay
- B. J. Ward
- Gail Matthius
- Heidi Shannon
- Edward Hibbert
- Jodi Carlisle
- Gregg Berger
- Steve Mackall
- John Astin
- Sherri Stoner
- Ginny McSwain
- Paul Williams
- Dorian Harewood
- Kevin Michael Richardson
- Edie McClurg
- Dana Hill
- Fred Willard
- April Winchell
- Danny Mann
- S. Scott Bullock
- Mark Hamill
- Nora Dunn
- Hinton Battle
- Robin Leach
- Maggie Roswell
Crew
- Ginny McSwain - Casting Director and Voice Director (seasons 1–2)
- Kelly Ward - Voice Director (seasons 3–4)
Home media
From 1996 through 1998, Universal Studios Home Video released episodes from seasons 1, 2, and 3 onto VHS.
In 2007/2008, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released two volume collections entitled The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, Volume 1 and The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, Volume 2 on DVD in Region 1.[4][5] Volume 1 consists of the first 5 episodes of the animated series, while volume 2 contains the last 5 episodes of season 1.
No further plans have been made by Universal to release any further DVDs of the show.
VHS
United States
| Video Name (Volumes) | Ep # | Release Date | Episodes Featured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 | 6 | September 17, 1996 | "Spooking Bee"; "Fugedabouit"; "The Flew"; "Paws"; "The Alphabet Song"; "Is So Too" |
| Volume 2 | 6 | September 17, 1996 | "Three Boos and a Babe"; "The Whipstaff Inmates"; "Elusive Exclusive"; "Poil Jammed"; "The Who That I Am"; "A Picture Says a Thousand Words" |
| Volume 3 | 7 | September 9, 1997 | "Spooky and Poil Meet the Monsters"; "You Know You're Alive When..."; "The Ghostly Trio"; "The Trick's a Treat"; "Dead of the Class"; "A Spooky and Poil Moment"; "Y-Files" |
| Volume 4 | 7 | September 9, 1997 | "A Christmas Peril"; "Ms. Banshee's Holiday Hits"; "Another Spooky and Poil Moment"; "Fright Before Christmas"; "Three Ghosts and a Baby"; "I Wanna Be Rude"; "Leave It to Casper" |
| Volume 5 | 6 | September 1, 1998 | "Free Goldie"; "I'd Pick Your Nose"; "Birthday Boos"; "Four Funerals and a Wedding"; "I Can Be Anything"; "Family Reunion" |
| Volume 6 | 6 | September 1, 1998 | "Rats!"; "Stinkie Time Theater"; "Great Ghouly Governess"; "Hat Sick"; "Cancion de Olor"; "The Boo-Muda Triangle" |
DVD
| DVD Name | Ep # | Number of Discs | Total Running Time | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper: Volume 1 | 5 | 1 | 107 minutes | September 18, 2007 | This single-disc volume one set contains the first 5 episodes of the animated series. |
| The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper: Volume 2 | 5 | 1 | 106 minutes | September 9, 2008 | This single-disc volume two set contains the last 5 episodes of season 1. |
References
- ^ . www.hitentertainment.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 1998. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 188–191. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Arnold, Mark (2017). The Harvey Comics Companion. BearManor Media. ISBN 9781629332703. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ . TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2007-07-17. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
- ^ . TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2008-06-28. Archived from the original on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
External links
- The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper at IMDb
- The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper at The Big Cartoon DataBase