Summary

• Casper was filmed in Maine, specifically in the town of Camden, which provided the perfect setting for the family-friendly spooky vibe of the movie.
• The actors had to act alongside tennis balls on strings to serve as reference points for the animators to add CGI ghosts, showcasing the challenges of incorporating CGI technology in the '90s.
• Despite its success and cult following, a sequel to Casper never materialized due to the underwhelming performance of direct-to-video sequels and scheduling conflicts with key actors like Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman.

Based on the Harvey Comic Casper the Friendly Ghost, Universal Pictures released a fantasy film in 1995 simply titled Casper that still has a cult following to this day. Starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, and Devon Sawa, the movie follows a spiteful heiress who hires Dr. James Harvey to hunt ghosts from her latest mansion. What results is Dr. Harvey and his daughter, Kat, making friends with Casper and his uncles as he tries to get them to cross over.

The film was a modest success at the box office and is still shown every Halloween on television. 28 years after the movie first hit theaters, it even became a top 10 streaming option on Netflix, showing that the love for Casper is still there. Despite the movie being a beloved '90s family classic, there's a lot modern audiences might not know about the movie, like where Casper was filmed. Casper launched the star of Devon Sawa and cemented Christina Ricci as an accomplished actor at a young age, so it's no wonder so many people have such fond memories of the movie.

The Actors Spoke To Tennis Balls Instead Of Ghosts

With Casper and his uncles being ghosts, the talented people behind the movie had to create a focal point for the actors to look at before the animators went in and added CGI. To assist, they placed tennis balls on strings and had the actors look at them while acting.

Wherever the actor's eye movements went through the conversation is where the animators added the ghost's movements. Even in today's CGI-laden blockbusters, CGI can be quite expensive and having such a luxury in the '90s -- when the technology was only being perfected at the time -- was a huge deal.

Universal Studios Had Casper Exhibits

Universal Pictures and Universal Studios theme parks seem to go hand-in-hand these days with props from movies often being put on display at the parks. That usually involves something like a car from the Fast & Furious franchise that fans can pose with, but in 1995 when Casper hit theaters, that was an entire exhibit that theme park visitors could walk through to help promote the film’s release.

The display was set up at the theme park for four months. It included things like props on display but also exhibits explaining the technology used in the movie, and even a partial recreation of Whipstaff, the mansion in which Casper lives.

Casper Really Was Filmed In Maine

Because Dr. Harvey was a man who could talk to the dead, he traveled across America with his daughter Kat. When he got the call to talk to the ghosts inside Whipstaff Manor, he and Kat traveled to Friendship, Maine. As it turns out, most of Casper really was filmed in Maine.

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While Friendship was said to be the town they were in, Casper's Fandom page its that most shots were filmed in the nearby town of Camden, Maine. Camden produced that safe yet haunting vibe so many family-friendly scary movies have.

Most Of The Mansion's Scenes Were Shot On A Set

Unlike Disney's Haunted Mansion, which has a definite location in California, the location of Whipstaff Manor is fuzzy at best. Cinemaholic notes that Whipstaff Manor is a real estate on the Eastern side of Canada, though others claim Whipstaff was mirrored after the Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain.

But regardless of where the exterior was shot, most of the interior shots were all filmed on set. The ballroom where Kat has her school's Halloween dance has been used in another project though.

The Backstreet Boys Visited Whipstaff

It’s no secret that set pieces can be reused quite a bit in Hollywood. It’s not often, however, that such a distinct-looking set like the pieces built to create Whipstaff mansion, get used in a way that audiences would be able to recognize them. That’s just what happened when the Backstreet Boys filmed one of their music videos though.

The music video for “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” utilizes pieces of the set created for Whipstaff. Specifically, the dance hall sequence uses the main floor of Whipstaff from Casper. It’s actually a very good choice since the music video sees the various appear as classic movie monsters.

There Was A Cut Musical Number

Casper does appear like a film that would have one or two musical numbers in it. One can imagine Casper looking up at the moon and singing a soft melody about missing his mother. Maybe Kat would be singing a similar song since she too missed her mother.

As on-point as that sounds, Casper has no musical numbers in it but that wasn't always the plan. Casper's uncles were supposed to break into song. Titled "Lucky Enough to Be A Ghost," the song was about the trio's depression and the difficulties of being a ghost. The scene, however, was cut because it was too expensive.

Steven Spielberg's Cameo Was Cut

After exploring Whipstaff Manor and realizing there were real ghosts inside, Dr. Harvey runs into the bathroom to wash his face because he can't believe what he thought he saw. As he looks in the mirror, his face quickly changes to Clint Eastwood's, Rodney Dangerfield's, and finally Mel Gibson's (above). As fun as these cameos were, there was supposed to be one more cameo made by Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg filmed the scene but when it came time for the editing process, there were just too many cameos. Spielberg's bit ended up getting the cut because he wasn't the "strongest" of the group. Bill Pullman did an amazing job of being terrified at the three faces, though.

The Studio Lost Confidence In Casper 2

After the success of Casper, fans wanted to see more. A sequel seemed like the next logical step but before it could be filmed, Universal released a few direct-to-video sequels to keep fans interested (i.e. Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy).

Sadly, the direct-to-video sequels didn't do so well, which made Universal hesitant about any further Casper projects. After hiring director Simon Wells to write and direct the supposed follow-up, it was finally canceled due to scheduling conflicts with Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman.

Bill Pullman Portrayed Dr. Harvey For His Kids

Bill Pullman did a fantastic job as a single father and grieving widower. However, his name wasn't the only name in the pool of potential actors to play Dr. Harvey.

According to the Casper Fandom page, actors like Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Robin Williams were all potential candidates. The A.V. Club, meanwhile, reports that Pullman snagged the part of Dr. Harvey because of his kids. He said, "That was one I really looking forward to taking, so that I could bring my kids to the set. They were right at the perfect age to enjoy all the magic of that."

Casper Was Voiced By A Real Child

When Casper transforms into a young boy, he's portrayed by Devon Sawa. But when Casper is a ghost, his voice is not Devon Sawa's but Malachi Pearson. At the time, Pearson was a child who also did voice work.

According to E!, Pearson auditioned for the role six times and didn't think he did well enough to land the part. "I thought I blew it so bad, I told my mom, 'I don't think I got this one! This one's over.'" Not too long after that, Pearson was offered the role of one of the most famous CGI ghosts in cinematic history.