Casper Meets Wendy (1998) (TV)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Sean McNamara

Writers:

Rob Kerchner (story)
Jymn Magon (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 October 1998 (Hungary)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

A Bewitching New Live-Action Movie!

Plot:

Casper, a ghost, teams up with Wendy, a witch, against an evil warlock. |

Plot Keywords:

Warlock | Casper | Ghost | Magic Wand | Based On Comic

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Cathy Moriarty	...	Geri
Shelley Duvall	...	Gabby
Teri Garr	...	Fanny
George Hamilton	...	Desmond Spellman
Hilary Duff	...	Wendy
Richard Moll	...	Jules
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Vincent
Blake Foster	...	Josh Jackson
Rodger Halston	...	Larry Tullby
Michael McDonald	...	Spike-Stretch (as Michael James McDonald)
Travis McKenna	...	Phil-Fatso
Patrick Richwood	...	Vinne-Stinky
Alan Thicke	...	Baseball Announcer
Casper Van Dien	...	Crewcut Hunk
Billy Burnette	...	Chef

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild scary scenes, some thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

90 min | Argentina:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL (video premiere) | UK:U | USA:PG | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Harvey Entertainment Company, The

Trivia:

Cathy Moriarty, who plays Wendy's aunt Geri in this film, originally played the role of villainess Carriagn in the first Casper movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: Wendy's aunts take her wand after they realize big magic makes static, afterwards they leave her alone, she picks up her red laptop, and her taken wand is once more in her hands.

Quotes:

Voice of Fatso: The only good fleshie is a scared fleshie!
Voice of Casper: But why do you scare them?
Voice of Fatso: 'Cause they can't scare back.
Voice of Stinky: Uhh... except for witches.
Voice of Casper: What's wrong with witches?
Voice of Stretch: Wake up and smell the coffin! Witches are fleshies with power! Now go unpack the stuff, washcloth!
Voice of Casper: Geez, louise, what a buncha grumps.
[sadly floats out the door]
Voice of Stretch: Ahh, this is the afterlife.
Voice of Fatso: Zzzz...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#21.7)" (1999)

A Fun, Wonderful Family Film!!! I LOVED it!

Hilary Duff AAA+++ & George Hamilton AA++

I must say that this is one of the sweetest, cutest films ever made.

Hilary Duff is arguably the most beautiful young girl ever to star in a Hollywood movie...on par with Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby... and her lead role as Wendy the Good Little Witch is brightened up with the alluring spunk and childish impishness that thematically imbues this delightful comic book tale with Good over Evil.

As an aside, Hilary's youthful voice with that cute-as-pie chipmunk quality ensures that she is not another one of Hollywood's too-old adolescents trying to play the part of a child. Hilary was the PERFECT choice to play Wendy. She was breathtaking in her winsome appeal before the camera and in her interpretation of the comic book Wendy as I've come to know of her over the years.

And to be sure, George Hamilton as Desmond Spellman the evil Warlock is a perfect choice for the role of the heavy...along with his trademark "Is my hair OK?" self-indulgence and his magical way of being a really bad guy while still being fun. Hamilton is a real meanie, but in a light enough way that the whole family can watch without fear of foul words being uttered from his mouth, or some vulgar ethnic South Central L.A. ghetto gestures that are too overused today in too many movies today. Hamilton brings a classy elegance to the role of a villain we can hate, but like at the same time.

Wendy's aunts and the Casper's 'uncles' are played beyond perfection by each gifted actor/actress in those roles. They are hilariously funny, outlandish and perfect imitations of what the comic books and prior movies have led us to know them to be, all these years. Not remarkably it was like watching my favorite paperback episode come to life. You loved them all, but you really enjoyed it most when Wendy and Casper would achieve the upper hand.

One can read other reviews where ''hate' and 'vitriol' seem to be the main focus of the reviewer's diatribes. But I think it is clear that this movie is much more magical to a younger child or to an adult who appreciates sweet things. This is sugar on candy and there is no use pretending it was meant to be more.

Anyone reading the scathing ululations of some of the other critics, please keep in mind that for the most part those critiques appear to be worse than the movie they imagine they viewed.

Casper Meets Wendy was meant as clean, dear family viewing, where the younger children and their loving parents are the targets of the director's audience...no one else. And in this sense, Casper Meets Wendy succeeded spectacularly well. My family adored it and my children, boys and girls, ask to see it over and over again.

Hilary Duff was tremendously successful in her role as Wendy and when we first viewed Casper Meets Wendy it was an experience akin to love at first sight. Love for the gentleness and caring that comes from within Hilary's young heart...appreciation for the prettiness of Hilary Duff...and warm and cuddly feelings for the sweetness we have learned to expect in both Wendy the Good Little Witch and Casper the Friendly Ghost.

This is a movie where the whole family can laugh at the wonderful special effects and the gaiety in the movie from the beginning all the way to its happy conclusion.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Wendy Meets Casper can only be given a full 10!

10 points for Hilary Duff as the perfectly enchanting Wendy.

10 points for all the fab actors and actresses playing the co-lead and support roles

10 points for the storyline...a truly magical event 10 points for the special effects

10 points for Wendy in her dancing dress...*blushes

All in all, a must see for every family.