There’s a lot of family-friendly classics celebrating major anniversaries this year, like The Goonies and Toy Story, just to name a few. However, if you were born in the ’90s, one coming-of-age horror comedy was on most people’s rewatch list every Halloween: 1995’s Casper, which just turned 30 years old this spring. Now, to mark the spooky and exciting occasion, this “Friendly Ghost” is getting a new 4K release.
Casper’s latest physical media release is a scream-worthy 4K/Blu-ray/Digital combo pack steelbook from Universal Pictures. The front cover of the edition features the original poster artwork of Casper and his frightening uncles haunting the main mansion of the film on a moonlit night. The inside artwork includes an image of Casper and star Christina Ricci. This release will presumably have the same special features as previous physical media editions, like the 25th anniversary Blu-ray steelbook. This new steelbook will be $29.99 USD. It’s also the first time this film will be available in the 4K format.
What Is ‘Casper’ About?
Based on the beloved character of the same name, Casper follows a father (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Ricci) after they start a new life in a spooky mansion in Maine. However, their new house is very much haunted, with Casper’s ghostly uncles causing their usual chaos. Luckily for Kat, she has a friend in Casper, who has developed a crush on her. From the fun references, a script that balances heart and humor with ease, and a batch of delightful cameos, Casper is one of the more memorable ventures of the mid ’90s, despite its less-than-stellar 43% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Casper was released at the height of Ricci’s popularity thanks to her role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values a few years prior. On top of that, the film featured a young Devon Sawa as the human form of Casper. The actor would go on to be a genre legend with projects like Final Destination, Idle Hands, Heart Eyes, and Chucky. While Casper would get two direct-to-video prequels in Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy, the original adventure has mostly been kept alive by the merchandise. Alongside the physical media editions, the 30th anniversary has also seen a new Funko Pop set and various charming apparel collections.
Where Can You Stream ‘Casper’?
Casper isn’t currently on a traditional streaming service, but you can rent the film on most paid VOD platforms. Before reuniting with Casper the Friendly Ghost, you can pre-order the film’s 4K 30th anniversary steelbook on Gruv’s website. The steelbook will be released on August 12th.
Source: Gruv