Casper was voiced by child actor Malachi Pearson, who auditioned five or six times before he was brought in for a final test with the whole cast and filmmakers. 'They were right at the perfect age to enjoy all the magic of that.'ĥ. 'That was one I really remember looking forward to taking, so that I could bring my kids to the set,' he told The A.V. Helmed by first-time feature film director Brad Silbering and produced by Steven Spielberg, a lot of changes were made when the story of the world's friendliest ghost made the jump from the comic strip to the screen, including losing a beloved character who would later be played by Hilary Duff.Ĥ. When it was released in May 1995, no one expected Casperto become one of the year's biggest hits. Made for $55 million, Casper, which starred Bill Pullman and a then-14-year-old Christina Ricci went on to gross $300 million and became one of Universal Studios' most beloved properties in the '90s. And the friendly ghost ended up haunting audiences in the best ways, going on to become one of spooky season's most iconic staples.īut did you know the original version didn't include movie-goers getting to meet the human version of Casper, played by Devon Sawa, who would go on to become one of the decade's biggest teen heartthrobs? Oh, and that infamous line wasn't in the initial script. All these years later, that line still gives us all the feels.