The ’90s trend of turning old shows into movies gave us a stream of surprise hits, including The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, and the best of the group, The Addams Family. Christina Ricci became a star overnight thanks to her iconic portrayal of Wednesday Addams, but she also starred in another instant classic, 1995’s Casper.

No one thought a live-action adaptation of the 50-year-old cartoon would be a success, but not only was it a blockbuster, but the movie has captured generations of fans and has been one of the top 10 kids’ movies on Netflix since its arrival. Not bad for a ’90s kids’ movie intended to be a nostalgic cash grab.

Casper quickly proved to audiences that the final product was full of more heart and warmth than you’d expect from a film about the undead. The 12-year-old ghost haunting Whipstaff Manor is lonely, until ghost hunter Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) and his 13-year-old daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci) arrive, after some not-so-subtle prodding of the homeowner by the friendly ghost. Carrigan was given the Manor in her father’s will, and wanting to get her hands on the treasure, relies on Dr. Harvey to remove all of the ghosts, Casper and his three uncles, The Ghostly Trio, who delight in creating mayhem and mischief.

It’s easy to forget, but the family-friendly film has a dark streak, including not one, but two characters falling to their deaths and becoming ghosts. Casper avoids the trap of countless 80s movies by keeping the tone upbeat and, surprisingly, optimistic for a film about death and what awaits us on the other side. The cast brings a sense of joy and whimsy to the story that thankfully, no one is taking seriously. It’s all right for a movie to embrace the goofy side of its source material and realize that Casper the Friendly Ghost was always a cartoon for kids.

The ghosts are the perfect example. Designed with mid-90s CGI they look better than the ghosts from 2023’s The Haunted Mansion precisely because they are exaggerated translucent cartoons.Casper’s  artistic style beats out soulless CGI any day of the week. It’s so good in fact, that when audiences briefly saw Casper as a human boy played by Devon Sawa, it launched a career still going strong 30 years later, that’s how deep an attachment audiences developed for the Friendly Ghost.

Critics savaged Casper upon release and accused it of being sappy and a cliche family film, but that’s precisely why, in our increasingly jaded and cynical world, the film has been a hit for decades, and better-reviewed films from the same year didn’t have even a fraction of the staying power. Enjoying a film that wears its heart on its translucent sleeve is alright.

Audiences responded, bringing in a total gross of $289 million during its theatrical run, and who knows how many millions more from all of the DVD and Blu-Ray sales in the decades since.

Thanks to streaming today, Casper has remained a perennial hit, always debuting strong on ever service lucky enough to be hosting it that year. Perhaps the film’s most impressive accomplishment is that, outside of direct-to-video follow-ups that were disappointments compared to the original film, there’s been no sequel, no plans for a series, absolutely nothing. That lets the 1995 blockbuster, which placed sixth for the year, beating out films like Seven, Braveheart, and Goldeneye, stand as a timeless, singular achievement that, years later, the children of the children who grew up with it can go back and watch it in an untouched, pristine state while the world moves on and leaves it behind.

Casper, the movie, has become as pure and innocent as Casper the Friendly Ghost, never changing but always welcoming to anyone who wants to slow down and spend some time with a ghost unlike any other.

Casper is now streaming on Netflix.