Casper The Friendly Ghost
Casper the friendly ghost is definitely not your everyday monster. He appears to be a ghost and this scares away most people, since ghosts are frightening, but if they were to stick around long enough they would see that Casper wouldn’t hurt a fly. Casper just isn’t your typical monster as he is only looking to make friends. If you relate him to his three friends Fatso, Stretch and Stinkie he is the complete opposite, they are smelly and useless and don’t care what kind of mess they are making out of things. All three of the other ghosts always attempt to make Casper a “better” ghost by trying to teach him scare tactics and how to be less hygienic, but that just isn’t who Casper is and he feels as though scaring people is mean. In a way Casper seems to have a heart even though that’s impossible since he is indeed a ghost. Compared to the typical monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf man Casper also lacks the physical attributes that would make him more frightening. He is depicted as a small boy and also has the same characteristics as one like enjoying games and typical things a child would do.
Early forms of Casper came from comic books.The publisher of the comics in the 1960's and 1970's said that he was a ghost because of his married ghost parents and death had nothing to do with it. Although The movie seems kid-friendly, considering it is about a friendly ghost, it does deal with serious themes about death. In the film Casper is a 12-year-old ghost whom died from an illness is his “previous” life. Casper feels alone as a spirit. He wants to be human again, not a monster. The little girl in the movie is also an outcast in her new school. She has no friends, so she and Casper are able to connect and find companionship in one another. This theme is relatable to many people, and by using an innocent little ghost, it makes monsters not-so-scary. The concept of bringing him back to life becomes an important part of the plot, but maybe this idea is over the heads of children watching this movie. I think this morbid idea was used to show children that the ghosts were once humans like you and I. A scene where Casper finds a sled that he used to ride when he was alive is touching. It reminds the viewers that these scary spirits are no different than us.
Questions:
1. Stinkie, Stretch, and Fatso were wicked characters in the movie. They were portrayed how many people think of ghosts. Why do you think the movie had them as Casper’s antagonists?
2. What constitutes a monster in your opinion? Does just having the physical attributes make these types of character a monster?
3. Do you think such a serious idea of bringing ghosts back to life should be shown to children? Keep in mind that this film was created in the 90s
Regarding question 2, obviously in this specific example physical attributes are not the only thing used to identify monsters. Casper, as stated, has the appearance of a ghost, which most would consider a monster, but is really just a good guy who wants to make friends. Stinkie, Stretch, and Fatso are monsters not because of their appearance but because of their personalities. That's why it is important to not judge someone by how they look but for who they are as a person. Regarding question 3 I don't think children the age this film is directed for can really grasp the concept, therefore making it harmless and when the viewers are eventually old enough to realize Casper was a sprit brought back to life they already don't believe in ghosts.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Q3, I think it’s acceptable for children to watch the relived ghosts’ story which has the character like Casper. To those little children who have no idea of ghost at all, friendly and warm-hearted Casper will make a good impression to them. To those who used to be scared when passing by tombs or have a horrible image of ghost in mind, Casper’s story is a vividly cute cartoon to heal the children. Monster is no longer the bad guy. Children can freely imagine a kind and generous ghost by themselves. In a word, Casper has the influence on switching the original definition of ghost and can help children set positive views to a stereotyped scareness.
ReplyDeleteCasper movies and cartoons meant to entertain children while, at the same time, meant to teach children through Casper's character how to be nice and friendly. The movie had used Stinkie, Stretch and Fatso as Casper's antagonists to highlight Casper's character as a friendly ghost and to show that there are scary ghosts while there are also kind ghosts. I believe physical attributes are the biggest part that makes any character a monster because the first expression you make when you see something is according to its appearance, so if its appearance is ugly and scary you, for sure, will feel scared. In the movie, Casper's facial features are innocent and kind like a young boy, which make the viewer feel comfortable, unlike Stinkie's, Stretch's and fatso's facial features that are scary and evil, which make the viewer feel uncomfortable and scared. I don't think that showing the idea of bringing ghost back to life to children is a bad movement; instead, I think that it is a good idea that develops children's imagination and relates their thinking to bigger things than reality.
ReplyDeleteWhat constitutes a monster in your opinion? Does just having the physical attributes make these types of character a monster?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, a monster is a being that is considered almost like a menace, and can instill fear into people by his actions, motives and or physical appearance. I do not believe that just having physical attributes can create a monster. The reason for that is that it creates the judgmental idea if you look a certain way means you are that way, which is not true. Also, you can have monsters of which people dont even have an idea of their appearance. All it really takes is the idea of a monster, and the emotion of fear to create one. The physical appearance might just add to the profile of the monster but certaintly does not create it.
In response to the first question, I think that Stinkie, Stretch, and Fatso are made to be the antagonists in the movie because they draw a parallel between Casper and the little girl. As mentioned in the post, both Casper and the girl are outcasts in their communities. Casper is an outcast because he does not have the typical ghost characteristics displayed by the other ghosts. In both the case of Casper and the girl, they must learn to accept that they are different, and, in doing so, they help to show others around them that it is ok to be different and that one should be accepting of differences, which is an important theme in the movie. That is why I think that Stinkie, Stretch, and Fatso were made the antagonists in the movie.
ReplyDeleteTo answer question two, I think that many people write off Casper in the movie and the comic books because of his frightening appearance as a ghost. Although to me, a monster constitutes much more than simply how one appears on the outisde. Much of a person's labeling as a monster has to do with how they act and what kind of crimes they have commited. For instance, in my opinion, a world leader who has killed many of his people or denied them basic rights is much more of a monster than a vampire or a ghost. This is why even though the Casper story is written to have a certain effect, the people he encounters should give him more of a chance.
ReplyDelete3. Absolutely not, these scary ideas cannot be shown to children. If children are exposed to such scary things as bringing ghosts back to life, they might have nightmares. Dreams have a significant impact on the life of a child. Additionally, if they are shown this type of material, they are desensitized to the concept of death. This is a bad thing. Death is a big deal.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question number two, I feel that there are many characteristics that constitutes a monster. While I don’t feel that it should constitute a monster, a scary physical appearance can constitute a monster. While it is wrong to be judgmental of someone’s appearance, we do it regardless, and the way someone or something looks can constitute for a monster, at least initially. Most importantly, I feel that the intentions an individual has behind their actions is what constitutes for a monster. In conclusion, physical attributes may make someone appear as a monster at first but in reality, its what they believe and the horrific actions they are held accountable for that actually constitutes for a monster.
ReplyDeleteThe characters of Casper's antagonists were clearly there to show the extremes of how actual people act in real life. Casper is kind of a tale to teach kids about morals. Like to show that even if it's the social norm to be nasty and cruel, you don't have to be. Casper was pressured into being a "good ghost", but he didnt give in to the norms of ghost-dom. Its supposed to teach kids to be themselves and listen to the morals they have been taught.
ReplyDeleteI think the use of casper's antagonists helps to further show that not all ghosts are evil. the wicked ones are used as a comparison to what society generalizes ghosts to be through tv shows, movies, etc. it helps give the viewer a better idea of how nice casper really is.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 2; I believe that the physical attributes of a monster are less than half of what makes up a monster. The qualities that make up a monster are inside of the being itself. A true monster would consists of bad morales, no care for others and a general evil mentality. Although I do not believe looks may not be the majority of what makes up a monster, they do help to provide the viewer with an original negative first impression.
ReplyDeleteCasper's uncles are mean true, but they are usually doing the tough love act. They just want Casper to be scary like them. Usually there is an even bigger ghost, Kai-bosh, pushing them to make Casper a scary ghost.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 3; I think that it was appropriate to show children the idea of bringing a ghost back to life, although it depends on how it is shown. In the movie, if I remember correctly, Casper uses a machine his father built and some sort of potion to briefly and temporarily return to life. Since he came back with no side effects, negative consequences, and without hurting anyone, I think it was fine to show to children. However, there are several ways that the dead can come back to life; zombies, vampires, etc. Bringing Casper back to life was fine to show to children because it was a positive and family-friendly method of doing so.
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