'Wednesday' Star's Beloved '90s Cult Classic Officially Returns From the Dead

6 days ago 15

Christina Ricci getting out of a car in Casper

Published Oct 17, 2026, 7:15 PM EDT

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

The 1990s saw many a defining film star burst onto the scene, from Leonardo DiCaprio becoming a sensation for What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and This Boy's Life to Julia Roberts solidifying her A-list status through Pretty Woman. Among those to establish themselves during the decade was Christina Ricci, who broke out in 1991 playing Wednesday Addams in the family comedy hit The Addams Family. Just two years later, she'd return with the rest of her creepy and kooky co-stars for Addams Family Values, earning even greater critical acclaim and cementing her as a rising star. Her roles on-screen would only continue to multiply from there, from Ang Lee's The Ice Storm to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Tim Burton's Oscar-winning dark fantasy Sleepy Hollow.

More recently, Ricci has been a fixture on the small screen, reuniting with Burton and returning to the Addams Family world for Netflix's Wednesday. This November will also see her return as Misty for the fourth and final season of Yellowjackets on the Paramount+ Premium plan. With spooky season underway, though, another of her '90s family favorites is currently haunting the streaming charts once more as viewers get into the Halloween spirit. It's also coming off a milestone anniversary that brought the supernatural film back to theaters.

1995's Casper rose from the grave and all the way up to #6 in the U.S. among Disney+'s movies, sandwiched between this year's Toy Story 5 and the original Moana. It's been a fixture there, remaining on the film charts since the calendar flipped over to October. The supernatural family comedy, marking the feature debut of the titular friendly ghost, launched into theaters with a mixed reception from critics and audiences, but still managed to earn a solid $290 million at the box office. Since then, viewers have turned it into somewhat of a holiday staple for all ages thanks to its special effects and a strong cast featuring Ricci as Kat Harvey, a young teenage girl who befriends Casper (Malachi Pearson) when she and her father (Bill Pullman) move into the haunted Whipstaff Manor and need to get rid of the ghosts that reside there. Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, Brad Garrett, Joe Nipote, Devon Sawa, and Joe Alaskey also star.

'Casper' Is About to Make a Major Comeback With Steven Spielberg

The friendly ghost's recent success on the Disney streamer comes as the Mouse House is working to resurrect Casper in a new form. Back in April, it was reported that a live-action CGI hybrid reimagining of Casper the Friendly Ghost had landed at the platform for development, with Goosebumps alumni Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston helming the project. Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin Entertainment banner produced the 1995 film, is also involved as an executive producer. Although it's early in the development process, the plans are to give this version of the spirit a darker edge. Considering Brad Silberling's movie was noted for its grim decision to portray Casper as a deceased child, it may be a fitting successor to the classic.

Casper is now streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the hottest streaming shows and movies throughout the year.