Casper Meets Wendy MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -1

In this direct to video movie, Casper (voice of Jeremy Foley) and his uncles, who are all computer animated ghosts, decide to take a vacation because they have gotten bored with scaring people. They decide to spend their time at a resort in the Catskill mountains which is where they meet Wendy (Hilary Duff) and her aunts, who are all witches. These witches are hiding out from the evil sorcerer Desmond Spellman (George Hamilton). Desmond finds out from The Oracle (Pauly Shore) that he is no longer the greatest sorcerer in the world and that he has been replaced by Wendy, who is only a child. While hiding out from Desmond, Wendy becomes friends with Casper. This upsets Wendy's aunts and Casper's uncles, because witches aren't supposed to be friends with ghosts. The special effects in the film are well done, making everything seem very realistic. Casper Meets Wendy is a fun, exciting, comical video movie that will have wide appeal among pre-teen children.

The main themes of this video revolves around the importance of friendship and of being nice to other people. These qualities are very important and are exhibited by both Casper and Wendy. But, all of the important characters in the film are either ghosts or they have some kind of supernatural power. The witches cast many spells, but most of them come across more comical than harmful. And although the witches and ghost are portrayed in a light hearted manner, the communication between these witches and ghost poses some concern. The Bible condemns the communication with the spirits of the dead. (Deut. 18:11) But in Casper Meets Wendy people regularly converse with ghosts on a regular basis, so much so that Wendy and Casper consider themselves friends. There is also an evil sorcerer, who does use his powers to harm others, but his character is always portrayed in a negative way. Some mild and moderate crudities and violence also tarnish this children's story. However the emphasis on sticking by your friends remains prominent throughout the film. The drawback to the portrayal of this particular positive message is the manner in which it is presented. The importance of loyalty can be portrayed without ghost, befriending witches. Since occultic characters and practices are sometimes portrayed favorably in this family video, we are unable to recommend it.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: 20th Century Home Entertainment, 14242 Ventura Blvd., 3rd floor, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423