Few composers could balance whimsy, warmth, and heartbreak as gracefully as James Horner, and his music for Casper (1995) remains one of the finest examples of his gift for scoring family fantasy. Combining mischievous comedy, orchestral playfulness, and one of the most tender lullabies of his career, Horner elevated this Steven Spielberg-produced film far beyond its ghostly hijinks. Now, Renovatio Records is proud to present a newly remastered 70-minute edition of this beloved score, restored and presented in nearly complete chronological order for the first time in a single-disc release.
Directed by Brad Silberling and produced by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Casper brought the iconic Harvey Comics character “Casper the Friendly Ghost” to the big screen with groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic. Bill Pullman stars as a paranormal therapist who moves into the crumbling Whipstaff Manor with his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci), hired by the greedy Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) to rid the mansion of its ghostly inhabitants. While Kat befriends Casper—a lonely spirit of a young boy who died a century earlier—his three mischievous uncles, the Ghostly Trio, provide manic comic relief. Mixing slapstick humor, supernatural spectacle, surprising cameos (including Dan Aykroyd’s sly Ghostbusters nod), and a bittersweet story of love, loss, and acceptance, the film became a mid-1990s family cinema staple.
Horner approached Casper with the same sincerity he brought to his most epic dramas, weaving playful orchestration, comical pastiche, and a devastatingly beautiful central theme. The score reflects both the film’s cartoonish energy and its unexpectedly poignant emotional core.
At the heart of the music is “Casper’s Lullaby,” one of Horner’s most touching creations. A lyrical melody for piano and strings, later joined by ethereal choir, it embodies Casper’s loneliness and his memories of his former life, as well as his longing to be alive again and his fleeting connection with Kat. First hinted at in cues like “No Sign of Ghosts” and “Casper Makes Breakfast,” the theme blossoms in “The Lighthouse – Casper & Kat” and reaches its most radiant form in “One Last Wish,” when Casper is briefly restored to human form. The lullaby stands among Horner’s most cherished melodies, later inspiring material in works such as The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008).
Balancing this tenderness is a colorful palette of comic and jazzy motifs. For Carrigan and her hapless accomplice Dibs (Eric Idle), Horner employs harpsichord, saxophone, and even a wink of theremin, parodying haunted-house tradition. “March of the Exorcists” lampoons heroic bravado with flamboyant orchestrations, while “Dying to Be a Ghost” plays their scheming with tongue firmly in cheek.
Equally distinctive is the Ghostly Trio’s material: swaggering, saxophone-driven swing motifs that inject brassy irreverence whenever Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso wreak havoc. Introduced in “No Sign of Ghosts,” the theme gets rowdy development in “First Haunting/The Swordfight” (with nods to Danny Elfman’s carnivalesque gothic style and Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s swashbuckling flair), resurfaces in “Dad Returns,” and bursts out triumphantly in “The Uncles’ Swing/End Credits.” This jazz-inflected writing adds a vaudevillian edge, contrasting sharply with the heartfelt lullaby, and shows Horner reveling in an unusually comic register.
The score also showcases Horner’s flair for fantasy textures and orchestral color. Percussion-driven set pieces like “Descent to Lazarus” anticipate his later rhythmic innovations in Bicentennial Man, while woodwinds and choir add spectral shimmer. An Americana-tinged theme surfaces in “On to Whipstaff,” underscoring the film’s more domestic, father-daughter moments.
Taken together, these elements form one of Horner’s most diverse and thematically rich works of the decade—at once as heartfelt as Legends of the Fall, as magical as The Land Before Time, and as playful as anything Danny Elfman was writing at the time.
The original 1995 MCA album ran over 70 minutes, combining Horner’s cues into long suites and including two songs. While generous, it often prioritized album flow over film chronology and omitted certain highlights. In 2020, La-La Land Records issued a lavish two-disc expansion with the complete score, alternates, and source cues. While exhaustive and invaluable to completists, its sheer length and repetition could be overwhelming for casual listeners.
Renovatio Records’ new 70-minute edition offers the ideal middle ground. Presented in a largely chronological sequence, it restores key unreleased cues, highlights the score's narrative arc, and features newly remastered sound in a cohesive single-disc program.
From the mischievous antics of the Ghostly Trio to the tear-stained beauty of “Casper’s Lullaby,” James Horner’s Casper captures both the comic spirit and haunting heart of this beloved story. Rich in orchestral color, thematic depth, and emotional sincerity, it remains one of Horner’s standout works of the mid-1990s—a hidden gem overshadowed at the time by Legends of the Fall, Braveheart, and Apollo 13. A must-have for collectors and newcomers alike, this new edition celebrates the magic, mischief, and melancholy that only James Horner could conjure.
Track listing:
Cover Artwork:
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Track Title |
Cue Title |
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1. Prologue |
Kids with Camera (Alternate) (Edited) Kids with Camera (Edited) |
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2. March of the Exorcists |
March of the Exorcists (Edited) |
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3. On to Whipstaff |
On to Whipstaff |
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4. No Sign of Ghosts |
No Sign of Ghosts |
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5. First Haunting / The Swordfight |
First Haunting (Edited) Kat Walks to School (Edited) The Swordfight (Edited) |
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6. Casper Makes Breakfast |
Casper Makes Breakfast |
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7. The Lighthouse - Casper & Cat |
The Lighthouse Casper & Cat |
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8. Kat in the Attic |
Kat in the Attic Fond Memories Costume for Kat |
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9. Descent to Lazarus |
Descent to Lazarus |
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10. ‘Dying’ to be a Ghost |
Carrigan & Dibs (Edited) ‘Dying’ to be a Ghost |
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11. Carrigan Crosses Over |
Carrigan Crosses Over |
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12. Dad Returns |
Dad Returns |
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13. One Last Wish |
Casper Gets His Wish Fatso As Amelia (Edited) One Last Wish |
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14. The Uncles Swing |
The Uncles Swing End Credits |
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