Casper Meets Wendy (PG, 1998)

In her first film role, Hilary Duff stars as Wendy the Good Little Witch, who lives at home with her three aunts, Geri (Cathy Moriarty), Fanny (Teri Garr), and Gabby (Shelley Duvall). Like Casper (voiced by Jeremy Foley), Wendy gets no respect from her aunts, who don't appreciate her outgoing personality. When power-hungry warlock Desmond Spellman (George Hamilton) discovers that soon his power will be usurped by Wendy when "witches and spirits unite as friends," he sets out to destroy her. So Wendy and her family hide at a resort in the Catskills where -- surprise! -- Casper's family is also staying. When Wendy and Casper meet the fun really begins. But can they really harness their collective power to protect themselves from scary Desmond?

A lot of Halloween stories are too scary for younger kids, filled with realistic violence or too much intensity. For them, consider CASPER MEETS WENDY, a movie that's as innocent as the two main characters and full of more silly moments than scary ones. While the plot seems to borrow from everything from Men in Black to Harry Potter, it's still a crazy campy delight that's generous with the puns and silly sight gags.

George Hamilton plays the evil warlock with comic perfection, and kids who like the sillier moments in the Harry Potter or Sabrina the Teenage Witch will love this. But silliness aside, sensitive kids may still have a tough time when Wendy's in danger near the end.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Sean McNamara
Cast: Cathy Moriarty, Hilary Duff, Shelley Duvall, Teri Garr
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release: October 2, 1998
DVD release: September 3, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: mild scary scenes, some thematic elements and language.