Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

"Casper's First Christmas" is a half-hour (well actually, clearly under) television special from 1979, so this one will soon have its 40th anniversary. Of course, there is a lot of scaring going on again, but this is really much more about the Christmas spirit. You can imagine probably already how much Casper (voiced by an actress in her 30s) loves it all and wants to celebrate like everybody else while his ghost pals rather take thr grinchy approach. Several other cartoon characters join in here, like Yogi Bear, so this is a lot more about others too, not just Casper as you may guess from the title. Anyway, I liked this one. Voice acting was fine, message was good, some funny writing and situations too. Of course I'm biased as a Casper fan, but still I think it must be pretty difficult to not like the watch here, even if the supporting characters weren't always to my liking. Visually, it was fine too, very retro certainly, the color won't change that. Urbano, Cuddington and Ogle came up with a convincing holiday special that can also still be enjoyed in January when there's snow outside. In the summer months, not so much maybe. But overall, I give it a positive recommendation for sure. This is worth seeing for the young and the young at heart.

Hanna-Barbera TV special that teams up many of their popular characters. It's Christmas Eve and Casper wants to spend it at home but his friend Hairy Scary makes him go out and search for a new place to haunt. While they're gone, Yogi Bear and friends show up and decide to celebrate Christmas at their house. The ghosts return home to find the group decorating the house for a Christmas party. Casper is excited but Hairy is angry and decides to scare the uninvited guests. There's not much more to this but it should hold a lot of appeal for Hanna-Barbera fans, who will no doubt enjoy seeing all of the characters hanging out together. In addition to Casper, Hairy, Yogi, and Boo Boo, there's Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, Augie Doggie, and Doggie Daddy. There's a lame laugh track which is thankfully used sparingly. I'm not the biggest Hanna-Barbera fan so this cartoon didn't do a lot for me. But it is good natured and pleasant with likable characters (except for annoying Hairy Scary). Not a bad way to pass a half-hour if you catch it on television during the holidays.

Casper's First Christmas (1979) *** (out of 4) Casper and Hairy Scary leave their old, dark house for a few and while they're gone Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Huckleberry Hound and various others move in. When the ghosts return Hairy wants to scare the group while Casper wants to become friends. CASPER'S FIRST Christmas certainly isn't a masterpiece and it contains a pretty weak story but it's still quite a bit of fun seeing all the Hanna-Barbera gang in one film together. I think the best part of the movie is actually its animation, which is what you'd expect from the company. I really liked how dark the film was early on and when it finally lights up towards the end, you get a great sense of Christmas. I thought the Casper character was put to good use here and I liked how he wanted to experience Christmas for the first time with friends. The entire subplot of why Hairy is so unhappy doesn't really pay off in a big way but it's decent enough. Fans of these characters will certainly enjoy seeing all of them together and with the short running time it's really a no-brainer.

Yogi Bear, Huck Hound, Snaggle Puss, Quickdraw McGraw, Augie Doggy and Doggy Daddy, Boo Boo Bear, all arrive at the abandoned condemned hotel lodge that Casper and Hairy Scary haunt.The gang wants to celebrate Christmas, Hairy wants to scare them away. Casper runs away too.Only then does Hairy learn what Casper really wanted for Christmas and has a change of heart.As bad as the Yogi's First Christmas cartoon, in fact, the annoying song shows up here as well, but thankfully, Casper's Christmas is only a half hour long, while Yogi's was a two hour movie! Neither is worth watching, but if you want to forget what is going on around you this holiday season, these cartoons are ideal for checking out.