A Haunting We Will Go

Those fond of Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons will love A-Haunting We Will Go, only his third cartoon and one of the better ones (also in the better half of Famous Studio's inconsistent output). Those who have seen the previous two cartoons The Friendly Ghost and There's Good Boos To-Night will not be surprised by the basic premise or how the story is structured, and maybe it is a touch simplistic occasionally dialogue-wise.

A-Haunting We Will Go however is very sweet, sometimes touching with a touch of fun (though this is not a non-stop hilarious cartoon, nor was it intended to be). The animation is great throughout, it is it is luscious, beautifully drawn with incredibly atmospheric backgrounds and vibrant colours, the opening is particularly good. Another very strong asset is the music score of Winston Sharples, melodically it's haunting but also whimsical and gorgeous to listen to., with some merriness and a surprising amount of emotional impact. One of the cartoon's highlights is the title song, which is brilliantly catchy and provides the right amount of spooks and rousing excitement.

Dialogue here has some real heart and charm, if not quite avoiding the trap of sentimentality, which was always going to be hard to do considering the subject. The story as well zips by, has a good deal of atmosphere and is very charming , good-natured and sweet, with a lovely upbeat finish. While not as heart-wrenching as There's Good Boos To-Night, it is also touching with the beautifully written friendship between Casper and Dudley. The ending is a little tense, but shouldn't be too much for youngsters, it is tame in comparison to the climax of There's Good Boos To-Night.

Casper is endearing and appropriately kind-hearted, and Dudley is just adorable. The voice acting is very good, especially the distinguished narration that avoids being over-explanatory.

All in all, a very sweet and well done Casper cartoon, that should not be confused with the Daffy and Speedy cartoon with the same title, seeing as this is actually a good cartoon whereas that cartoon was one of the worst of that particular series. 8/10 Bethany Cox

After playing class dunce at Ghost School for being more concerned with making friends than scaring people, Casper continues his search for social acceptance and finally locates a duck, just hatched from its egg, that will accept him for who, or is that what?, he is. Casper takes the young duck under his proverbial wing and the two find happiness together although a hunter looking for a meal of duck sounds proves a most hazardous threat to Casper's newfound friend.

Simplistic, fun and straightforward, this Casper cartoon presents the character exactly as he should be presented: A kind-hearted soul more concerned with making friends and helping those he befriends than scaring others, which he does nevertheless whether he intends it or not. Also I cannot help but love the scenes in the Ghost School, which establishes just why Casper has no ghostly friends, and the delightful exit by the ghostly students as they leave class singing "A Haunting We Will Go".