Casper: A Spirited Beginning is a 1997 American direct-to-video fantasy comedy film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. It serves as a prequel to the 1995 Universal/Amblin film Casper. The plot explores additional details surrounding the titular character's origins. The film was produced by The Harvey Entertainment Company and Saban Entertainment and released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on September 9, 1997, and was met with widespread criticism from critics. 20th Century Fox had previously acquired film rights to the character from Universal. The original VHS release included the US version of the music video for 911's "Love Sensation" as a special feature, though it has been omitted from the subsequent DVD releases. The soundtrack album was released on CD and cassette on October 24, 1997.