JK: What are some of the challenges you've encountered this past year in marketing a classic character that has already been branded and recognized by the public?

DB: Well, there are a couple of challenges. The first one is that the marketplace is extremely glutted with product this Christmas season. You have everything from major theatrical releases like Chicken Run to home video releases like Aladdin 2 or Little Mermaid 2 or Land Before Time 7. There is so much sell through product coming out that the shelf space is very limited for a lot of the titles. One of the biggest challenges we have is making sure that the retailers and ultimately the public are excited enough about this title that they want to clear off space for us.

Casper calls a meeting in Casper's Haunted Christmas. © Harvey Entertainment.

JK: There is an assortment of hot, new properties that have come out this year that are doing well. Are there any specific challenges you have in trying to update Casper to compete in today's market?

DB: That has not been a problem, because all of our research has indicated that children absolutely love this character. We have something that a lot of other products don't have, which is that the parents grew up watching it, so they are really familiar with the product. What we have done is completely updated the character and how it looks.

This film was all computer-animated, a là Antz or Toy Story. So, it's a whole different look. It's a very good look. It's an excellent quality film. Having said that, the retailers have jumped on this, because there is so much product out there that perhaps doesn't have quite the quality. Retailers are looking at something that they perceive as a great value.

At the same time, Casper is turning 60 this year. A large premier on the 20^th of October celebrating his 60^th birthday at the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences is planned followed by the kickoff of the video, which comes out on October 31^st. To help celebrate Casper's birthday, Harvey and Sight for Students, a non-profit charity, have teamed up to distribute over 60,000 pairs of eyeglasses to kids across the country who are neither covered by insurance, or do not qualify for government assistance such as Medi-Care. Each participating child receives a free eye exam through a local ophthalmologist, free eyeglasses, free eye cases and free follow up exams. We're tying in with them and the slogan is, "Everyone deserves to see Casper." Under that umbrella, we'll be launching a huge marketing campaign starting in October.

© Harvey Entertainment.

The 60th birthday will segway straight into the home video release. We will also be putting Randy Travis on television shows. He sings the soundtrack for Casper and he'll be appearing on shows like Rosie O'Donnell targeting our moms. And then we have a pretty good Internet campaign set up. During the last two weeks of October and the first two weeks of November kids will be able to visit their favorite Web site and see behind-the-scenes footage of Casper's Haunted Christmas. We're also producing a Flash-based Internet game with Sarbakan Entertainment. The game will feature characters from the movie and will be freely distributed online.