Casper

The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Casper floats alone through Whipstaff Manor, a lonely ghost yearning for friendship. He watches his uncles terrorize visitors, longing for someone who won't run away screaming. This establishes Casper's isolated existence and his desire for connection.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.

The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Carrigan hires Dr. Harvey to exorcise the ghosts from Whipstaff Manor so she can search for the rumored treasure. This sets the collision course between the Harvey family and Casper's world, forcing both the living and the dead out of their status quo.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.

The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Casper reveals himself to Kat not as a threat but as a potential friend, saying "Can I keep you?" This is the moment Kat chooses to see past her fear and engage with Casper as a person, not a ghost. Both actively choose to pursue friendship across the boundary between life and death., moving from reaction to action.

At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Kat discovers the Lazarus machine in the manor's basement—a device that can bring the dead back to life. This false victory raises the stakes: there's now a possibility that Casper could become human, and Dr. Harvey could reunite with his wife. But this hope will complicate everything and attract danger., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.

The Collapse moment at 76 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Dr. Harvey dies after falling down a shaft while drunk, becoming a ghost himself. Carrigan also dies in her greed-fueled pursuit of treasure and returns as a vengeful ghost to claim the Lazarus machine. The "whiff of death" is literal—father and daughter are now separated by death itself, and the villain has become unstoppable., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.

The Second Threshold at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Casper and his uncles unite to help Kat. Using their ghostly powers, they create a beautiful dress and prepare her for the party. Dr. Harvey (as a ghost) recognizes what truly matters isn't finding his dead wife but being there for his living daughter. The synthesis: love transcends death, and letting go is how we honor the dead., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.