Monsters, Inc.

< Previous Trailer  |   Add to My Scrapbook  |   Next Trailer >
Monsters, Inc.

83% Liked It
liked it

Monsters, Inc.

Billy Crystal, Bob Peterson, Bonnie Hunt, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, John Goodman, John Ratzenberger, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi

Monsters, Inc. is the largest scare factory in the monster world and the top kid Scarer is James P. Sullivan, a huge intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots and horns, known as "Sulley"...( read more  read more... ) to his friends. His Scare Assistant, best friend and roommate is Mike Wazowski, a lime green, opinionated, feisty, one-eyed monster. Scaring children isn't such an easy job--monsters believe children are toxic and that direct contact with them would be catastrophic. Inside the factory can also be found: the factory's crab-like CEO, the beguiling serpent-haired receptionist Celia, and the sarcastic chameleon monster, Randall Boggs, who schemes to replace Sully as Monsters, Inc.'s top Scarer. Visiting from the human world is Boo, a tiny girl who turns the monster world upside-down.

Id: 10909132

Do you want to see this movie?

My Friends Said...

Monsters, Inc. Recent Reviews

Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !

Recent Reviews

Monsters, Inc. Recent Reviews
  • magnum32004
    October 31, 2007
    magnum32004
    Hilarious and heartwarming! John Goodman & Billy Crystal make the ultimate animated comedy dream team.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    I can't say I was a huge fan of this one!
  • Darksome
    July 11, 2009
    Darksome
    Really cute movie! They made some great characters in this one.
  • mrpopcorn
    July 11, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Monsters, Inc. : We Scare Because We Care"

    Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley finds his world disrupted.

    ...( read more)t size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook">REVIEW
    In 1995, Pixar re-invented modern animation with the first feature length fully computer animated cartoon, Toy Story. It also raised the standard of family film story telling to a level that Pixar have refused blindly to drop from with subsequent releases.

    Monsters Inc is no exception. Like Toy Story before it, the story of Monsters Inc is nothing massively original - stories about toys that come to life and things that go bump in the night are ancient gimmicks for creating children's entertainment. But like Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, Pixar know it is not originality in setting and characters that fuels our imagination, it's bringing these familiar characters to life and telling a hugely entertaining story that does.

    In a documentary I watched a few years ago about the innovation of computer animation, a technical expert said that the moment in Toy Story where Woody first realizes Buzz Lightyear is now the kid's favorite toy, not a person in the world watching thinks "I wonder how many millions of pixels were used to create that image?" but rather, they've empathized with Woody's character. I'm glad to say that Monsters Inc., with its snappy length (88 minutes), typically oddball (both physically and characteristically) characters and heartwarming story, has this same effect.
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 29, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "Kids these days. They just don't get scared like they used to."


    Remember life as a little kid, when you feared the monsters living in your closet or under your bed? Remember your parents assuring you that monsters don't exist? Monsters, Inc. verifies what eve

    ...( read more)ry child really knows - the things that go bump in the night are more genuine than adults truly realise. Brought to the big screen by Disney & Pixar, Monsters, Inc. - the fourth offspring of this marriage (following Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2) - is a triumph of animated cinema. Co-directed by Pete Docter, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich (with Pixar guru John Lasseter serving as executive producer), this lively and endearing slice of animation is everything we come to expect from a product of the Disney/Pixar axis - it has an enchanting, imaginative premise as well as sumptuous computer animation, brilliant gags for every age, and a mouth-watering voice cast. Yet, this motion picture is a fresh and unique beast. Instead of taking place in the real world, Monsters, Inc. introduces an entirely new universe in which the marvellously-rendered CGI characters can live and flourish.


    Behold Monstropolis - a thriving city populated by monsters of all shapes and sizes. Instead of coal or nuclear power, Monstropolis' power supply is derived from the screams of children. This means the scariest (and bravest) denizens of the city are employed by Monsters, Inc. (the largest scream processing factory in Monstropolis) to venture through closet doorways and elicit screams by scaring children all over the globe (these screams are then converted into electricity). However - as children are becoming more sophisticated and consequently more difficult to frighten - severe power problems are affecting the city, with "rolling blackouts" predicted throughout this serious scream shortage. The responsibility of harnessing sufficient electricity falls on the broad shoulders of the leading scream producer - a big blue monster known as Sulley (Goodman), ably assisted by his wisecracking pal Mike (Crystal). It's business as usual for Sulley & Mike until a young, curious human child (Gibbs) boldly goes where no human has gone before...into a closet, and onward into the monster universe. In this world, however, it's the monsters who are afraid of the children (believing them to be toxic and deadly). Pandemonium ensues as Sulley & Mike work to return the child home, in the process uncovering a sinister plot to rid Monstropolis of its power issues...


    "There's nothing more toxic or deadly than a human child. A single touch could kill you. Leave a door open, and one can walk right into this factory; right into the monster world."


    Monsters, Inc. is an enchanting animated picture which plays on childhood fears in a totally delightful, nonthreatening fashion. Familiar Pixar themes of childhood worlds of imagination are revisited, and on top of this it's a joyful celebration of the power of make-believe. Monsters, Inc. succeeds on two levels - as fast-moving, energetic fun for children and as slyly written, visually impressive entertainment for adults. The plot, however, is probably a bit too straightforward, and - even at a brisk runtime of 90 minutes - it feels slightly padded out, not to mention sluggish from time to time. The second act also tends to bog, with the single-note joke growing pretty old fairly rapidly. This is a fairly predictable affair as well; its conclusion quite foreseeable from about 20 minutes in. With the exception of a few twists and turns, the film traverses through by-the-numbers territory. These complaints are quite minor, however, as Monsters, Inc. remains an enjoyable, imaginative adventure.


    Granted, Monsters, Inc. does lack the complexity evident in Toy Story and A Bug's Life, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. What it lacks in depth it makes up in boundless creativity. Two forms of comedy are on offer - simple laughs for the kiddies, and more imaginative gags aimed at adults. Pixar movies are generally overflowing with such humour, thus parents can watch a Pixar masterwork with their kids, aware that they'll also get a laugh. The cinematic references and in-jokes present in this film are terrific. There's the little girl referred to as "Boo", the Monstropolis/Metropolis angle, and a clever allusion to The Right Stuff. Most audiences will snigger at the "Stalk/Don't Stalk" street sign and a tabloid newspaper called The Glob, but only adults will chuckle at a club named "Harryhausen's" (for those unaware, Ray Harryhausen is a renowned animation pioneer). Some of the humour is hit-and-miss, though, with the occasional gag falling flat. Adults may find the script a few jokes short of true classic status.


    Advances in computer graphics since Pixar's first feature-length endeavour (1995's Toy Story, six years earlier) are frankly staggering, and these advancements are on glorious display here. Each new Pixar movie raises the bar a little higher, and in this case the artists have become capable of animating fur. The animators have pulled out all of the stops to make Sulley look realistic...and their objective is completed astonishingly. In terms of richness of design and background detail, the animation present in Monsters, Inc. is truly a triumph. Pixar have keen eyes for detail, ensuring everything on-screen looks completely authentic.


    The animation of Mike is particularly interesting due to the fact that the animators had so little to work with. Instead of a full face, Mike is merely an eyeball. Luckily, this eyeball has an eyelid, and thus the artists were able to provide the character with every facial expression a monster would ever need. It's a tour de force!


    Probably the most entertaining sequence in the entire movie is a climactic scramble through a labyrinth of closet doors - each one containing another world. It's a breathless action-comedy set-piece which moves along at breakneck speed (although it is drawn out a bit). Another of the film's greatest assets is Randy Newman's superb, zippy score which was nominated for an Oscar. The film's excellent closing song (performed by Goodman and Crystal) earned the film its only Academy Award (an Oscar well earned!).


    Pixar creations are always greatly elevated by the remarkable vocal talent they continue to attract. With computer-animated films grossing hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, big-time actors are far more eager to get involved in such a lucrative industry. In the case of Monsters, Inc., the cast is lead by the duo of the always-reliable John Goodman and the impeccable Billy Crystal. In an unprecedented break from tradition, Goodman and Crystal recorded their dialogue together (rather than separately). As well as voicing their respective characters, their screen personas are also drawn upon.

    John Goodman is an ideal choice for Sulley. His deep voice suits the build of the character, and conveys a gentle-giant tone. Under Goodman's watch, Sulley becomes a big lovable teddy bear. Billy Crystal is his usual chaotic self as Sulley's one-eyed assistant Mike. Crystal steals the show and provides a large amount of the comedy.


    The villain for the heroes to contend with is a reptilian creature named Randall, voiced by the terrific Steve Buscemi. As the diabolical villain, Buscemi is almost unrecognisable...and it's all the better for it. His usual quirky voice would never suit the character. The far more sinister voice he offers here, however, is a perfect fit. Jennifer Tilly is a great fit as the feisty love interest for Mike. The venerable James Coburn is suitably dignified as Mr. Waternoose; the owner of Monsters, Incorporated. Also in the cast is Mary Gibbs whose baby-talk makes Boo all the more adorable. In addition, Bob Peterson is hilarious as the tough-as-nails Dispatch Manager (Peterson's voice was apparently only temporary, but deemed such a success that it was kept in the final film), Franz Oz is very amusing as Randall's squirrelly accomplice (known as Fungus), and then there's John Ratzenberger (who stars in every Pixar film) who makes a side-splitting cameo as the Abominable Snowman.


    The year 2001 saw the release of two greatly successful computer-animated features - Pixar's Monsters, Inc. and Dreamworks' Shrek. While the latter earned the Best Animated Feature Oscar and is by far the hipper of the two flicks, the former is still cheerful, creative, high-energy entertainment with a large supply of gags and a lot of heart. Judging by the box office results of Monsters, Inc. and Shrek, it seems the future of animation lies with computer-generated creations. Traditional animation may fast become extinct. As long as computer-animated films maintain this high level of quality, its ascendance to king of the animation realm can only be perceived as a positive thing. Monsters, Inc. reaffirms the fact that a good animated movie can be every bit as stimulating and satisfying as a live action endeavour. This is an easy recommendation.


    "Just think about a few names for a second: Bigfoot. Loch Ness. The Abominable Snowman. They all have one thing in common, pal: Banishment! We could be next!"
  • pixiepal
    November 9, 2009
    pixiepal
    Ahh, funny movie. Remember watching it when I was young. Pretty good movie
  • liliaxm
    November 8, 2009
    liliaxm
    Not much bad comes out of Disney Pixar, however this isn't my favorite.
  • smartyjones16
    November 7, 2009
    smartyjones16
    This movie has some of the best and funniest quotes ever!
  • tonyapurnell
    November 7, 2009
    tonyapurnell
    Totally loved this movie!
  • reagankrug
    November 6, 2009
    reagankrug
    "we scare because we care"
View All Reviews

Opening This Week

Top Box Office

Upcoming Movies

New on DVD