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Movie Forums :: Reviews :: Monsters, Inc.: Pixar Wins Again! |
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Posted on 11/15/01
Monsters, Inc.: Pixar Wins Again!
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Doubtless you've heard the good news already from every tot and beaming parent in your neighborhood - this one's worth not only the movie ticket, but the squirming kids in the theater, the DVD, and whatever other merchandise your kids (that is, you) want. If you've got no squealing younguns and are partial to amusing animations, you'll find this Pixar piece, like its siblings, deserves - no, it requires your attention.
The story revolves around the struggling power company of Monsters, Inc., run by Waternoose (James Coburn). In the land of Monsters on the other side of our closet doors, visually strange beings work, play, and romance just as we do. However, the energy required to run televisions, appliances, and everything else is not your typical power source. They require the screams of children, captured on scare assignments delivered to professional scarers. Companies such as Monsters, Inc., send their very best into the dark rooms of sleeping children, and the furry man on top is the well meaning James P. Sullivan (AKA "Sulley" - John Goodman). The wondrously green M&M wannabe Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) serves as his coach and secretary, prepping him for each assignment into the human world.
In the Monster world, humans are toxic, and trouble ensues when something tiny this way comes. She's a delectable little thing and without very much in the verbal skills arena managed to warm my heart and make me cry like nobody's business when things got tough. The human element to this film is extremely simple and filled with emotions that will move you right along with your children. For some the child that enters the Monster world may seem sickeningly cute but believe me - as jaded as I am to cuteness, this one got to me - just as she did to the other characters in the film.
Overall, however, the film has quite a few laughs - most of them based entirely on facial expression or physical exertion. What's amazing is that they deliver - in animation! The detail is fantastic in this film...from the way Sulley's fur waves as he moves, to the reflections in glass, to the scratches on old metal pipes. There's lots of fun to be had from the details of the lives these monsters lead, which is owed entirely to the good work of the writers. While this film is not terribly well developed in all areas - some characters, such as Celia, could have been more content and less filler - it did a wonderful job and should be in your collection whether you're a babbling 5 year old or a professional grownup.
This film is on the level of the infamous Toy Story pair, though I'd argue it's not quite beyond them. Pixar's attention to detail, wonderfully developed stories full of fun and feeling, simple human interaction with big heart, and unique characters have allowed them to consistently produce great films that practically demand viewers. With Pixar, you expect an enjoyable film, and that's exactly what you get. If Hollywood were a stock market, you'd buy shares from these guys every time.
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