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QUICK PLOT SUMMARY:
Animation - The adventures of Sulley and Mike, two monsters who work for Monsters, Inc. - a company that generates energy through the goosebumps and screams of children.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G
- The MPAA rated this film G for digitally animated sequences.
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Reviewer's Corner
Pixar scores again
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Every few years, the folks at Pixar do something that is very rare and very gutsy
in this cynical and often shallow business of Hollywood. With the eye for immaculate
detail and a perfectly balanced sense of humor and heart, they create a terrific
film for kids and adults alike. Monsters, Inc. is one of those films that works
beautifully on a variety of levels, and from within this glorious achievement of a film
we are given an experience that is nothing short of luminescent on screen. This is a film
that deserves several viewings in order to absorb all the details it offers - from the headlines
on the newspapers inside the city of Monstropolis, to the work-themed posters that line
the locker rooms and corridors of the corporation that is Monsters, Inc., to the realism of
the fur and scales of the characters - this is a story that absolutely leaps out of the screen
and into the joyful hearts of its audience.
Monstropolis is just like any big city in America - full of regular joes like Mike Wazowski
(Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), two blue collar monsters who work
for Monsters, Inc., a corporation that generates energy for the city through the screams and
goosebumps of children. Sullivan - or 'Sulley' to his friends - happens to hold the company
record for screams collected, an honor envied by fellow co-worker Randall Boggs (Steve
Buscemi) who is second runner to Sulley for the record and has his own hidden agenda for becoming
the best in the scream business. As scary as these creatures may seem to the kids they're
hired to frighten, it's nothing compared to how the monsters see it - after all, human
children are considered toxic and any contact with them results in swift and thorough
de-contamination. This film, with all of its silly humor, is really a very intelligent look at
compassion and tolerance as one of these dreaded human children accidentally gets
through the doorway into Monstropolis, causing a very big headache for buddies Mike and
Sulley.
The humor of this film works so well because it plays off of our everyday reality. As easy
as it would have been to have created a magical world for these monsters to dwell in, the brilliance
of this script gives us a very normal world that we can relate to. Aside from the ordinary names
of the characters who populate the story, the same office politics that we are subject to everyday
in our own world are reflected in theirs. This film is more than just the clever idea of monsters punching
in and out of their jobs every day - we're treated to a place where they have car alarms, cornball 50's
style television ads, and sushi restaurants where Mike can take his lovely, fellow cyclopean sweetheart
Celia out after a hard day's work. Not only are we shown a place where monsters have to scare to make a living,
but we are allowed to enjoy rich details on top of details, as we see a bit of water drip down a
locker or watch Mike put in his contact lens.
Disney has a track record of some pretty amazing films, but it is scattered with a slew of
cheap, shallow 'childrens fare' films as well. It's unfortunate that most movies marketed to kids have to be
dumbed down so much, and with Disney's merge with Pixar Animation Studios, perhaps
we will see a gradual end to that kind of studio philosophy. Films like Monsters, Inc., or
previous Pixar films Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), or A Bug's Life (1998)
can show us that films for children - and all ages, really - can be smart and clever. Not only are kids ready
for it, they deserve it. This film will surely be up for many awards come Oscar time, and it
will truly deserve every one of them. We can only hope that illuminating films from studios like
Pixar will continue to somehow elevate above the rest of the churned-out entertainment that the
machine of Hollywood generates for a long time to come.
Reviewed by Jon David Loraditch
What do YOU think? -- November 4, 2001
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WHO SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE:
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- AS A DATE MOVIE
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- Great Bet - There are laughs and tender moments here that should be enough to fill ten dates - and more than enough to break the ice for both parties should it be a new meeting.
- CHICK FLICK
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- Great Bet - I heard plenty of women remarking at the incredible 'cuteness' of the human child, Boo, and there is plenty of good humor and story here for both sexes.
- GUYS MOVIE
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- Great Bet - Plenty of good stuff here for everyone, and guys especially will like the witty banter between Crystal and Goodman - great actors who have a good male following.
- CHILDREN
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- Great Bet - There is nothing here that children won't like - the story never lags, and the film is an absolute feast for the eyes. A couple of tense moments may have the really young children hiding their eyes, however.
- TEENAGERS
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- Great Bet - A lot of very good, smart, and silly humor that is appropriate for all ages.
- GENERATION X
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- Great Bet - This is the type of film that Gen X-ers really go for - a smart, funny film that can be enjoyed for all ages not only for clever dialogue, but as a reflection on our own society and culture today.
- BABY BOOMERS
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- Great Bet - Boomers will enjoy a lot of the film's kitsch references, and a lot of the blue collar, old fashioned lifestyle of the traditional work ethic will be most appreciated.
- MATURE AUDIENCES
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- Great Bet - This is a harmless, fully enjoyable film that everyone will like.
- INTELLECTUALS
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- Great Bet - More technical-savvy members of the audience will absolutely be blown away by the tremendous achievement seen here in the development of computer rendering and animation. The details in this movie are just exquisite.
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WHAT PARENTS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE THEIR CHILDREN SEE THIS MOVIE:
MOVIE DETAILS:
- VIOLENT ACTS
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- Very Little - The only real violent acts here are the cartoonish type seen in the previous Pixar films, as characters bump into one another or fight and scramble over each other.
- SEX/NUDITY
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- None - This is a Disney film - nothing close here.
- PROFANITY
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- None -
- TENSE SCENES
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- Some - Randall Boggs is a monster that scares the wits out of the little human child, Boo. He is a chameleon, salamander-type creature who may seem a little threatening and menacing to some of the younger kids.
- IMMORAL/ILLEGAL BEHAVIORS
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- None -
- QUESTIONABLE CONTENT / UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS
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- None -
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- Children's Value Rating
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This film is an early holiday treat for kids of all ages!
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