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The most helpful favourable review
The most helpful critical review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
"Come on! We've gotta find another door!"
Monsters, Inc. is another triumph of computer animation from the wizards at Pixar. As with the Toy Story series, the plot is taken from a "what if?" scenario in a child's imagination. What if the monsters (whom everybody knows dwell in childrens' closets and under their beds) in fact live in a parallel world to ours? Monstropolis City is powered by energy...
Published on 8 Jan 2003 by Jennifer Litchfield
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Screen size!
Ace film as we all know, but beware - this version is NOT wide screen!!
Published 23 months ago by J. D. Strutt
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
"Come on! We've gotta find another door!", 8 Jan 2003
Monsters, Inc. is another triumph of computer animation from the wizards at Pixar. As with the Toy Story series, the plot is taken from a "what if?" scenario in a child's imagination. What if the monsters (whom everybody knows dwell in childrens' closets and under their beds) in fact live in a parallel world to ours?
Monstropolis City is powered by energy garnered from children's screams, which are collected by the workers at Monsters Incorporated. James P. Sullivan and his sarcastic assistant Mike are Monster Inc.'s top scarers, but when Sulley inadvertently lets a small girl into the monster world things start to go awry. Monsters believe that human children are highly toxic, and in their efforts to put little Boo back where she came from, they uncover a fellow worker's sinister plan to revolutionise the scream-collection industry.
One of the few down sides of the film is that at times it is just a little too cute, and Sulley definitely works best as a strong and straight-forward good-guy, as opposed to his attempts to be a moraliser and emotion-analyst. His computer-generated fur though is incredible. Over one million hairs have been animated to move realistically in response to anything from a light breeze to a Himalayan snowstorm.
The concept of a factory that has an exact replica of every child's closet door, and that of monsters living in a world not all that dissimilar to ours is certainly clever; but it is also the little details - such as a "Grossery Store" and "odorant" (rather than deodorant) - which really make the movie. Although the ending is a trifle schmaltzy, this is a film that kids will love, and adults won't mind watching again and again.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Imagination runs riot, 17 Nov 2004
What a treat. The Monsters and the energetic little toddler, Boo, are not just cute, they're great personalities too - and so well animated. The film's entertaining from start to finish and a couple of the extras are as good as the film, in their own short way. Some of the good things on this DVD: A wonderful story. The world of the monsters runs on the power of screams that the monsters have to generate by scaring human children. They have a whole industry dedicated to extracting these blood-curdling shrieks from the poor, terrified little kids. Each child is matched with its ideal monster and their monster passes from the power factory in Monstropolis through one of thousands of bedroom closet doors - one for each child - into the child's bedroom where it carries out its job and the resulting scream is captured in a flask. The monsters have to be very careful though because they believe that children are highly toxic and can kill them with a touch. The monsters are actually tremendously alarmed at the prospect of contact with a human child. If only the children knew .... Excellent characters. The main ones are outstanding. The little girl, Boo is too cute to mention. Sulley (big, woolly, top scoring scarer) and Mike (small, walking eyeball and Sulley's best friend and assistant) have all the usual concerns of the average working man and they're also funny. Mike has a girl friend (she may be my favourite). She has one eye and snakes for hair. When she gets romantic with Mike, her snakes get all romantic with him too. When she gets angry with Mike, they all rattle their tails and glare and hiss. Those animators must have been inspired. What a clever idea. Randle, Boo's special monster - the one that really scares her - moves like a centipede. He's a real villain with a wicked plot go maximise scream power. Brilliant extras. In particular two short animated films: "For the Birds" and "Mike's New Car". I've watched them more times than I've watched the main film. Both are very funny. I've found that I can't even think about "For the Birds" without starting to laugh. There's one scene in the film where several of the small, quarrelsome birds are taking the Mickey out of the big, friendly bird - pulling faces and bristling their feathers. You'll need to see it to believe how funny this is. I recommend this DVD. It'll be played over and over again.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Funny, Charming--and those Amazing Graphics!, 18 Mar 2003
Just saw MONSTERS INC. for the first time, and although I wasn't looking forward to some of the cutsy schmaltz that sometimes overly pervades certain Disney films, the entrancing--and vivid--computer animation totally sucked me in, so much that I soon couldn't care less about whatever corny little story the screenwriters were trying to make me believe. However, a funny thing happened during my ongoing visual and aural animation: I actually started caring about the story, about the characters created only from photons and actors' voices--as well as from a screenplay that is completely inoffensive to little ears, yet also listenable to bigger ones. And the graphics--wow! At times I found myself forgetting that this wasn't live-action, especially during what I felt was the best scene, one that reminded me of a wicked inverted-rollercoaster ride. Well, there you have it: a film that everyone from five and up can enjoy, for different aspects of it. Aside from the wonderful visuals, of course we also get two of the best vocal acting performances in recent memory, from Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Yes, we also get some of those patented Disney/Pixar fake 'outtakes' during the closing credits (I know they're a bit corny by now, but they're still kind of cute). With all of the extras on the DVD, I'd say it's a good buy--whether you have a kid or not. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Utterly Fantastic, 16 Dec 2003
Five stars really doesn't give this film justice. It is the best animated film ever, yes better than shrek and definetely on par with Toy Story, if not better. This is one of my favourite films of all time, without question.Pixar are absolutely brilliant. I mean they take such a simple yet unoriginal idea (monsters coming out of children's cupboards at night to frighten them) and they elaborate it to make an utterly fantastic film! The plot is simple yet effective, the characters are superb; Boo is the cutest character ever to grace the screen, it's hilarious; Mike is just the funniest character in this, the animation is excellent, it's just one of the finest films ever made! The special feaures are also superb, with over 3 hours of them, you will love it! This film should be in everyone's collection. It's not just a kid's film, im 18 and i absolutely love it! I cannot stress how good this film is and if your a fan of Pixar, i cannot stress enough how important it is to have this DVD. Buy it, watch it, love it, watch it again and again and.......you can watch it again and again and still laugh it, no joke. Buy this now, it is an outstanding film!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Another bit of Pixar genius, 1 May 2006
Pixar hits all the right notes, working at lots of levels to entertain all ages. Great movie.
The plot is excellent and makes sense. In fact, in my view, it makes a damn sight more sense than the Matrix. For the uninitiated, the premise here is that the monsters need to pass through special portals to scare children, as that is how they get their energy. The plot of Matrix is that all humans are keps in battery pods to extract energy, while our minds are sustained in an entirely artificial universe in order to keep them from getting too bored and switching off our bodies. Call me simple minded, but the Monsters Inc plot makes more sense to me.
The scene in Monsters Inc where they are chasing through the door/ portal warehouse, and in and out of different points on the globe, is stunning.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Monstrous Fun for the Entire Family, 29 May 2003
Remember when you were a kid and you were sure there was a monster in your closet waiting to get you? Guess what, you were right! But the monsters didn't really want to hurt you. They just needed the power of your scream to keep their city running properly.Meet Mike and Sulley. Sulley is the top scarer at Monsters, Inc., the local power company, and Mike is his best friend and assistant. With the exception of Randall, who wants to take the honors away, life is going well. One night, however, Sulley returns to the scare floor to find one door has been left behind. Investigating further, he accidentally lets a little girl into their world. Believing that kids are toxic, Mike and Sulley try to figure out a way to get her back to her room without getting in trouble for letting such a danger into their world. Pixar has scored again - big time. They seem to get better with every film released. Here, they present a heart warming tale with loads of humor that will make the entire family laugh out loud. The characters, while looking like monsters, do have a certain cuteness about them. And they have wonderful hearts, making them easy to like and root for. "Boo," the little girl, really steals the show. The animators did a wonderful job creating her. The idea that monsters are actually afraid of kids is inspired, providing some funny moments. The graphics have come a long way; the effects are wonderful, but they never get in the way of the story, which is tight, entertaining, and lots of fun. And that climax. I want to ride on those doors as well! As always, the folks at Pixar know how to release a DVD. The movie itself is presented directly from their computer files so you get a wonderful picture and sound. The audio commentary is informative and eye opening, and the second disc contains over three hours of extras that show all the hard work that went into creating this masterpiece. While some moments might frighten young children, most will fall in love with the almost cute stars and be so caught up in the fun of the story that they won't notice. Pixar hit just the right note to appeal to kids and the parents they drag into the theater. They're four for four in my book and I can hardly wait to see what they do next.
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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
Watch out for the aspect ratio!, 10 Sep 2002
"Monsters Inc" is a fantastic film - no questions. My partner & I were anxious to buy it on the day of release. However, what we did not realise is that the "standard edition" of the DVD features the film in 4:3 aspect ratio. To get it in 16:9, you must buy the "collectors' edition".This is a surprising choice by Disney. For years, film buffs have insisted on their right to see films at home in a similar aspect ratio to that used in the cinema. The arguments about not losing any of the picture must apply doubly to a movie produced entirely in CGI, where every tiny object that you see on the screen took hours of rendering. The majority of DVDs come only in 16:9 or in a dual format, with one side of the disc showing 16:9 and the other 4:3. To release this only in 4:3 seems like a step backwards. The cynic in me would say that they're trying to rip-off consumers, by getting them first to buy the "standard edition", then to buy the "collectors' edition" at a few pounds more. If you are a film connoisseur, you must buy the "collectors' edition" to see the movie as it should be shown.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Favourite Moments In Movie History #7, 31 Jul 2009
"Boo?"
Pause.
"Kitty!".
Best ending ever.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
A monster of a film, 16 Jun 2007
The three most controversial things (judging by people's reactions) I have ever said were:
1 - Ripping Yarns is better than Fawlty Towers
2 - I don't really find Morecambe and Wise that funny.
3 - Shrek was not as good as Monsters Inc.
Obviously this review concerns the third item in the above list. And I still stand by it!
Monsters Inc was ground-breaking at the time. The level of detail and processing power to generate individual hairs was phenominal, and still is.
This film is so good because of the 'real life' aspect. It is (on it's most simple level) a film about two guys who work in a power station. They have the same worries as real people - it's just that they are monsters!
The concept behind the power generation (children screaming) is genius, the end of the film could have been handled in a really grotesquely cheesy Hollywood way, but with the humour between Sully and Mike - the film pulls this off in a dignified non-sickening way.
I've mentioned the quality to detail in this film, and the overall look of the film is stunning. Boo is cute, The baddies are adequately scary/devious looking, and the goodies are monster-like with a good dose of cuddliness. The film is bright and appeals to my daughters, they'll love it more when they're older and can appreciate a lot of the humour.
The humour isn't childish humour, it can be enjoyed on all levels. John Goodman and Billy Crystal are established comedy actors, and their talent makes this film shine. Other fantastic comedy actors lend their talents too, such as Cheers' star John Ratzenberger voicing the Abominable Snowman ("Don't worry - It's Snow!"), and Steve Buscemi.
This is an enjoyable film with an intelligent plot, it's easy viewing as you'd expect form a family film, but one which I'm sure almost everyone would enjoy. The way Sully and Mike interact with each other is great, and seeing all the characters in the work place is bound to bring to mind people whom you work with yourself.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
A riot for two-year olds of all ages, 9 Feb 2003
If you have small children, movies such as this are worth their weight in gold: the kids love it (our two year old can barely start the day without at least seeing scare trainee Mr. Vile whose friends call him "Phlegm" and his ill-fated run through the bedroom simulation), and since the kids love it, you'd better get used to the idea of YOU watching it OVER AND OVER AGAIN. And here Monsters, Inc. (along with the Toy Story movies and the outstanding Shrek) really shows its mettle: even for my (somewhat addled) parental brain, this film stands up to repeated scrutiny: I think I could probably recite the entire script verbatim and I still get a kick out of it. Partly it's the characterisation - Goodman and Crystal are as good as you'd expect, but the secondary characters are their equal - the adolescent door shredders and, of course, Mr. Vile are amongst my favourites. Every aspect of the film rates highly: the script pops and fizzes (probably thanks to Crystal's ad-libbing), the computer rendering is brilliant (though I still say Shrek is the undisputed CGI heavyweight championship of the world), and the grand scheme of the film - its look and feel, is just remarkable. Viewers who complain that the darker aspects of the story weren't adequately explored seem to have missed the fact that, first and foremost, this is a story for very small children. And besides, there's no way I'm marking down a film that guarantees me a half-hour lie-in on a Sunday morning just because it isn't nasty enough. Two nitpicks (neither of which rob the film of the five stars it deserves): Firstly, the standard version I bought isn't the full widescreen version (this wasn't made clear on the tin, and even if it was, it is a curious and rather cynical decision on Disney's part), and secondly, to get the movie to play you have to scroll through a bunch of other Disney trailers - there seems to be no way to avoid these (other than impatiently cueing through them). This is standard Disney practice - although what they think it will achieve is beyond me, no matter what they do I'M NOT BUYING TARZAN - and it is irritating as hell. But as soon as the family sees Mr. Vile hopping round the room frantically removing jacks from his arse, all is forgiven.
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