Let me introduce you to the wierd cast of characters from this wonderful family film.
James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), a huge, intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots and horns, known as "Sulley" to his friends.
Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a lime green, opinionated, feisty, one-eyed monster Sully's Scare Assistant, best friend and roommate.
Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi), the sarcastic chameleon monster who schemes to replace Sulley as Monsters, Inc.'s top Scarer.
Henry J. Waternoose (James Coburn), the factory's crab-like CEO.
Celia (Jennifer Tilly), the beguiling serpent-haired receptionist .
Boo (Mary Gibbs), an uninvited visitor from the human world, a tiny girl who turns the monster world upside down.
Roz (Bob Peterson) accountant who just loves her paperwork and a slug like monster that has a secret.
The Abominable Snowman (John Ratzenberger) a monster who was banished to the world of humans. He just loves the cold an snow.
Fungus (Frank Oz) he is the Scare Assistant to the deplorable Randall.
George Sanderson (Sam 'Penguin' Black) an unfortunate monster that is contiminated by a human.
And there is an huge cast of supporting monsters.
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"You've been number one for too long, Sullivan."
Academy Award Winning© PIXAR brings another wonderful motion picture to the screen that all the family and those tall older children will enjoy...yeah,
guys like me. Not taking the children and yourself to this one would be doing yourselves and your children a dis-service. MONSTERS, INC
is just great fun to watch. Personally, I enjoyed this film much more than I enjoyed
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSPER'S(SORCERER'S) STONE. It certainly was much more fun and comparable to TOY STORY as well as
A BUG'S LIFE. A clean well written story and superb computer graphics make this a standout motion picture.
"I'll kidnap a thousand children before I let this company die."
This basic story concerns those fears that, we, as children have had. Remember that scary closet or those terrible monsters we just knew were under the bed.
We were terrified that once the lights went out they would jump out and scare the bejeebers out of us. Remember those nasty days? Well this story shows us
the view from the other side...the monster's side. Yup, actually they are scared of children. They are horrified at the thought of a child touching them. So there is
the basic idea but first...
FOR THE BIRDS a short Pixar cartoon accompanied the movie. It is a cute little picture about about a bunch of snobbish birds sitting on a line.
That's all I'm going to tell you. AND NOW FOR THE FEATURE PRESENTATION...
"Goodnight sweetheart."
A so the fable begins. A little boy is put to bed by his parents. The lights go out and a breeze blows gently throught the open window and under the bed a pair of
menacing red eyes. The monster sneaks out from under the bed an hovers over it's hapless victim. It's arms outstretched in that classic monster pose. The boy
wakes up and screams; the monster panics and runs around. Suddenly a voice rings out...it is only a simulation run by a monster trainer.
"Simulation terminated."
We are on the monster world in the the city of Monstroplis in the building of Monsters, Inc a power company that harnesses the screams of children and turns
them into electrical power to run the city. These new monster recruits are being trained to scare children so as to make them scream. The first thing all these
trainees are told to remember not to be touched by these fearsome children as they will be contaminated. Boss and CEO of this power company is
Henry J. Waternoose a crablike monster that runs roughshod over his employees as times ar tough. It seems the monsters have to become scarier as children
are not scaring as easily. He pushes his monster employees to be the best they can be to make those children scream so they can harness enough power to
keep the money flowing in. This is obviously a reference of how the writers believe that children are becoming more and more jaded by violence in today's media.
"There is nothing more toxic, more deadly then the touch of a child."
Boss Waterhouse's best top kid Scarer is James P."Sulley" Sullivan, a big blue hairy monster that is on the verge of becoming the all time Scarer champion.
Each Scarer has a Scare Assistant, but Mike Wazowski, a green one eyed round ball like monster is also Sulley's best friend and roommate. Each morning Mike
takes Sully through his exercises to help make him the best Scarer around.
"Mikey, there's a scream shortage."
The film had a funny inside joke that some of you will understand but for others it will just zip over your head. Mike is going to take Celia, serpent-haired receptionist,
out to dinner at a restaurant called Harryhausen's. Alright now how many of you get the gag? What only a few gray haired reader? Okay Ray Harryhausen was a stop
motion animator that used to bring monster movies to lie. MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, JASON AND THE ARGONAUGHTS and many more
classics. It was a nice homage to a master that finally stopped making movies since computer animation made him outdated. Thanks Pixar guys, that was nice of you.
Also keep an eye out for the scene with a newspaper called The Glob. I certainly hope I don't have to tell you what that is referring to, right?
"I'm just trying to make sure there's enough screams to go around."
Back to the story. Randall Boggs is a rival of Sully's. He wants to be Scarer Champion but actually he is involved in a more sinister plot. He is ultimately responsible for the
little girl who comes through a closet door to terrorize Monstropolis. The doors you ask? Well the company has these doors that lead to the closets of children on Earth.
Each child has its own door. The assistants set up the doors for the Scarers, so as they return with the children's screams the assistant sets up another door for them
to go through. These doors take the monsters to every corner of the world.
"Hear that. That's the wind of change."
Randall brings back a little 3 year old girl from the real world but loses her and she ends up after a series of misadventures with Sully and Mike. Randall had plotted to use
the child to increase the power output by forcing the child to scream so his Scream Extractor could harvest the screams. Now he has lost her and he must search all over
the city for her.
"Hey, may the best monster win."
After the initial panic and terror Mike and Sully become attached to this little infant. Sully eventually becomes so smitten with the child that he names her Boo. Little Boo is
not scared of him in the least but finds him funny and likes to play with Sully. Considering that the artists have made him so loveable it isn't hard to believe why
Boo is smitten with Sully.
"I plan to."
This child in Monstropolis scenario supplies lots of laughs that I will let you see for yourselves. The scene where Sully takes Boo to see Mike at the restaurant will leave you in
stitches. When the monster patrons see the child all pandemonium breaks loose as the monsters panic and flee for their lives. Sully and Mike hide the child and leave with
plans to take her back throught her door.
"An entire scare floor out of commission."
Monstroplois television news declares... KID-ASTROPHE. The city is in a panic and the CDA (Child Detection Agency) begins to search the city to decontaminate the child
and everyone it comes into contact with. They are so terrified because this is the first time in history that a child has ever entered their world.
"Hey kitty."
In several scenes we are shown just how powerful Boo's screams and riotous laughter can be. When her emotions get carried away the city experiences incredible power
surges. This gives Sully and Mike knowledge on how powerful her emotions can be.
"I was just thinking about the first time I laid eye on you."
The story takes several nice twist and turns and even has Mike and Sully banished to the real world where they are saved by another monster that had been banished much
earlier...the Abominable Snowman. Mike and Sully have to find an active door that takes them back to save an endangered Boo. They succeed and it leads to a great climax
that is guaranteed to please everyone.
"I think Boo is in trouble."
The great strength of this film is that like Shrek there is a great deal of emotion buried in the humour. It runs throughout the entire film touching your heart. It is
hard not to be emotional especially when it comes to baby Boo, as the animators have certainly gone out of their way to make her so incredible cute. She could melt
anyones heart.
"Hey. Mikey I don't think this child is dangerous."
The resemblance of many of these monsters to the Jim Henson muppets and puppets tends to make them more loveable than horrible. This of course is another
reason why we feel so comfortable with these characters. Why they are so loveable. How can you feel scared of these guys when you see a monster like George Sanderson
totally freak out when a humans sock is discovered on his. How can you find him threatening when he is disinfected by being total de-furred. His scenes are just too funny.
"Once you name it, you become attached to it."
Just so that we remember that we are supposed to be dealing with monsters, first time director Pete Docter gives us a glimpse of what regular children. Actually
the scene was designed more to show Sully what the children see when he scares them. While trying to find Boo whom is hiding in the simulation training room he
is coerced into giving a demonstration of how he scares children. The visage we see is really scary, so much so that Boo sees it and is absolutely terrified of him and
runs away. Sully is taken aback by this and is hurt that Boo would run away from him. Not until he looks at his frozen facial images on the monitors does he really see what
he looks like when he terrorizes the children. This is a revelation that totally disturbs him to the point where he will never do it again. I have to warn you the scene is jarring
because it is so out of place yet so necessary.
"I'm sorry Wazowski, Randall said I'm not allowed to fraternize with the victims of his evil plots."
"I hope that hurt Lizard Boy."
"That's right Boo, you did it. You beat him."
"You mean I can't ever see her again."
"Go ahead, go grow up."
"Kitty has to go."
"It only works if you have every piece."
The film sparkles with great animation and dialogue. Little Boo is taken through a wide range of computer designes emotions that are only surpassed by the
millions of individual hairs that move realistically on Sully's hairy body. When you see the hairs blowing in the wid I am sure you will be impressed. You can be
certain that any large dolls of Sully that end up on store shelves will disappear as fast as the employees can stock shelves. The big, loveable blue hulk is a real
crowd pleaser.
"Look Ma! I'm dancing."
This popcorn movie will definitely have you happily returning to see it more than once. This off course means that the boxoffice grosses should pile up nice and
high making up for a summer of dismal Disney offerings. MONSTERS, INC is time well spent. So what are you waiting for...pack up the family, start your
car and away your go to your nearest movie establishment.
"I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you."
Just a little note before I sign off. Randy Newman composed and played the end song called, "If I Didn't Have You." It is sung by both John Goodman and Billy
Crystal in character. What was surprising was that the audience sat through the song while the end credits rolled. This as you know doesn't happen often so join
the crowd sit back and enjoy the song. Don't be in hurry to rush out. Get your monies worth. Happy viewing.
"Nothing ever happened gentlemen and I don't want to see any paperwork on this."
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NO MONSTERS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS MOTION PICTURE.
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