Another kids cartoon on my list!! How many is that in a row it is almost like I planned it this way (No I didn’t – by the way). There definitely seems like there is a batch of them coming through, isn’t there. Which should not matter really as to be honest they are all great films and this one is too and on my list through merit and not because it was convenient to batch some animations together. Release in 2001 and is a Pixar movie distributed by them Walt Disney people (So RT are going to love this one!). As an animated movie it stars the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, and Jennifer Tilly. Music by Randy Newman and produced on a budget of $115m, with Pixar’s name linked to great animation it was always going to turn a profit and it did with a $577.4m return from the box office. Critically (no scoreboard mention) it was loved by many and that includes IMDb with 8/10 whilst Rotten Tomatoes loved it with a 96% which is a surprise*.
To explain the plot will be to describe the world the film is based in. It is a monster world which is similar to America except it is full of monsters. Different types that all live together. The city has portals (or actually they are physically doors) that take the monster to our human world. The city is powered by electricity which is harness by human screams and the most powerful screams are those of children. So to work at the powerplant there are a few types of jobs two that revolve around the main characters in that one will go through a selected door entering the human world via a cupboard door in a bedroom of a child. Assigned monster goes through the portal door and scares the crap out of the child on the other side. Child screams and the power from that scream is harness by the team mate of the monster. The added note here is that the monster are actually terrified of the children as they believe them to be contaminated and any contact with them will cause umpteen issues for the monsters. Meaning the whole moving through portals and back again is strictly controlled and no monster can bring anything back. In this world are our two hero’s Sully and Mike. Sully is a massive purple furry monster and Sulley is a pool ball with one eye and arms and legs. They are a team of scream collectors and they are up for collectors of the year against a lizard like monster who is close on their heels called Randell. To cut the story short Randall is not very nice to children or to rival monsters. One night Sulley finds an active live door left on the factory floor he opens it to check and a small girl walks through and he panics as to get her back without being sent to quarantine but has no luck. It is soon evident that she is not actually toxic and in hiding her they become quite attached to Boo as that is the name they give her. Now they have to get her back without the CDA (Child Detection Agency) finding her all while Randall is trying to Sabotage both meanwhile the factory owner is desperate not to be closed down, which is enough to give you enough plot to whet your appetite.
For me this is just another great movie from the Pixar cannon, which is easy as nearly every Pixar production is great. This is no exception. It is very clever its very funny as well which makes these movies so watchable and re-watchable. As a horror fan that I have been labelled this is still a good film. The characters are simply great and instantly likeable which draws you into caring for them and hoping they succeed. When they get into the inevitable scrapes you feel for them and you are on their side cheering them on which is what you want from a ‘kids’ movie. Its not a complex, story heavy, try and keep up, harrowing, dour, gorefest. It is light and great fun, plenty of action and lots of colour to keep the kids happy and quite simply it works. If you haven’t seen this movie then you have missed out on a Hollywood massive budget good movie, which you would probably enjoy.
*Note- Sarcastic
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