Monsters under the bed, monsters under the closet. Are there anymore universal themes in our childhood that we can relate to? Arguably Pixar’s most imaginative film, Pixar is known for creating simplistic stories revolving around childhood themes and “Monsters Inc.” is a success for tapping in to that classic fear of children fearing the monster in hiding in the shadows ready to scare them at a moment’s notice. But what about the monster? What is its purpose? Why does it need to scare us?
Starring Billy Crystal and John Goodman, “Monsters Inc” centers on the world behind the shadows, the world filled with closet and bed monsters, all of whom work for a union in a factory. You see in Monstropolis there are a civilization of various monsters, all of whom live in harmony relying on an energy source that keeps their city powered. The scream of a human child. In order to keep their city energized, they must rely on the scares of a child and they use this as a central business for their world which keeps them in business and alive. One of the many ingenious aspects of “Monsters, Inc.” is that much like our world, the monsters have many myths about the human world which they adhere to and this sets up many a humorous scenario that props up some truly hilarious moments in the film.
To keep this ecosystem going, the monsters must rely on the screams and their top scarer is Sully, a furry blue gargantuan beast of a monster with a gentle temperament. Hoping to top the record, all is lost when a human accidentally make their way in to Monstropolis and Sully and his friend Mike find a young toddler who seems more in awe with their world than horrified of it. Nicknamed Boo, Mike and Sully must find a way to bring her back in to her world before she’s discovered and handed over to the CEO of the company for mysterious plans. Before they know it, they’ve formed a bond with young Boo and “Monsters, Inc.” becomes a classic tale about love, friendship and surpassing the odds to find a common ground in a lonely world.
Pixar simply outdo themselves with “Monsters, Inc.” a film that is adaptable to any audience big or small and while it’s essentially about monsters cute and scary, it also is capable of connecting to the more artistically inclined audiences. There’s also the incredible voice work of Goodman and Crystal who are a natural comedy duo and have remarkable chemistry as these long time friends who have formed a pact to perfect their craft of scaring and find a higher purpose when a child enters their tunnel vision. Like most Disney entries the parental presence is scant, and a lot is made up of little children lost in this new world, but Pixar delivers a fresh and bold take on a classic fear offering dimensions behind our childhood we’ve never thought of. Another great masterpiece from the people at PIXAR and a fun movie all around. Parents take your kids to see this.