Monkeybone (2001)

In a coma, a cartoonist finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone.

Director:

Henry Selick

Writers:

Kaja Blackley (graphic novel "Dark Town"), Sam Hamm

Stars:

Brendan Fraser, Bridget Fonda, John Turturro

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brendan Fraser	...	Stu Miley
Bridget Fonda	...	Dr. Julie McElroy
John Turturro	...	Monkeybone (voice)
Chris Kattan	...	Organ Donor Stu
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Hypnos
Rose McGowan	...	Miss Kitty
Dave Foley	...	Herb (as David Foley)
Megan Mullally	...	Kimmy Miley
Bob Odenkirk	...	Head Surgeon
Pat Kilbane	...	Burger God Representative
Lisa Zane	...	Medusa
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Death
Sandra Thigpen	...	Alice
Wayne Wilderson	...	Hutch
Amy Higgins	...	Clarissa (as Amy D. Higgins)

Storyline

In a coma, Stu Miley a cartoonist who created a comic strip called Monkeybone which features a rascal monkey. He finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone. Naturally, Monkeybone himself is there, and he and Stu quickly start fighting like cats and dogs. When Stu realizes that his sister, due to a pact they once made, is preparing to pull the plug on him, Stu makes a deal with Hypnos, the god of sleep, to help him steal a golden ticket from Death himself. But when Monkeybone takes over Stu's body and escapes to wreak havoc on the real world, Stu has to find a way to stop him before his sister pulls the plug on reality forever!

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Plot Keywords:

death | coma | nightmare | carnival | monkey | 

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Taglines:

Bone 2 B Bad

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude humor and some nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Monkeybone Project

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,685,078 (USA) (23 February 2001)

Gross:

$5,409,517 (USA) (20 April 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1492 Pictures, Twitching Image Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen King was set to make a cameo appearance but was unavailable on the day it was to be shot, due to a scheduling conflict. A look-alike actor, Jon Bruno, was found and appears in King's place. He refers to himself as "Steve King" rather than Stephen King, and is listed in the credits as "Man in Dungeon" for legal reasons.

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Goofs

When the Gymnast flips from the first bar to the second in order to get into the party, you can see grip powder on the second bar from previous takes.

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Quotes

Hypnos: [fustrated] I can't believe it, we give him a body and he sends us dogs? This is so humiliating!
Kitty: [stroking Hypnos] Let's not think about dogs... Let's think about pussycats...

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Crazy Credits

Lisa Zane is listed in the opening credits, however due to editing her entire time on screen is only about 20 seconds.

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: Coraline (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Foxy Lady"
Performed by Jimi Hendrix

User Reviews

A Beautiful Nightmare

"Monkeybone" is one of the most visually stimulating movies I've seen in quite a while! Its run in theaters was too brief, which doesn't do a movie like this justice. The imagery was surreal and disturbing, in a nice sort of way. It was interesting to see the strange denizens of Downtown, the mythological characters, the dead celebrities and so many others. The animated Monkeybone keeps the action and the comedy at a fever pitch. It all may have been too much for the average moviegoer. But I say this weird kaleidoscope is worth a look. You won't believe your eyes!