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:

Get Boned!

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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

Henry Selick:  [stop motion]  Most of the characters in the coma world are stop motion puppets.

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Goofs

Stu's hands, which were covered in cake, are totally clean in the next scene, when he jumps away from the dog.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Stu Miley: [Buster runs over to Stu, who is near a fountain] Hey buddy! How are ya?
[chuckles]
Stu Miley: How are ya?
[Stu stands up and sees Julie, who is by the fountain]
Julie: [looks into Stu's eyes] Is it you? Is it really you this time?
[they kiss and the camera turns to Herb, who is in the water near the fountain]
Herb: [to the camera] People, for the love of God, take off your clothes. Take *off* your clothes!
[...]

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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

Spoofs The Seven Year Itch (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Little Head"
Performed by John Hiatt

User Reviews

A dark, but very funny film, from the director of "Nightmare Before Christmas."

Starting and ending with cartoons about the titular character 'Monkey Bone' this is a hilarious and visually stunning film.

It is NOT a film for children – so don't let the television adverts fool you into thinking that it is a delightful animated romp in the park for kids. The first cartoon sequence explains – in graphic detail – how the character of 'Monkey Bone' got his name; and it is not something that can be repeated in this forum.

Unfortunately, when I went to the matinée the audience was primarily children.

When Stu Miley (S Miley – get it?) is tricked into staying in the 'Downunder' (the place where people in a coma go to) to provide nightmares for the denizens of 'Downunder' the film becomes much too frightening for children; but more visually elaborate and stimulating for adults.

The sound track starts out strong and only gets better.

Brendan Fraser is wonderful as Stu the comic book author who has a very dark side to him. Bridget Fonda is underutilized as Dr Julie McElroy the sweet and good-natured girlfriend of Stu. Megan Mullally as Kimmy, Stu's sister who wants to pull the plug on Stu (though it is never real clear why) essentially reprises her role as 'Karen' from the television show 'Will and Grace' – but she is always a delight to watch.

Rose McGowan ('Scream') is a visual treat as Kitty – the lone citizen of 'Downunder' that is willing to assist Stu in returning to the real world. Whoopi Goldberg is fabulous as Death – just the right amount of sly wickedness that you would expect of an embodied death.

But Chris Kattan does a real star turn as the Organ Doner – his physical comedy and outrageous antics as a recently deceased gymnast are truly riotous and quite different from the characters he has played in past films or currently plays on Saturday Night Live – it is worth seeing this film just for his performance.

The plot is actually fairly complicated and the graphics and visual style are brilliant and mind-blowing; but again, this is not a film for children. However, most adults that can see the possibility of the humour that might actually lie in death will certainly get a kick out of it.