Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley finds his world disrupted.

Directors:

Pete Docter, David Silverman,

Writers:

Pete Docter (original story), Jill Culton (original story),

Stars:

John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs

Top 250 #217 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Goodman	...	James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (voice)
Billy Crystal	...	Mike Wazowski (voice)
Mary Gibbs	...	Boo (voice)
Steve Buscemi	...	Randall Boggs (voice)
James Coburn	...	Henry J. Waternoose (voice)
Jennifer Tilly	...	Celia (voice)
Bob Peterson	...	Roz (voice)
John Ratzenberger	...	The Abominable Snowman (voice)
Frank Oz	...	Fungus (voice)
Daniel Gerson	...	Needleman / Smitty (voice)
Steve Susskind	...	Floor Manager (voice)
Bonnie Hunt	...	Flint (voice)
Jeff Pidgeon	...	Bile (voice)
Samuel Lord Black	...	George Sanderson (voice) (as Sam Black)
Jack Angel	...	(voice)

Storyline

A city of monsters with no humans called Monstropolis centers around the city's power company, Monsters, Inc. The lovable, confident, tough, furry blue behemoth-like giant monster named James P. Sullivan (better known as Sulley) and his wisecracking best friend, short, green cyclops monster Mike Wazowski, discover what happens when the real world interacts with theirs in the form of a 2-year-old baby girl dubbed "Boo," who accidentally sneaks into the monster world with Sulley one night. And now it's up to Sulley and Mike to send Boo back in her door before anybody finds out, especially two evil villains such as Sulley's main rival as a scarer, chameleon-like Randall (a monster that Boo is very afraid of), who possesses the ability to change the color of his skin, and Mike and Sulley's boss Mr. Waternoose, the chairman and chief executive officer of Monsters, Inc.

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Plot Keywords:

monster | scream | friend | girl | best friend | 

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Taglines:

We Think They Are Scary, But Really We Scare Them!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hidden City

Box Office

Budget:

$115,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,090,134 (France) (22 March 2002)

Gross:

$289,907,418 (USA) (26 April 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the German dubbing of the film, the Abominable Snowman speaks the Swabian dialect, which is mostly spoken in southwestern Germany, and makes a reference to wishing he had banished to the Swabian Alps where he has friends.

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Goofs

When the CDA are called the first time in the film, there is a helicopter flying towards Monsters Inc. A Vehicle moves in front of the helicopter whilst it is still flying but the helicopter doesn't come out the other side.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Flint: All right, Mr. Bile, is it?
Bile: Uh, my friends call me Phlem.
Flint: Uh-huh, Mr. Bile, can you tell me what you did wrong?
Bile: I fell down?

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits features the disclaimer "No monsters were harmed during the making of this film".

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Connections

References Analyze This (1999)

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Soundtracks

"If I Didn't Have You"
Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
Performed by Billy Crystal and John Goodman
Produced by Randy Newman, Chris Montan, and Frank Wolf

User Reviews

Does For Monsters What "Toy Story" Did For Toys!

Monsters, Inc.

We were all, at one time, scared of monsters under the bed. Shadows of clothes in the closet. Weird sounds outside in the trees. I remember thinking there were all kinds of monsters in my room - not as much under my bed as in the closet. And once again, Pixar, who brought us "Toy Story" 1 & 2, plays on both adults' memories and children's dreams, making it equally enjoyable for both children and adults.

John Goodman voices James P. Sullivan, known as "Sulley" to friends. He is a big, blue, hairy monster with horns on his head and hands the size of a watermelon. Billy Crystal is Mike Wazowski, his wisecracking, one-eyed best friend. Both of these monsters live in Monstropolis, a world where monsters roam freely. Their city is powered by a rare source of power - children's screams. That is where Monsters, Incorporated comes in. At Monsters, Inc., monsters like Sulley and Mike open portals into children's rooms - through closet doors - and scare the children, capturing their scream in a little yellow bottle. Sulley is the top-scarer, bringing in the most scares. But Randall (the always enjoyable - even when animated - Steve Buscemi), a wormy, multiple-armed lizard-monster with the ability to change appearances to its surroundings, is jealous of Sulley, and will attempt anything to get more scares...even if it means taking a child from the real world and bringing it into Monstropolis. But after the child escapes, Sulley and Mike reluctantly look after it, all the while trying to get it back to the real world before Mr. Waternoose (the late James Coburn) and others find out about the incident...

"Monsters, Inc." does for monsters what "Toy Story" did for toys. Pixar once again not only expands our mind, but our very worlds. I respect their company and commitment values very much, as you can read in my "Toy Story" review. They stick to the values that made Disney films so family-friendly back in the fifties and sixties: Respect for the audience, respect for quality, and respect for the audience's INTELLIGENCE, something Disney, who has recently coughed up a bunch of lousy, thoughtless sequels, has forgotten. Now, I know that LEGALLY Disney is co-creator of "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc.," but they really are not. They just give Pixar the money and get their name branded on the front box of the film. And even then, I have heard multiple claims that Disney is very mean-spirited towards Pixar (read into sequel trouble for "Toy Story 3") and gives them the bare minimum.

But that is straying off the subject. "Monsters, Inc." is one of the most enjoyable animated films I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. I didn't enjoy it as much the first time, but I then bought it, and have since watched it many times. It is an instant classic. I will be watching it years from now, when I am old and frail and in a rocking chair. It ranks right up there with "Toy Story" 1 & 2, and all the OLDER Disney films from the 50's-70's. It has all the elements of a sweet, charming, emotional and pleasurably good-natured animated film. And, more coudos to Pixar: Thank you for not packing it full of the language and inappropriate content that Disney shoves into the dark recesses of their films nowadays.

Not only has Pixar brought back the "Family Film" genre to what it should be, but it also redefines it. Pixar's animated films are some of the most thoughtful, imaginative and enjoyable animated films ever - not to mention 100 % family safe. Thank you, Pixar, for getting back on track.

5/5 stars