Monster House (2006)

Director:

Gil Kenan

Writers:

Dan Harmon (screenplay) &
Rob Schrab (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 July 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

There Goes The Neighborhood.

Plot:

Three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.

Plot Keywords:

House | Halloween | Neighbor | Kid | Babysitter

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 15 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 27

4:30 PM

TOON

Cast

Ryan Newman	...	Little Girl (voice)
Steve Buscemi	...	Nebbercracker (voice)
Mitchel Musso	...	DJ (voice)
Catherine O'Hara	...	Mom (voice)
Fred Willard	...	Dad (voice)
Sam Lerner	...	Chowder (voice)
Woody Schultz	...	Paramedic #1 (voice)
Ian McConnel	...	Paramedic #2 (voice)
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Zee (voice)
Jason Lee	...	Bones (voice)
Spencer Locke	...	Jenny (voice)
Kevin James	...	Officer Landers (voice)
Nick Cannon	...	Officer Lister (voice)
Jon Heder	...	Reginald 'Skull' Skulinski (voice)
Kathleen Turner	...	Constance (voice)

Also Known As:

Neighbourhood Crimes & Peepers (Philippines: English title) (review title)
Zemeckis/Spielberg Motion Capture Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Ireland:PG | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:MG6 | Australia:PG | USA:PG (certificate #41005) | USA:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | Hungary:14 | France:U | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Philippines:G | Iceland:7 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | Malta:PG

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

There are several references to both Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis' films in 'Monster House': The toy monkey from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Trees that come alive is derived from Poltergeist (1982). The floating leaf at the beginning of the film is a nod to the falling feather from Forrest Gump (1994). And the basketball brand-named Wilson is a reference to the volleyball of the same name from Cast Away (2000).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nebbercracker gives the TNT stick to DJ, he doesn't take a match. In the next scene, he has a match.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Little Girl: Hello, fence!

Movie Connections:

References "Amazing Stories" (1985)

Soundtrack:

A Little More Love

3D Makes All the Difference....

First of all, let me establish that I have never been impressed by the 3D process. The best that I had previously seen was "Ghosts of the Abyss", but there were still too many glitches for my eye to really buy into the process. I never had a chance to see "Polar Express" in 3D, but wasn't really anxious too because of my previous lackluster responses to the 3D experience. Then came "Monster House"....

I have NEVER seen anything like this before. The story itself is entertaining and very reminiscent of the type of movie that Steven Spielberg would have made in the early 80's, but the 3D element makes it an EVENT! If you have a choice to see this in a regular theater or in 3D, do not hesitate to see it 3D! From the moment the title comes on screen, I knew I was going to see a level of realism in the 3D process that I had never experienced before. In fact, seeing "Monster House" in a regular theater might be akin to seeing all of "The Wizard of Oz" in black and white. It would severely diminish the potential impact of the film. "Monster House" was obviously envisioned as a 3D experience and the technical process envelopes you in the story and the world in which it takes place in a way that is so immediate and palpable.

Lest you think that only the technique is worthy of praise, let me mention that the script, the performances, the direction, the score are all of the fun, adventurous spirit of all the best movies I remember from my youth. It has the feel of "E.T.", "The Goonies", even a little bit of "Poltergeist", just a lot more kid-friendly. The movie isn't extraordinary, but it's a heck of a lot of fun. So a giddy 8 stars for the movie, but an enthused 10 stars for the experience. PLEASE, do yourself the favor of seeing this on a 3D screen!