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Title: Monster House (2006)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ryan Whitney | ... | Little Girl (voice) (as Ryan Newman) | |
| 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) | |
13-year-old DJ is observing his neighbor Nebbercracker on the other side of the street in the suburb that destroys tricycles of children that trespass his lawn. When DJ's parents travel on the eve of Halloween and the abusive nanny Zee stays with him, he calls his clumsy best friend Chowder to play basketball. But when the ball falls in Nebbercracker's lawn, the old man has a heart attack, and soon they find that the house is a monster. Later the boys rescue the smart Jenny from the house and the trio unsuccessfully tries to convince the babysitter, her boyfriend Bones and two police officers that the haunted house is a monster, but nobody believes them. The teenagers ask their video-game addicted acquaintance Skull how to destroy the house, and they disclose its secret on the Halloween night. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Let's be clear - Monster House is not your typical 'feel-good' children's movie. That isn't to say, however, that there are never any points where the viewer is allowed to feel good. In fact, I discovered, despite my initial resistance to a movie that I thought would simply impress me graphically, copious moments of warmth and humor within the unembellished and utterly human actions of the characters. This is the movie's paramount success. Not the plot, the myriad celebrity voices, or even the decisively unique and dazzling computer animation. Where Monster House really shines is within the dialogue and behavior of its perfectly believable personalities. From the girl-musings and growing pains of the pubescent DJ and Chowder to the cantankerous rantings of their crotchety old neighbor Nebbercracker, the cast is so natural that one would expect to run across such people within day-to-day life. It is this element that helps Monster House transcend an entirely surreal plot to make an idea so bizarre and twisted seem entirely real.
It is true that Monster House does contain a predominantly dark theme, with a considerable amount of eerie scenes to support it. I don't believe, however, that this should keep it from being shared with children, especially those preadolescences that will soon enough be able to relate to the emotions and actions of its protagonists. As long as younger children have the guidance of a parent or other compassionate adult, this film has the potential be viewed and adored by all ages.