Film review: Monsters, Inc (From Stroud News and Journal)

Film review: Monsters, Inc

MOST children are afraid of things that go bump in the night. I certainly remember lying in the dark convinced an enormous hairy spider was lurking in my bedroom.

Of course perversely the young also enjoy a good dollop of terror just before lights out. For generations, ghost stories have been a favourite. In the early 19th century there were the gory tales of Struwwelpeter. It is no different today with Harry Potter and the menacing Dementors.

Now Disney brings us a new angle on fear with its latest venture Monsters, Inc. The beasties we think are prowling around at night are in fact much more frightened of us than we are of them.

If only I had known, would it have made a difference? I doubt it, because let's face it, a little bit of quivering and quaking is exciting and stimulating to young minds.

In the arcane city of Monstropolis there is an energy crisis, which if not checked will leave its monster inhabitants cold and with a major economic problem. Their power is generated by the screams of children, but sadly young humans don't scare easily anymore.

Monsters Inc is an enormous scare factory, which produces the screams. Its motto is "We Scare Because We Care". Heading the company is one Henry J Waternoose (James Coburn), a large crab-like beastie.

When Waternoose describes his champion scream collector Sully Sullivan's (John Goodman) technique to a group of wannabe trainees he says: "It's all about presence, about how you enter the room."

Sully is a blue furry bear-like giant with a soft heart. His best friend and work-mate is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a manic eyeball with a large mouth, arms and legs.

Mike's weird appearance doesn't stop serpent-haired receptionist Celia's (Jennifer Tilly) adoration for him. Though quite how she thinks they will manage the logistics of a relationship is beyond me.

Sully hopes to keep his title of scarer of the month. However he doesn't realise that resentful chameleon Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi) is after his crown.

Things become extremely difficult for Sully when Boo (Mary Gibbs), a human toddler, accidentally enters the factory. Humans are toxic and according to rumours even a single touch could kill.

This situation is exacerbated when Boo takes a shine to Sully, whom she calls Kitty.

Can Sully and Mike get Boo back to her home before the CDA (Child Detection Agency) get her? Or has Randall got a more dastardly plan afoot?

I confess to being one of the few who find Pixar studios Toy Story, Bugs Life and Toy Story 2 extremely irritating, mostly because I am not a fan of animation. That said, however, one of my favourite films last year was Shrek but that came from Disney's rival camp DreamWorks SKG.

Usually Pixar chief John Lasseter is in the chair but this time Peter Docter is directing his own story, which has been adapted with great inspiration by screenwriters Andrew Stanton and Dan Gerson.

Docter veers towards the gentler Disney characters of old. Monsters, Inc is altogether sweeter than Pixar's last three projects, which is what charmed me so much about Shrek.

There are lots of imaginative witticisms that will appeal to both children and adults alike. The double-edged simplicity of things like little Boo's name and a restaurant called Harryhausens after animation specialist Ray Harryhausen (Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger) is inspired. Unfortunately Mike as our hero's sidekickis very tiresome and doesn't have the magical appeal of Donkey in Shrek. However Steve Buscemi (The Big Lebowski ) must be pleased with his part, as for years he has joked that he has never made a film he could see with his family.

I still think DreamWorks SKG is in front of Disney in the animation stakes. Monsters, Inc is not nearly as funny as Shrek but it is very clever and has a commendable theme - there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

Clare Shepherd

7/10