Monsters Inc.
Back during the beginnings of Pixar when they were starting to make a name for themselves, they already proved themselves to be a successful company since they made three movies that well both critically and financially. The three movies I just mentioned were all because of a man you may know as John Lasseter...before the whole unwanted hug business that came out many years after which, but anyway, Pixar's fourth movie was given to the hands of one of John's best friends, Pete Docter, who made other successful Pixar movies like Up, Inside Out and Soul, but his first movie about Monsters who are afraid of kids is still a classic today as it was when it was released 20 years ago and it even became one of Pixar's most profitable franchises, spawning some video and computer games, animated shorts, a prequel that was released in 2013 about how Mike and Sulley first met in college, and a tv show called 'Monsters at Work' that is airing on the Disney+ streaming service. But now that we are looking into the movie that started it all, will the movie still make us scream with excitement or will we end up crying like Boo does? Let's find out.
The Story: Since this is the fourth movie made by Pixar, it's probably best for you to expect something great from them since they were on a roll in their heyday and thankfully, the movie does not disappoint in the slightest of what is offers. The film does a brilliant job establishing the world of where it's set in, a world of monsters who get their electricity by harvesting screams from children in the human world all while fearing the children due to them rumored to be toxic and they are facing an energy crises when screams start to become scarce. But when looking at the story itself, it's about these two monsters, James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, who are the highest ranking employees of the titular company, being forced to take care of a human infant who they name Boo and try to get her home all while trying to evade forces who are after the girl. Admittedly, the story does have a weak spot of how it can be a typical buddy movie where Mike and Sulley start off as the best of friends, but when Boo comes into their lives, their friendship is tested and they have this dramatic fallout in the movie's third act. However, this kind of thing is the only downside of the movie as everything else more than makes up for it. The biggest example of that is the movie's humor, which I must say that Monsters Inc. is a really funny movie. A lot of the scenes are comedy driven and what makes the jokes work is the dynamic between the characters, the dialogue they dish out, the constant slapstick and wit and so much more. Monsters Inc. is to Pixar what The Emperor's New Groove is to the Disney Animated canon, a movie that focuses a lot more on laughs. It's not just the humor that also brings out the best in the move but the heart as well as it puts a lot of emphasis on the relationship between Sulley and Boo and how she teaches Sulley that there is more to life than scaring. Another thing about the movie that I must give it credit for is the aspect revolving around the energy crises that was said earlier and how it ties in to this great big conspiracy concocted by the villains and how it makes Mike and Sulley's mission to return Boo home to be a lot more complicated. With a movie about laughs, hear and even accidental qualities of a mystery, it's no wonder a lot of people enjoyed the movie when it came out.
The Animation: One thing that Pixar really cares a lot about is its animation and I must say that it really shows in this movie. Even the fact its one of Pixar's early movies does not take away of how amazing it is! May as well start off with the background animation and no other place can reach the full potential of that than Monsters Inc. itself! I mean the factory is one large building and the attention-to-detail on any location that is in it can leave you speechless, whether it be the scare floor, the hallways and, what I consider to be the crowning achievement of background animation, the door vault in the climax during the chase with Randall. As for the rest of Monstroplois, admittedly while the animation does get a little creative with it since it's a location full of Monsters, the biggest flaw that comes with it is that it looks and feels like a generic city. Even when we go to other locations in it like Harryhausen's and Mike and Sulley's apartment, they pale in comparison to Monster's Inc. because they feel like something you can see in the human world. However, one element about the animation that I believe is flawless is the character designs. Words cannot describe how impressive the designs of the monsters are as every single one of them is unique and creative in their own way. This especially true with Sulley as the fur on his body was basically the most complicated thing to animate for the feature. Randall also stands out as a character with a creative design, with his 4 arms and legs, lizard-like appearance and invisibility power. Other designs that sort of stand out in their own way is the crab-like legs of Mr. Waternoose, the medusa-like snake hairs on Celia and even the CDA with their yellow jumpsuits and how they look different on any monster. As for the character animation, I will admit that the way they make the whole variety of different monsters move around is quite, especially the monsters with many arms and legs and other features. Other then the generic-ness of all of Mosntropolis, the only thing about the animation I think is a letdown, it's that the designs can be a bit too distracting when the scene wants to focus on something else, like a scene that features Mike and Sulley can be upstaged by the variety of monsters around them. Beyond those problems though, it's safe to say that the animation is of, for lack of a better phrase, monstrous proportions
The Characters: It would appear that Pixar has a knack for making very memorable characters in their movies back when the comapny got off its feet. Monsters Inc. is of course no exception to that aspect. The film introduces a plethora of characters that are very funny, memorable and likeable and no characters could fill those three categories than the main characters themselves, James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski. One is a big lug with an even bigger heart and the other is an egomaniac with a comedic side to him. They start out the picture as best buds who are just doing their jobs, but when the human kid Booe nters their, lives, they soon go through some sort of character development where Sulley starts questioning the ethics of his job as a scarer and Mike begins seeing that there is more to life than their jobs. As for Boo herself, I completely stand by what I said about her when I reviewed Monsters University. Instead of being an actual character, she is instead a novelty of a cute little girl. All she does is walk around and shout out nonsense and cry and scream a lot, which can get annoying. I know I shouldn't be too hard on her since she is only a baby, but I just can't help but feel as though that the she's meant to capture the audience''s affection for the wrong reasons. But what are a movie's heroes without their villains? And we get a good one with Randall Boggs. As a fellow scarer, he is always considered second-best to Sulley. However, instead of doing that by beating the all-time scare record, he tries to do so in a way that is actually diabolical by inventing a machine that takes away children's screams. If that wasn't enough, we get a great villain with Henry J. Waternoose. I mean, he is just one of the best villains that ever came out of Pixar, on account of how back then, a twist villain was a rarity in movies. And nowadays, it's one of the most annoyingly repetitive things Disney has ever done. He is also quite a relatable villain as who here own a business that you do not want to go under? As for the rest of the characters in the movie, they may not play as big of a role as the good guys and bad guys, but they are enjoyable enough to watch like Celia Mae, Mike's girlfriend with snakes for hair, Roz, the slow-talking slug-monster, the always entertaining CDA, Fungus, Randall's assistant and who could forget the best John Ratzenberger character off all the Pixar movies? (Cue the Snowman saying, "Welcome to the Himalayas!"). If there is something about the characters that I consider my favorite aspect, it would have to be the voice acting. It's the acting that really makes these characters memorable, whether it be John Goodman giving a heartfelt performance as Sulley or Billy Crystal bringing out the comedy with Mike. By the way, Crystal was originally wanted to be the voice of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, but after refusing and sawing how great the movie was, he realized he missed out on a big opportunity and immediately took the chance to voice Mike in this film. Love 'em or hate 'em, I can say, while I have my problems with Boo, I can say that the rest of the characters are people I'd have a good scare with.
Like I said, Pixar was still in its hey-day during this movie. Monsters Inc. is just as good today as it was when it was first released. I must admit that maybe it was a little bit uncalled for when I called the movie overrated when I reviewd Monsters University. I guess I forgot about why the movie was so beloved back in 2001. It's legendary comedy, heartfelt moments, impressive animation, and memorable characters are what the movie utterly amazing! So much so that even after at least two decades, the franchise the movie has unleashed has not worn out it's welcome in the least. People nowadays really consider this to be one of the best movies ever made, and that is why I am giving this movie the AniMat Seal of Approval.
Story: 9/10
Animation: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Score: 9/10