*** Official MONSTERS INC. Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Michael Reuben]

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing this and the AOTC trailer tonight (projected digitally too, woo-hoo!)

I saw the DLP presentation at Loews E-Walk this afternoon, and it's spectacular.
M.

 

[Rich Johnston]

I agree with Ron, the movie didn't quite have the same feeling as Toy Story. Still worth seeing.
As for the Star Wars trailer, I liked it. It's quick, but it's all in the set-up. I don't want to give anything away, but it worked for me. Those kids should be far more scared of that trailer than anything in Monsters Inc.

 

[ChristopherS]

I think you have to be careful with Rotten Tomatoes. For the ratings the reviewer either liked it or hated it. There is no in between. If you read some of the critics comments, you will notice that many are saying the same thing Ron did. It is a good children's movie. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but young children will appreciate this more than most adults.
Chris

 

[Matt Stone]

I'm not going to say much about Monsters Inc...mainly because I liked it, but I will address the EII trailer. I personally though it was a great TEASER....remember, we are doing with a teaser here, not a full trailer. It is still lingering in my mind...which, if you didn't know already, is the point of a teaser. So all-in-all a good trailer.

 

[steve jaros]

Monsters Inc. is outstanding! Funny and sweet, and the animation is amazing.
Better than Shrek, IMO.
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History can be cruel in its brevity of words

 

[Leroy]

Just got back from Monsters Inc. and I, along with my nephew, really enjoyed it. There was even clapping at the conclusion.
As for the teaser, WOW. It does exactly what it should, tease the crap out of you and makes you want to see more!!

 

[Seth Paxton]

Well, it's getting to be a little too often that I disagree with Ron, but here it is again. I haven't seen most of the rest of the discussion so my opinions will be untainted by others at this point.
First, I am one of those people that find TPM to have become more and more grating each time I see it. Not because of it's "rep" but because once you take away the spectacle of it being SW, it's just lacking in good script writing.
So imagine my surprise when I found myself more than a little interested after seeing the new Clones teaser. There were some very interesting shots shown, plus the TONE of the trailer and the shots being used indicates to me at least an attempt to SELL Clones as the "darker" (ie, maturely written to appeal to all ages) film that Lucas has been speaking of. Maybe it's just sales, but at least he recognizes what the film SHOULD be, which gives me hope. Too bad it took a film to figure it out as I think the basic story in TPM was great, just poorly scripted scenes/characters. Anyway, color me back to being interested.
Then we had a GREAT short before the film "For the birds". Pixar continues to amaze not just in animation but in characters. I know they are Disney, but I think you know what I mean when I say they are the "new" Disney. They are making pure magic with their animation, combining beauty and skill with wonderful character writing. Even in this short we see the charm of their characters. And by the way, the animation of the wheat field in the background is photo realistic. These are amazing levels they are reaching in animation.
Onto Monsters, Inc. I found it to be JUST LIKE Toy Story 1 and 2 in terms of the level of humor and entertainment. Lots of fun for all ages, good, interesting story, fun voice acting. I didn't think it was just a kiddie movie at all, but highly entertaining light action. The animation is unbelievable. Still not there with humans, but Goodman's Sully character is so real that I honestly forgot at times and thought I was watching some sort of stop motion real model or something. The hair and lighting effects are so dead on that the linger in the area of complete realism. Monsters surprised me a little in being more creative and fun than I had expected. (btw, I'm sure we all noticed that the little girl has a doll of the Cowgirl from TS2).
I'd also like to note the gorgeous opening/closing titles that come right out of the same vien as Saul Bass stuff. I mean they look like the man himself did them. And it shows Pixar's attitude toward great animation because they are such a throwback style, rather than trying to cram in some fancy 3-D modeling they use titles that have an alternative flavor to them. It helps in bookending the film and setting the mood.
I like what Pixar is doing and highly recommend the film, the short film before it, and I'm back on board for Attack of the Clones, at least till I see a bad trailer or here lots of bad reviews. I have hope.

 

[Jeff_P]

I saw both the trailer and movie this morning at the Ziegfeld in NYC. I have to say I enjoyed both.
My take on teaser is exactly what it should be called "A TEASE". It showed us a few short clips from the upcoming film just to wet our appetite. If people are trashing this trailer how about trailers where they show nothing but the title of the movie(A.I. is the only one that comes to mind now). I think it served its purpose. What to people want a small cliff notes movie.
And now onto the movie, I have to say I enjoyed it. I found myself chuckling a few times along with the rest of the audience. And the four kid that sat 2 rows behind me seemed to enjoy it just as much.
Jeff_P

 

[James Mitchell]

I don't mean to offend you Ronald but... come on!
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Jim

 

[Phil Florian]

My wife and I went with another couple to see Monsters, Inc. tonight. We are all 30 something parents with under 3 year olds (who are still too young to go to the theatre, of course...we were merely scoping out their future DVD collection! ).
First, the obvious trailer discussion. The Harry Potter trailer that we saw was amazing looking..completely different from what I have seen on TV and it showed a ton of new character stuff that had me all excited. The Pan trailer sucked. The first one I saw back in the summer made me think it could be something special, but this looked dopey. Oh well. The Star Wars teaser teased the hell out of us. It looked great (as did Ep. 1 of course) and I can't wait. I was let down with Ep. 1 after seeing such a hip looking trailer and I am sure I will be again, but I will enjoy the anticipation until May.
Monsters, Inc. was fabulous. It was a genuinely wonderful animated movie that didn't have to rely on snarkiness and irony to sell to adults while it entertained the kids. The little girl "Boo" who invades the Monstropolis was an amazing character. Her language, as it were, had all the parents in the audience longing for the days their children were that age (and me, with a child that age, made me want to pick her up and hug her...honest...sappy dad and all). Goodman and Crystal's heroes were a great pairing and the villians (Buschemi and others) were great and not too threatening as to completely spook the little ones. The animation, as folks have noted here already, was to die for. I love watching Pixar grow up and hone their craft! The writing was definitely of a lighter vein, almost weightless, but it was joyous and playful as well. For those that require "edginess" (why?) in their film, it was somewhat lacking, but there were plenty of "in-jokes" for us X-ers and Boomers to enjoy. The Harryhousen restaurant, a great homage to the classic Warner Brothers Bulldog/Kitty (what are their names) cartoon. You know the one, where the little kitty wins over the hulking bulldog at the construction site? They aped one particular scene from this (in the WB cartoon, it involved a kitchen and cookies) but it was funny and well done.
And man, was it sweet. Not in the "Dude, that was sweet" vein, but the genuine sweetness that is so lacking in our post-modern slacker too-cool-for-words ironic lifestyle. The movie ended with the audience, kids and adults alike, saying "awww" and clapping. I haven't seen that since...er...
While not as inspired as say Toy Story 2, this is a great film for Pixar and I hope they rake it in so they can do more. For those who want "edgy" animation, I am sure there are plenty of anime fans who will point out where to go for that.
Go see Monsters, Inc. If you miss the trailers before it, it will still be money and time well spent.
Phil
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes.
[Edited last by Phil Florian on November 02, 2001 at 11:16 PM]

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Loved the movie, better than Bug's Life. Was it as good as Toy Story 1 or 2? Nope. Was it still a blast of that wonderful innocence Pixar specializes in? Yuppers. I got my $8 worth.
Episode 2 trailer, mmmmm lightsabers on IMAX screen

No Buffy Trailer tho

Jeff Kleist

 

[Alex Spindler]

Have to say I was thoroughly impressed with Monster's Inc. Not only did it display some seriously incredible animation (the hair, the snow, my god) but it had some excellent thematic elements. It had a huge heart, and had a great deal of laughs. And the ending image was simply perfect.
I must admit that it didn't have the same level of depth of detail present in the other movies, but that may have been a function of the facility (Monster's Inc) than anything. The real environments had some impressive detail. Boo was also impressive, not only because of the fact that they did such a great job with a human (their previous weak point), but they nailed making her character one you enjoyed seeing and cared about.
Overall, I think this outclasses Shrek and Bug's Life by a wide margin, but really isn't capable of competing with the Toy Story masterpieces. I personally think it deserves all the success it can get, because it feels like a well thought out concept and gave me the urge to clap at the end (a rare thing this year)
The Ep 2 teaser was extremely intriguing, and exactly what I want in a teaser (better than the AI and Jurassic 3 teasers).
Also, this was my first DLP presentation. It was both great and bad. It showed colors and detail that I had never seen before, and beautifully. But it sucks for static titles, with stairstepping (jaggies) all over the place. Very distracting, but rarely/never visible in the actual feature.

 

[Bob Cashill]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS HERE...
MONSTERS, INC. is a cute, well-crafted movie, with a few good laughs and droll teamwork from Billy Crystal and John Goodman. The problem is that the storyline, which comes to involve industrial espionage, lacks magic and resonance. The tykes seated near me got a bit fidgety by the midpoint, only reviving for the big finish. [And was anyone else disappointed that Harryhausen's Restaurant didn't contain a cameo or two from some of that animator's best-loved creations? Rights issues, I guess; without them, the joke misses its punchline.]
Lucasfilm will have to try harder to engage my interest in EPISODE II. Heavy breathing and a batch of not-terribly-persuasive digital effects floating across the screen for a few seconds do not excitement make. Or do they just not care anymore, realizing that anything with the STAR WARS imprimatur, no matter how uninteresting, will sell in the jillions? A disappointment.

 

[Graeme Clark]

Just got back from Monsters and though it was wonderful. I laughed quite a bit during the entire movie, and the rest of the crowd (mostly an older teen-adult crowd) seemed to be really enjoying it as well. The animation was incredible, especially the fur on Sully and Boo's facial expressions.
In some ways it's a similar movie to A Bug's Life which was more of a kids movie than Toy Story and was set in an environment that, while we were familar with, were not as attached to it as perhaps the bedroom and toys in Toy Story.
While some of the comedy might not be as "edgy" as Shrek or Toy Story, in my mind it doesn't really suffer because of it. There is plenty to laugh at and enjoy.
For the Birds was also quite enjoyable. It's amazing how Pixar can cram so much character in to round little chirping birds during a 5 minute short. A great warmup for the movie (as was the few little ones there giggling at the lamp jumping in the Pixar logo).
Do not hesitate in seeing this movie.
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[DaveF]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Monsters Inc.".

How did the thread begun by a review from the grand-poobah of HTF become the discussion thread? Guess "Crawdaddy" will have to move Ron's post to the correct thread.
Anywho -- I expect Monsters to do gangbusters at the box office. I saw Shrek twice, and enjoyed it, but I think Monsters far exceeds it, and is even more kid-friendly, while also being consistently more enjoyable for adults.
Also, it is worth seeing Monsters just for the animated short beforehand. Classic cartoon comedy, better than Tin Toy, Luxo Jr., and Geri's Game.
I also liked that Pixar was again able to write a story that communicates at a couple of different levels, as they did in Toy Story 1 & 2.
Further, when I got home, inspired by the AOTC teaser, I watched Star Wars. I was struck by how it is a pre-cynicism era movie, for lack of better phrases. And I think that Monsters Inc. harkens back to that style of movie.
And "Boo" was incredible! I want to see MI just for her!
And, finally, a character like Randell in a movie! I've been waiting for such a beast since _The Lost World_ novel, but somehow that dinosaur didn't make it to the silver screen. (Spoiler if you haven't read the book)
Spoiler:In _The Lost World_ novel by Michael Crichton, there is a chamelon dinosaur, which can mimic complex structures, such as chain-link fences. It was clearly written for the movie, as an amazing FX creature. But it didn't make it. ??? Finally, Randell gives me my monster-chameleon!

 

[Dean DeMass]

After seeing Monsters, Inc. last night, I can say that I actually disagree with everything in Ron's review of the trailer and Monsters, Inc.
SPOILERS AHEAD
If you didn't see my post in the review thread, I just wanted to mention the end shot. IMHO, it was one of the best closing shots in animation and films. It was easily my favorite closing shot of all the Pixar films. I cared for Sully's releationship with Boo, and to see that expression on his face at the end was just an absolute great moment in film history.
-Dean-
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My HT Equipment
"I've seen you and you are not cool."
[Edited last by Dean DeMass on November 03, 2001 at 06:14 AM]

 

[Kirk Tsai]

The closing shot certainly was beautiful and touching. The timing of it is perfect, I can just imagine a typical sub-par filmmaker going for the reunion shot.
I really enjoyed Monsters Inc., but I always like A Bug's Life tremendously. Time will tell, but right now, Monster is behind the Toy Story movies and A Bug's Life for me. Not that it's a shame, I still consider this to a great family film.
Speaking of which, I really don't feel this was a movie only for the kids. Jokes like rolling blackouts, Big Foot, Number One, NFL style training, etc. are not aimed for kids. And though children can clearly relate to the central theme of attachment to a parent figure, so can grownups. The relationship between Sully and Boo is a simple one, but it is truthfully powerful. I think what Pixar does so well in its films is presenting universal themes that everyone can relate to instead of feeding to a particular crowd. Monsters Inc. certainly did so for me.

 

[Richard Kim]

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Anyone else find the child decontamination scenes darkly comical in the wake of the anthrax hysteria? Gotta love those yellow rubber suits.

Also, one of the toys that Boo gives to Sulley is the Jessie doll from Toy Story 2. Nice touch.

 

[Pete_w]

Ron's opinion(and he is entitled to it)of both Monsters Inc and AOTC teaser seems to be in the monority from a quick glance of the postings in this thread. I and my family enjoyed the movie a whole hell of a lot and the teaser was awesome also.

 

[Phil Florian]

I agree that the decontamination scenes were now being looked at in a different light since 9/11 and anthrax overhype. It shows the strength of the movie that it didn't in any way detract from it. In fact, it was as much an antidote to current events as the Daily Show's mockery of the news with "America Freaks Out." When the
Spoiler: large monster who keeps getting "contaminated" finally gets his due when he chucks out the little "tattle tale," it was a wonderful and empowering moment. Though written before the recent tragedies, it really makes the point for people's need to just chill out.
I don't want to sound like an elitist parent (which would be funny, coming from a group of posters who refer to Joe Six Packs with contempt and smugness) but I wonder if the people who had a difficult time enjoying the movie (and so far, they seem in the minority) had children or not. One poster called "Boo" annoying whereas the people I saw the movie with, as well as those around us, giggled with joy at all her very realistic antics. Was it because we were parents and have children like this? I could see these same antics as "annoying" to an older sibling who has seen enough of this, but I am curious about it. Of course, all opinions are valid, so don't think I am challenging any view, just pondering the differences. The only non-realistic point, which is moot really, is that I don't know many toddlers who have a 18 month old vocabulary but is potty trained ("Bob" only knows that it would make my life with my 2 year old easier ). Beyond that, she was one of the more enjoyable characters in many a movie this year.
"Kitty!"
Phil
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes.