This has got to be without a doubt, my favourite Disney film to date. I just can't stop watching it
****The Story****
We've always known that there are monsters hiding in our closets, and now this film shows what goes on, on the other side of the door every night.... There's a whole other world back there - Monstropolis. See the thing is, we have to be scared as children, otherwise the monster world, would have no power, which comes from our screams. But things go wrong as the race for top scarer hots up, and a human child - toxic to monsters - gets into Mostropolis. On "Boo's" arrival, it's down to room mates, Sulley and Mike to "put that kid back where she came from"!
****Characters****
Sulley - John Goodman A big blue fury monster with purple splodges. He's Monsters Inc's Top Scarer, and is close to breaking the all time scare record. He accidentally lets "Boo" into the monster world, when he finds a door left on the scare floor. But depite being a big monster, I think "Boo's" name of "Kitty" is much more fitting for him as he's a big softy.
Mike - Billy Crystal A green ball, with arms, legs, a mouth and one HUGE eye. Mike is Sulley's assistant at the factory and room mate. Secretly I think he loves the limelight that bounces on to him from Sulley's success. The pair have known each other since school and are best friends. He's besotted by Celia.
Randal A lizard-like creature, who's also a bit like a centapede. He's the second best scarer at the factory, and desperately wants to knock Sulley off the top spot. Things get out of hand when he works late one night, accidentally allowing a child to enter their world
Mr Waternoose The company owner, the factory's been in his family for three generations. He's a cross between a crab and a spider in my opinion, with loads and loads of eyes and come to think of it, way too many fingers. He's a big fan of Sulley's
"Boo" The child that gets into the monster world via her closet. She's not afraid of Sulley and Mike, finding them amusing. She causes no end of trouble as the pair try to put her back in her room
Ros A slug, who's deadly miserable and seems obsessed with paperwork. Would you believe she's actually voiced by a man!!
***Graphics and Sound****
Being a mix of Disney and Pixar, you'd expect these to be of a high quality, and you'd be right. Everything is perfect in this film. The attention to detail in the backgrounds and the individual monsters. The fury monsters even appear to have real fur.
It's very colourful, which of course is to appeal to a younger audience. And the monsters are drawn in such a way that they're not really scary. There's a lot of detail in the backgrounds, and the city caters for all monsters, both big and small. It really shows the imagination of the artists behind the characters
There are no songs in this film - officially. There's a musical number at the end, but throughout the rest of the picture, there's not. But I don't think it would benefit from any further songs.
****Special Features****
Both discs have features on them.
Preview There's a special clip from Finding Nemo, which was Disney Pixar's next movie. Sadly the clip shown never made it into the final edit of the film, which is a shame because I love this scene!!
For the Birds An absolutely hysterical short cartoon made by Pixar. It's very simple, but cracks me up every time. Enter one odd bird plus a bunch of dumb ones.
Outtakes See where "filming" went wrong as Mike and Sulley mess up lines. I clever idea which allows Goodman and Crystal to come into their element. You can also see the full production of "Put That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help Me"
On the second disc you can see how the film was made, from graphics to voicing the characters. It's quite interesting to watch one of the original ideas for the movie, and see how little bits have made it into the final pieces. You can also see some scenes that were omitted from the final cut.
There's Boo's Door Game, Monster Collecting Cards, and Ros will take you through your induction to the company. I must admit, I found some of the features a bit tedious, but then I am probably a tad older than who're they're aimed at!
****My Two Pence****
I absolutely love this film. The voices are perfect for the parts they're playing, and there are so many gags.
I particularly like the chase sequence towards the end of the film. I won't say too much, as I don't want to spoil it. But did you know Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster are here because they've been banished from the Monster World???
Mums and dads will love this as much as children. And it may even help kids become less afraid of the closet. I can't see anything offensive in this at all, just good all round fun.
One downer might be there though. If children are no longer afraid of monsters in the closet, what bribery can parents use to get them to go to sleep?!
****Price**** I received this as a birthday present but I've seen it in WHSmith for 19.99
More details
Soundtrack
Good
How does it compare to others by the same director?
Outstanding
Value for Money
Excellent
What format are you reviewing?
DVD
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James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) a huge intimidating monster with blue fur large purple spots and horns known as "Sulley" to his friends. His Scare Assistant best...
