Fun for all ages

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2003)

This is another enjoyable animated feature from the Pixar studios and one of the reasons they can entertain a more older audience is the subtle references that they make from other sources. The story is about a world called Monstropolis where monsters live and their world is powered by the heat of childrens screams. Monsters go through doors that lead into the closets of children in the real world and its the monsters job to frighten children so that their scream can be harnessed and used for power. The top scream collector is Sulley (John Goodman) who is a big hairy monster and he works in the factory that builds the doors and where collectors are to pass through. Sulleys best friend is a big walking eyeball named Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and they discover that a human child named Mary and nicknamed Boo (Mary Gibbs) has passed through into Monstropolis and together they try and get her back but the alert has gone out and the monsters of Monstropolis think that humans are toxic and can kill you. Its always fun to watch these films and its because the computer animation that Pixar does is so detailed and intricate. Each hair on Sulley seems to have a life of its own. The stories are engaging as well as they seem to be about simple things that we can all relate to. Monsters waiting in the closet, we have all grown up thinking about these things and its fun to watch these old phobias come to life. One of the subtle references I was talking about is where Mike is eating in a restaurant called "Harryhausens". This is of course in reference to the great Ray Harryhausen who is a pioneer in special effects for films. This film also has the Oscar winning song "If I Didn't Have You" by Randy Newman and he has become a Pixar staple with his music. Very enjoyable animated feature that has more to offer than just a kids flick. Adults will definitely get a kick out of it as well!