More Pixar Brilliancy Beats Shrek

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2001)

2001 was supposed to be the year where Dreamworks for once would win the animation war against Disney with their great Shrek. Unfortunately for Spielberg & Co., Pixar would come to Disney's rescue again. Pixar seem absolutely infallible, and they fortify that feeling with Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. is a funnier and warmer film than Shrek and, to me, that forms the most important part of a good animated film. It still doesn't quite reach the peak as Toy Story and A Bug's Life did, but the difference is slim. The story is extremely original and well-written and is bound to keep both adults and kids pinned to their seats through the whole film. (Only one kid started crying, which must be considered acceptable casualties since the film is about monsters.) Even the ending is cut right before the last mandatory reconciliation, making it much stronger. If the story or the incredibly entertaining characters won't do it for you, the animation surely will. There are some details and scenes here never done before. This is, technically, the best achievement in CGI filmmaking so far.
As a footnote, before the movie you will be fortunate enough to see Pixar's 3-minute short For the Birds, which is the funniest short film I have ever seen.
Rating: 8/10