Fun and Entertaining, but Not a Classic

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2001)

Pixar has released its first mediocre film with Monsters Inc. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. But it lacked the sense of wonder of Toy Story, the character strength of A Bug's Life and the zest of Toy Story 2. This movie has some great scenes and fills the screen with wonderful images, but it falls short of its predecessors.
Maybe living up to the first three Pixar features is an impossible task.
Monsters Inc. has a wonderfully original premise. Monstropolis, the land where monsters live, generates its power from the screams of children. Monsters Inc. is a power plant where the most talented "scarers" pop through closest doors though a portal into a child's bedroom anywhere on earth. They scare, the kids scream, the monsters leave and Monstropolis has their power. A problem arises - kids just don't scare that easy any more. Only the top scarers are getting results. (As the ads say "We scare, because we care.")
There are two masterworks of animation in this film. The first is Billy Crystals character, Mike, who is essentially an eyeball with legs and arms. But even with these limited features, Mike still has phenomenal body language and facial expressions. The second is Waternoose, the boss at Monsters Inc voiced by James Cockburn. Waternoose is this giant, multi-eyed thing in a business suit that creeps along on crab legs, but projects the image of "the boss" while still being creepy. Amazing.
I found Randall, the villain, just not bad enough. To be a Disney villain, you have to live up to the standards set by the likes of Ursula, Uncle Scar, the Wicked Witch and Jafar and Randall just doesn't cut it.
Still a strong recommendation for this film. There are some fabulous visuals, most notably the wild ride through the warehouse of doors, and it sports a very original premise and works it well. I will never think of the number 2319 the same ever again.
***1/2 out of ****.