We scare, because we care...

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2015)

If there's anything that "Monsters Inc." proves is that the greatest stories, whether targeting a young or older audience (or both within the same person), all rely on a simple yet original concept. It's so simple in the film that you can almost guess it from the title.
What kind of products or services a company named "Monsters, Inc." can provide? Well, what do monsters do best? They scare... but as the tag-line says, it's only business. And like every business, you need a target. Kids, who else? But the real question is : what kind of business would require them to scare poor helpless little kids? Well this is where it gets tricky, in fact children's screams supply Monstropolis' daily needs of energy, as simple as that. Their slogan says "We scare, because we care", so all these monsters provide a necessary public service, and that one of their rules is to never get in contact with the children shows how actually harmless and worthy of our sympathy they are (or are they? ... suspenseful music).
And to add to the enjoyment of a very creative premise, the exposition is a delightful sequence too, plunging us in a world populated by monsters, each one being a gag by himself. Indeed, I could easily figure out the instructions given to the artists during the making-of : "every single monster must be unpredictable, different, funny and somewhat memorable" so we get a succession of animal-like creatures with the most bizarre or sophisticated physical attributes, big, small, invisible, hideous, you name them. And leading the show, we have Sulley and Mike (yeah, it's an Americanized parallel universe, what's the matter?). Sulley is big blue furry one with purple spots, cool and friendly, and Mike the little green Cyclopes, wisecracking and talkative. And don't ask me which of the gentle giant and the Napoleon syndrome guy is voiced by John Goodman and Billy Crystal. Please, don't.
To complete the imagery, the film is all about imagery anyway, some others monsters are such masterpieces of creativity they shouldn't even be called monsters. Like Celia, Mike's girlfriend, voiced by Jennifer Tilly, and whose dreadlocks-like hair are made of adorable little snakes with reactions that almost match their owner (almost). From the ugly sight of the bulged-eye chameleon-like Randal Boggs whose ability to change color borrows more from the invisible man powers, it's easy to guess who's the movie's bad guy and who dubs him of course? Simply, the most funny-looking actor with the same weird-looking eyes : Steve Buscemi. A final honorable mention for James Coburn who voices the CEO Mr Waternoose, a crab-like cigar-smoking head of company who treats his best monster Sulley like a son and Roz, a daunting secretary with a ravaged-by-smoking voice that sounds like scratching fingers on a chalkboard.
And all this colorful gallery works in "Monsters Inc." following a daily routine that coincides with Earth children's bedtime, the company provides a warehouse full of millions of doors from all over the world and each one leading to kids' bedrooms, a parallel universe we're most familiar with or used to. And this is where the little Disney magic works again : the film rings that sensitive chord reminding us the time from our childhood when we were afraid ghosts or monsters would come from the closet. Well, I was more afraid of clowns or wild animals and I was more staring at the window with fearful eyes, but psychologically speaking, that's not the point.
So, let's get back to "Monsters, Inc.". Like any company, they have to face real market issues, one of them is kids growing more and more insensitive to violence, this is why they only hire the best of the best, the monster's 'right stuff' as suggested by the hilarious slow-motion sequence parodying the famous astronaut-walking scene. And apparently, Sulley is about to break the company's record, closely followed by his jealous rival, Randall. But one of Randall's evil schemes allows Sulley to discover that there's one little child he does't scare, a little girl nicknamed 'Boo' who grew an instant fondness on Sulley, inversely proportional to the fear Boggs inspired her. From fear to realization, Sulley also develops feelings toward Boo, and we know where this is leading, that drop of tear for an ocean of thrills and laughs, made-in-Disney.
The third Pixar movie is another little touchstone of creativity and imagery that will delight kids and adults. It's good, it's even great at times, yet it lost to "Shrek" that year, and rightfully so, for Shrek had a less sophisticated concept but treated with more wit and heart. And a parody of fairy material could only win over a concept that, as creative as it is, relies on one gimmick. "Monsters, Inc" has heart too, and some moments between Sully and Boo will make a few eyes cry. But somehow, the film was victim of its own concept, and commits many mistakes with the whole door and closet systems, thus featuring a series of plot contrivances at the crucial final act. Not to mention the little resolution that plays like a nice twist but is revealed to early in the film to leave an impact.
Still, a very good film.