Polygon characters with more emotion than human actors.

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2001)

How do the wizards at Pixar do it? How can they?
That's the only thing I could think about when I watched "Monsters, Inc." yesterday. And realized that, no, nothing I had seen there existed. It's a lot easier when watching traditional animation not to get too immersed in the scenes; after all, you are always aware "this is not here". But CGI is making tremendous advances every day.
Furthermore, it's not only the realistic animation what impresses the most. It's the heart and soul Pixar embed in each and every of its films. Witness "Shreck", a very good film on its own right, for example. It was a major hit when it was running on theaters, yet it's seldom talked about nowadays. Now, think "Toy Story 2" or "Toy Story". Both were movie milestones, and definitely are destined to be classics in a couple of years (dare I say both are "instant classics"?).
The secret, or reason, is in the powerful dose of humanity Pixar gives each and every one of their creations. They all have so many human traits it's very hard not to end up liking (loving?) them as if they were real. In a sense they are, being perfectly well rounded characters in perfectly recognizable situations. The fears and hopes of human beings are indelibly etched in every character (fear of death, fear of loneliness, fear of failure, etc.), which makes them even dearer to our hearts.
From the animated short that's shown at the beginning of the movie (the "Birds" featurette, a very similar concept to the "Carnival of the Animals" section of Fantasia 2000... very funny) to story development, "Monsters, Inc." works like a charm all the way, all the time. Steve Buscemi, John Goodman and Billy Crystal are always having a ball, with a tremendous sense of chemistry between them. Couple that with the prettiest, best CGI character I've ever seen (Boo), and you have a group of superb people playing their parts perfectly well, in a story that is funny, very sweet, and that will leave you filled with love and laughter.

Still... I think this movie comes *this* close to being another Toy Story 2. It's not that it is a bad movie; it's just that TS2 is a landmark; not only the best CGI movie ever, but one of the best movies ever made, period. TS2 most enduring quality is that, to a certain degree, it can soften the most hardened soul with its sweet, beautiful message, while "Monsters" is a bit less complex in its underlying theme. The fact that it managed to retain so much humanity throughout it, though, is a testament that the wizards at Pixar still have that magic touch that eludes so many famous "live actors".
I want more.