Monsters, Inc., A quirky twist on the interactions between monsters and humans

Rating: 9/10 (3 May 2016)

This family-friendly animation takes place in the world of monsters. At Monsters, Inc., the monsters enter doors, leading to the closets of children on a quest to scare as many of them as possible to fill up energy tanks that help keep their city powered. As with many companies, Monsters, Inc. keeps track of top performers, thus invoking a competitive spirit amongst the monster employees. Things change when Sullivan, also known as Sulley (voiced by John Goodman) stumbles upon a little girl named Boo (voiced by Mary Gibbs) and is forced to face and perhaps overcome his fears.
Sulley is the top scarer and has been for many months. His best friend Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal) stays close by helping him stay in top performer shape, though he sometimes gets sidetracked by his romantic interest, receptionist Celia (voiced by Jennifer Tilly). Sulley's fiercest competition comes from Randall (voiced by Steve Buscemi) who will do whatever he can, with some help from his sidekick Fungus (voiced by Frank Oz), to snag the top spot from Sulley, including cheating.
Humans, primarily children, are a feared species, so when Boo, who Randall has a lot of success frightening, enters Monsters, Inc., it changes Sulley's life forever. Initially, Sulley is afraid and does everything he can to get rid of Boo. As Sulley gets to know her, over the course of time, he becomes less fearful and even turns into Boo's protector. Eventually, Sulley learns that his fear, along with the other monsters, of children is misguided and over exaggerated due to lack of knowledge. This makes me think of the movie Inside Out and how our emotions can lead us astray if we don't keep them in check. Once Sulley gains some insight, his new awareness ultimately leads to a delightful change in how business is conducted at Monsters, Inc.
There were shadowy effects throughout the film which added a sense of suspense. However, the lighting on Sulley is soft, which gave warmth to his character, even though he's one of the largest monsters. The transitions from scene to scene were smooth. The music effects are suspenseful, happy and playful in the right areas. The attention to detail in all sectors made the movie thrive.
I really enjoyed Monsters, Inc. I would rank it as one of my favorite animated movies. The writing is funny and witty, and the props are clever. I look forward to watching it again. It was a nice spin on overcoming fears and not judging a book by its cover. Two lessons that are universal and relatable to all ages, races, and genders.