A Truly Fanstastic Film, To Be Enjoyed By All

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2008)

When I first heard about this film somewhere in 2001, I thought that, after the failure from Toy Story 2, Pixar wouldn't redeem themselves. But in early 2002, when I saw this in theaters, I was shocked! The movie was fantastic! I laughed at everything to be laughed at, and the beautiful animation and wonderful voice cast just made it better.
The Plot: (may contain spoilers) The movie starts out with an introductory to all the main characters and scenes. Mike Wasoski(Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan(John Goodman) are getting the day started when the new TV commercial for Monsters Inc. premiers. Mike is so anxious to see himself on TV, but when he's on the screen, the Monster's Inc. logo covers most of his body. Mike doesn't realize this however and starts shouting with joy.
After the morning is started, Mike and Sully head off to work. Mike wants to drive his new car, but Sully says that there's a scream shortage(screams are used to power the city) and that they must walk. Along the way, they encounter some friends and neighbors.
When they arrive, Mike walks up to the counter to see Celia(Jennifer Tilly), who he refers to as "Googly Bear". It's her birthday and Mike has reservations from a restaurant known for its almost impossibility to get a reservation. After that, he and Sully walk to the locker room to get ready.
Mike leaves the locker room early to get his flies from Roz, the secretary who wants it her way and her way only. Mike tries to make it romantic, but fails to put her in a good mood. He still pretends to like her as he walks away, but then snaps out of it soon.
Mike and the other scare assistants get the work station ready. They take they're scare card out and slide it in. A door comes by and locks into the station. The door leads to a child's room. It is the scarer's duty to scare the child to produce screams.
After setup, the scarers come out. The attendant prepares the monitor and scare records. The assistants prepare the scarer while the attendant prepares the countdown. Then the monsters run into the room and scare the child. Some aren't so lucky, but it turns out to be a good day.
But then a scarer, George Sanderson, comes out with a sock on his back. This is considered toxic(the code is 23-19) and the CDA(Child Detection Agency) charges in. A child or anything owned or touched by the child is considered dangerous to monsters. George is decontaminated and has all his fur shaved off.
The scare floor is shut down for 30 minutes. The day then goes on as usual. Henry J. Waternoose(James Coburn) asks Sully to come by and give some trainee scares a demonstration. Sully agrees, and eventually the quitting bell rings.
Mike and Sully walk into Roz again. Mike says he has a fun-filled evening planned, but after Roz reminds him about paperwork e was supposed to file, he immediately panics. Sully says he'll get the paperwork just as Celia arrives to get Mike. Mike tells Sully what to do and leaves with his date.
Sully goes back to the scare floor to get the report. he notices a door was left behind, which is considered carelessness, because all doors must be return by the end of the day. Sully explores the door to see if anyone is left behind. Then he notices a child is play with his tail. He screams in terror and runs off.
I'd like to say more, but because of the character limit, I should leave it to you to find out what happens next.
The Voices: This movies features a variety of great voice talent. It stars talent like John Goodman(TV's Rosanne), Billy Crystal(Deconstructing Harry), Steve Buscemi(King Of New York), and even a cameo by Frank Oz(Star Wars). All of them worked hard and it paid off.
The Verdict: This is a wonderful movie and it's a great way to help younger kids understand that monsters aren't always scary. Plus the great humor, brilliant animation, and wonderful voice cast don't even begin to say how great this movie is.
10/10