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(More customer reviews)Pixar's 2001 hit, MONSTERS, INC., continued the studio's tradition of creating wonderfully fantastical worlds of incredible imagination in design utilizing the very best in computer animation. What is the hallmark though of a Pixar film is the fact that the development of character is always at the forefront and is never relegated to existing on a superficial level in order to showcase the many hours of hard work that went into creating the animation. MONSTERS, INC. is of course a great buddy picture, pairing two opposites together, and setting them forth on their adventure. Just as Buzz Lightyear and Woody were teamed up to create such a memorable pair in the TOY STORY movies, so too does MONSTERS, INC. couple the diminutive and always frenetic and full of energy Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), with his enormous friend Sulley (John Goodman), the leading scarer at Monsters, Inc., a company that exists to provide electricity for Monstropolis by collecting the screams of children as the monsters pop out of the kids' closet doors at night. When a toddler, Boo, inadvertently follows Sulley back through the doorway and into the monsters' own world though, Sulley and Mike must set out to try and get her back to her own world while battling those in the company that have ulterior motives. The result is a wildly funny and dynamically original movie that exudes a tremendous amount of heart from its characters.
The voice casting of Crystal and Goodman is phenomenal, and the two play off of each other so well that they create some hilarious moments on screen. Both though are allowed to fully develop their characters, and the relationship between Mike and Sulley is given the freedom to grow and change throughout the film, and this is key to the story's success. Had the enormously talented Crystal's Wazowski only been seen as the comedic sidekick of Sulley, and never given the liberty to go through his own personal character arc, a much weaker picture would have emerged. Directors Pete Docter, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich though do not go for the easy gag, but rather stay true to each of the character's own motivations, thus allowing their relationship with one another to organically grow throughout the film. By doing so, the team of Mike and Sulley become one of the most memorable from the Pixar catalogue.
Seeing the film in HD at home with the Blu-ray release of the film is in a word, breathtaking. Even though the film is now almost nine years old, the animation in MONSTERS, INC. is still beyond compare. Not only is the world of Monstropolis so completely artistically original and populated with such unique interpretations of monsters, but the level of detail in the animation is staggering. Looking at some of the skin textures of some of the monsters will quickly illustrate how much time and attention to detail went into animating the film, but by far, the scene that best exemplifies just how good the animation in MONSTERS, INC. is involves Mike and Sulley being banished to the Himalayas. Here, the thick blue and purple fur that covers Sulley's body can be seen blowing in the winter storm as small pieces of snow become stuck within it. The animation in this scene alone ranks as among the best, and serves as a milestone in computer animation excellence. Being able to see it in HD at home will bring an entirely new level of admiration for what the filmmakers were able to achieve with the movie.
For the Blu-ray release, Disney is including four discs that include the Blu-ray version of the film, a DVD version, a digital copy and a Blu-ray disc of bonus features. There is so much value with this set, that it, along with the similar edition of UP that is being released on the same day, will prove to be must have Blu-rays for everyone's collection and are rightly sure to be one of the most popular gifts given this holiday season.
The bonus material included with MONSTERS, INC. is simply amazing, and will keep a viewer engaged for hours discovering the vast amount of supplemental material on the film. The bonus features include:
Disc One
Filmmakers' Roundtable (22:00)
MONSTERS, INC. Ride and Go Seek: Building Monstropolis in Japan (7:58)
"For the Birds" Academy Award® Winner for Best Animated Short in 2001 (3:21)
"Mike's New Car" Academy Award® Nominated for Best Animated Short in 2002 (3:46)
Audio Commentary
Disc Two
Roz's 100 Door Challenge-A fun game that will place you in what job you would be best suited for at Monsters, Inc.
Pixar Fun Factory Tour (3:34)
Story is King (2:00)
Monsters are King (1:29)
Original Treatment (13:40)
Story Pitch: Back to Work (4:36)
Banished Concepts: Intro to Banished Concepts, Assistant Sulley (2:15), End of Day (2:22), Bad Scare (2:51), Scream Refinery (1:06), Original Sulley Intro (1:00)
Storyboard to Film Comparison: Storyreel (5:14), Final Color (5:14), Split Screen Comparison (5:14)
Art Gallery
Designing Monstropolis (4:48)
Set Dressing Intro (3:24)
Location Flyarounds
Monster File: Cast of Characters (5:51), What Makes a Great Monster (1:24)
Animation: Animation Process (3:11), Early Tests (8:02), Opening Title Animation (2:06), Hard Parts (4:58), Shots Department (2:16), Production Demonstration: Intro, Storyreel (1:50), Layout (1:50), Animation (1:50), Final Color (1:50)
Music and Sound: Monster Song (4:13), Sound Design (3:15)
Release: The Premiere (:56), Trailers and TV Spots, International Inserts (1:06), Multi-Language Clip Reel (3:45), Toys (1:29), Outtakes and Company Play (7:00)
Wrap-Up (:42)
New Monster Adventures: Monster TV Treats (1:09), Ponkickies 21, "If I Didn't Have You" Music Video (1:11)
Behind the Scenes: On the Job with Mike and Sulley (2:31)
Orientation: Welcome to Monsters, Inc. (:58), Your First Day (3:34), History of the Monster World (1:36)
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