MONSTERS, INC. (2001)
Directed by Pete Docter, with Lee Unkrich and David Silverman
Starring the voices of: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, James Coburn, Steve Buscemi
I am determined to see everything Pixar has come out with so far. In that vein, here's Monsters, Inc.
In the city of Monstropolis, the company of Monsters Inc. is in the business of collecting the screams of children. Why? As it turns out, they're a power source that fuels the entire city. And the top scream collecter is James P. Sullivan (Goodman), along with his good buddy Mike (Crystal). Close behind is the diabolical Randall (Buscemi). It's a dangerous job, due to the widley held belief that children are extremely toxic. That turns out to be a problem when a little toddler girl makes her way into the Monster World, wreaking a rather innocent havoc on the unsuspecting monsters.
This film seems to be a bit different in tone from the two Toy Story films or A Bug's Life. As the fourth in Pixar's line of films, expectations were probably still pretty high. It's not easy being the leader in your field (I imagine). In the first two films, the goal seemed to be innovation of the medium as well as telling the best story possible. Here, the focus is on story alone. Yes, the visual design and animation are all top notch, but there's nothing all that innovative here. It's all about heart, which is what Pixar does so very well.
It's also absolutely hilarious. With comic talent like Billy Crystal and John Goodman, it's hard not to have a lot of laughs. Having David Silverman (of The Simpsons fame) on your creative team doesn't hurt either. Pixar seems to have the pull to be able to get all the best talent in Hollywood for its films. Having Disney as your distributor probably helps. They are an entertainment juggernaut that cannot be stopped.
I'm getting a little nervous. Everything, and I mean everything I have seen from Pixar has been great. Nobody's that good all the time. Having said that, the only Pixar film I have not seen yet is Cars. Stay tuned, and we'll see if their winning streak continues.
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