From the team that brought us the two TOY STORY extravaganzas, "Monsters, Inc." is gonna take some beating as the cartoon blockbuster of the year. Already.
OK, so there’s nothing particularly revolutionary about it. Let’s face it, for esoteric animation, Tim Burton rules (no question) and its’ broad themes (laughter and fun beat scares and nightmares hands down and (woah!) good will triumph over evil in the end) are older than any range of hills you care to mention. Yet, despite all this, "Monsters, Inc."is a sure fire
winner.
So, what’s the deal with the plot? Well, it’s simple. We’re introduced to Monstropolis, a world in parallel exisence to ours, populated by (yes!) monsters and spooks of every variety. Their atmosphere is sustained by "scream" energy: the screams gathered in capsules by operatives at MONSTERS, INC., the huge utilities factory that sends its’ workers through doors (literally) into our world to scare children into producing their suitably frightened reactions.
OK, if this seems a bit Aldous Huxley, then bear with me. Things go wrong when the ongoing rivalry between our hero and top scarer, the large, blue Yeti-style creature Sully (Goodman) and his cunning challenger, the semi-invisible lizard Randall (Buscemi, enjoying sleaze overload) gets out of hand when the cheating Randall allows a human kid to mistakenly stay in Monstropolis.
Amusingly, the monsters are actually scared shitless by the kids at close range and have to be decontaminated if they make contact physically. Naturally, Sully and his sidekick, the loudmouth green eyeball thing Mike Wozowski (Crystal, in lippy top form) are sucked in, desperate to save the little girl and safely return her.
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Naturally (this is Disney after all), a bond forms between them and their perception of kids changes altogether.
The action flows seamlessly. The wit is every bit as good as, say, SHREK, and the supporting characters are equally good (not least James Coburn’s Winston Churchill/crab mutation Henry J. Waternoose, the committed company man). The computer-generated simulation is first class, especially in the death-defying chase towards the end when Sully and Mike desperately attempt to return the girl Boo through her door. Indeed, this scene is both visually breathtaking and edge of the seat stuff in its’ own right.
Typically, everything turns out right in the end for our heroes, as they get the girls and banish the baddies. But however corny "Monsters, Inc." may seem on the surface, it’s irresistible fun for all prepared to join in. Even cynical old farts like me. Watch the shops go mad with spin-off merchandising during the spring and summer.
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