MONSTERS INC review

Pixar is the most dangerous company on the face of planet Earth. They create icons and classic film on a semi regular schedule. I remember falling in love with their short films.

There was a purity to those films, a purity in the very nature of what animation is. The understanding of movement, and through that movement the creation of sentient life. Everything that makes PIXAR PIXAR is right there in their logo. That hopping LUXO Jr. Watch that Logo.

Notice how in the scant 5 seconds or less... they have created an endearing character. A precocious inquisitive lamp... Giddy and excitable. Curious and devilish. And finally, caught and ashamed. All of that in a little 5 second package. PURE ANIMATION. There is no face, no eyes or mouth to smile. It isn't a cute design, it is simply an engineers table lamp. Absolutely no anthropormorphizing. It is simply a lamp. But through its motion they imbue that lamp with life. Not just life, but a infectious vitality. They give that lamp EMOTIONAL WELL BEING. This is just a LAMP!!! But I'm terrified it's gonna get unplugged.

Like I said, that's just the logo.

Now sure, you have people that are hyping up going to see MONSTERS INC this morning because it is showing the ATTACK OF THE CLONES trailer, but lets face it folks... Pixar is actively making films on the quality level of the best two STAR WARS movies (A NEW HOPE and EMPIRE STRIKES BACK). These are not glories from a long time ago and a galaxy far away from the here and now. TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2 are absolute perfect films. Films with stories and characters and themes and imagery that captures and brands the imagination with its startlingly fresh and awe-inspiring heart.

TOY STORY 2 is one of the greatest films ever made. That was the last film out. To even pretend to go see this movie to see a stifilingly short trailer, when you should be running to see this film for the most amazing filmic chase scene in history... Well, you would be an insult to the form of film itself to not go with the direct intention of seeing a great film that happens to have the bonus of having a trailer for a film that we all hope may be great.

Before MONSTERS INC started I was doubtful. You see, when I very first heard about the film I was in awe... I couldn't wait to see a PIXAR film populated by the scariest monsters that their brilliant 5 times the normal operating capacity of the human brain conciousness would come up with. When I saw MIKE and SULLY for the first time... I was disappointed.

Mike had that huge big eye... that slim mouth... stringy arms and a pleasant happy (ready for the toy market) green. I thought... They'll never get me to associate with that character.

Sully was wonderful in form... but the colors... what sort of self-respecting monster would be baby blue with pink spots? That is quite frankly really really really stupid. Ya can't be scared of a big fuzzy wuzzy baby blue and pink creature.

My feelings were that the Monsters were too cute. Too cute, therefore they were no longer monsters.

Ya know. I'm an idiot. I can't believe I forgot the cardinal rule of monsters according to Ray Harryhausen. An eon ago when I was a comic book and movie poster dealer at a DALLAS FANTASY FAIR, Harryhausen told me that the secret to great monsters is that their natural state is not being a monster. You see. Monsters are actually just animals, creatures, beings. They all want to live peacefully in tranquility, to reproduce and raise their creature cubs, to eat, sleep and be happy. Just like you or me. And just like you and me… there is a time in their lives when they must become ugly. They do this to protect one of the basic things they exist to do. To keep from starving, to protect their young, to remain happy and finally to survive.

These are the rules according to Ray Harryhausen, the god of animated monster creation.

And unlike me, the folks at PIXAR know those rules and didn’t forget them. You see, in MONSTERS, INC. the monsters are not evil amoral creatures bent upon destruction at all costs. They are, very much like you and me in every way save for form. They are fantastical creatures with a civilization that has grown more and more dependent upon an energy source that has been being depleted and exploited without innovation for years.

You see, Monsters exist in a parallel dimension just on the other side of the transcendental plane of your closet door’s existence. They discovered, that in creating a great deal of fear in a child that is released in a scream, that there is a harvestable crop of energy that can be stored and used for a great many functions in their universe.

The problem is that over the centuries that they have been exploiting this once seemingly endless resource they have come to find that the screams and the fears of children have become harder and harder to get. It seems that more and more children have become sophisticated and unafraid. That some of these children may even be fascinated by them.

Now in the Monsters’ universe, children are deadly and toxic creatures. We don’t learn where this belief comes from, but inevitably when the industrialists that discovered the other plane of existence and the source of power found there, they inevitably put into motion a propaganda campaign to convince the populace of their world that the ‘beings’ that they needed to harvest fear from were in fact deadly ignorant monstrous creations bent upon destruction and empowered with the ability to destroy all life as we know it. This inevitable Monster Propaganda was seen as being needed in two ways. 1) It would reduce any and all guilt in the harvesting of fear and screams. And 2) It would instantly diminish any desire by the populace in wanting to learn more about ‘the natural resource’ and any possible alternative fuel resources.

The energy crisis causes a need in the chief energy company of their universe to pursue harder and tougher means of extracting fear. Well…

I won’t go any further into the plotline, but suffice to say the lesson of the film is to question authority, explore new thoughts, learn about your alleged enemy and ultimately befriend them.

Ultimately I see this as a very timely message for more than the children of the world. As intelligent beings we should all question the motivations and reasonings behind the things we are told by our leaderships. We should learn more about our ‘enemy’ and ultimately learn if it is possible to communicate and befriend them.

Like TOY STORY 2, there are some fairly deep emotional and philosophical issues being dealt with very non-preachy in the form of "Children’s Entertainment". The film fosters a desire for understanding and innovation and invention. Very powerful root ideas and thoughts for a kid’s flick.

Now, putting aside all deep readings into the material, the film is extremely entertaining, moving and creative. To your kids and many of the adults, the messages will be lost entirely, save for some subconcious gathering… It is messaging through osmosis… penetrating the skull in a natural and flowing manner. Distracting the audience by being so damn entertaining. So damn perfect as a film that it is only with great contemplation and consideration and afterthought that you can begin to see the deeper meanings.

Ok, now as for just the surface level coolnesses. The imagination and brilliance in the creation of these monsters was without question… and at all times… PERFECT. The richness of detail and form has never been better for PIXAR. The environments and settings are universally gorgeous and rich. The film is a pure visual piece of German Chocolate Cake. Rich and cavity-inducing.

On another level the character animation is quite possibly the best they have ever done. The key scene takes place between Mike and Sully when they are at odds in a frozen tundra type of situation. Mike can not believe the change in Sully and is expressing to him why, even though he is his best friend, he is against everything he has become, how Sully has abandoned everything that he believed in... that they believed in and that is sacred to their way of life. And how he will no longer be aligning himself with the likes of Sully again. It is the emotional lynchpin of the film. The speech couldn’t be delivered by anything less than a fully developed and emotionally charged being that you could associate with, believe in and empathize with. I swear, during this speech, Mike became a living breathing human being with all the depth and feeling of you or me. It was an astonishing work of character animation… as good as we have ever seen in the history of the form. Brilliant.

Having said that, that may be the greatest character accomplishment in the film, but the dead on best achievement is something I will refer to as the CLOSET CHASE. This scene is like something evolved from the collective twisted psyches of Max Fleischer’s animators, Salvador Dali and M.C. Escher, but with the energy and creativity of Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. PURE GENIUS! It is not often that I shed tears during an action sequence, but this is quite simply perfection. The tears come in the form of unbelievable joy. Joy at watching something so profoundly perfect that you barely wish to breathe. I found myself dazzled and delirious from this.

Is this film a full equal to TOY STORY 2? No, not because this film has flaws, it doesn’t…. but because TOY STORY 2 had the emotional development of the previous film… It used that character development from the previous film and the familiarity that we the audience had with those characters and used it as a jumping off point for the further progression of the characters. I will say, however, that this film is one that I do favor to TOY STORY, and I crave and desire a sequel, as I love these characters and would love to further explore this universe.

The film has more pure imagination and creation than perhaps any film we’ll see this year and for that it should be applauded and seen repeatedly. Again, I hail PIXAR. It is truly the wonder of cinema creation at the moment. Now, if only they were to give the Brizzi Brothers a home.