Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Took My then 3 year old son to see this at the theatre.. Him and I both loved it. He actually sat through the whole thing. He's been asking too see it again for the past year. We will be buying this movie the day it is released. John Goodman and Billy Crystal are great together.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous DVD extras enhance a monstrously funny film
Review: I really loved the Disney/Pixar animated film "Monsters, Inc." when I saw it in its initial theatrical release. The marvelous fantasy/comedy takes place mainly in a sort of alternate world populated by a wide variety of colorful and amusing monsters--most notably, Sulley (voiced by John Goodman), a big, lovable blue cross between Bigfoot and Godzilla, and Mike (Billy Crystal), a round, green, one-eyed bundle of manic energy. Together they have a suspenseful and exciting adventure when a human child accidentally crosses over into the monster world. It's a hilarious and heartwarming film that's filled with laughs, thrills, and some marvelous visual images.The 2-disc DVD edition of the film is loaded with entertaining extras--the bonus disc alone boasts approximately 207 minutes of added material. The extras are cleverly divided into two main groups: "Monsters Only" and "Humans Only." The first of these groups allow you to go deeper into the imaginary monster world of the film, whereas the second group lets you peek behind the scenes and see the creators of the film at work. In an attempt to keep this review down to a manageable length, I won't go into detail about all of these marvelous extras. From the "Human" side of house, it's fun to see the film's director and the other behind-the-scenes talents get to speak to the viewer directly. You also get a taste of what it's like to work at Pixar studios. Also fun is a look at the film's friendship song, with commentary by songwriter Randy Newman. Particularly interesting is the huge gallery of concept art (some still, some animated) that documents how some concepts in the film changed by the time it reached its finished form. You get to see a version of Mike with no arms, versions of Sully with tentacles instead of legs, and more oddities. For technophiles, the extras go into details about the efforts to get the computer animation program to render Sully's fur properly. I also loved the gallery of TV ads and theatrical trailers; they remind you of the superb job that was done marketing the film. The "Monster" extras are fun; you get to pretend you're a new employee at the Monsters, Inc. factory. The extras are packed with details; there's even an employee handbook that you can read. There's also a new short film, "Mike's New Car," in which Goodman and Crystal reprise their vocal roles. All in all, the 2-disc edition of "Monsters, Inc." is a masterful example of what can be accomplished with the DVD format.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Film -- Incredible Package
Review: I wouldn't think it's necessary to say much about the story of this film -- to avoid boring people who have seen it, and to avoid possible spoilers for people who haven't (few as there may be). Of course it's a five-star film. And what could i say that hasn't been said already by someone, anyway? I could say this film is wonderful. That it's genuinely heart-warming, and that it legitimately earns every single tear it jerks... and that the last shot is one of the most wonderful moments i've ever seen in this sort of film. That the characterisations are spot on -- John Goodman's Sully and Billy Crystal's Mike are absolutely believable as roommate/buddies. The computer animation is, as usual with Pixar, state-of-the-art (and, by this time, i think we can safely say that the technique is *not* just a passing fad). The script is excellent, and the basic concept, that little childrens' screams, captured by appropriate machinery, power Monsteropolis, making scream collection of paramount importance (at least, until one big-hearted monster actually comes to *know* a child), is a very nice conceit on which to hang the story. And that last shot... But the DVD set -- ah, THERE is something to talk about... and that earns another five star rating. I have had this set in my hands for a bit over a week, and i still haven't exhausted all of its possibilities. (I have found one easter egg, by the way; i'm sure there are more.) DISC ONE: Trailers, of course, for older films coming out on video/DVD, newer direct-to-video releases, and upcoming theatrical releases, at least one of which looks Impressive. The movie, available in either widescreen or standard TV format. The nice part here is that, unlike conventional films, shot widescreen, it was not necessary to cut off parts of the screen image to make the film fill the screen. Instead, it was quite simple to merely have the computer make two versions of each image, the same width but to show *extra* space at the top and bottom of the frame to fill up the full height of the TV screen without having to cut anything from the width of the image. I'd still watch it in widescreen, since that is the way the shots were actually planned, and the extra at top and bottom might alter the composition. (I found it a bit annoying tohave to select widescreen or full;screen format every time i played the film.) Sound is impeccable (there is a THX Optimiser on the disc), and, in addition to the regular track and the commentary track, there is a third track of nothjing but sound effects. (I would have liked another track or two -- say, one with commentary by Goodman and Crystal and other voice actors, and another with nothing but the music cues, maybe, but what there is is excellent.) The commentary, by director Pete Docter, co-director Lee Unkrich and executive producers John Lassiter and Andrew Stanton covers a lot of odds and ends, including explaining places in the film where they had originally planned to something differently and why they changed it, explaining some of the tricky bits of the animation and some of the problems they encountered and had to solve during production -- standard enough stuff for such a commentary, but interesting. DISC TWO: Here's the good stuff. More than i can describe, actually, though certainly i have to mention the two short films -- "Mike's New Car", created especially for this release, and "For the Birds", an absolutely hilarious short wich won the "Animated Short Film" Oscar for 2001, and richly deserved it. One has the impression that its makers had carefully watched and absorbed every single Roadrunner cartoon. There are "Outtakes", which are hilarious, even funnier than the outtakes at the end of a Jackie Chan film, which lead into the Monsters Inc employee play. The main part of the disc is divided between "Humans Only" and "Monsters Only" segments: Under "Humans Only", there are multiple sections: One about Pixar, itself. "Story", about how the film's story developed, compared to the form it finally took, with storyboards and "Banished Concepts". A "Monster File" with cast, concepts and a piece on "What Makes a Great Monster?". A "Design" section (which includes a "Guide to 'In' Jokes") An "Animation" section, which walks us through the entire animation process, as well as showing "Early Tests" and "Hard Parts" and finishes with a "Production Demonstration", in which the viewer can switch on the fly between several views of the production process from storyboards to finished scene (using the "Angle" button on their remote). There is a "Music & Sound" section, which includes commentary on the sound design process and a demonstration of bunaural recording (have headphones handy). I could have wished for a segment here on Randy Newman, his music for the film, and how he works with the Pixar people to produce such perfect music... well, maybe next time. And, finally, a section on the film's original release, including a visit to thepremiere, trailers and TV spots, and samples of things that had to be changed for other-language versions (there is, for instance, one sequence which had to be completely changed, because it involved a bit of pantomime which visually punned on an English-only word sound) and then gives us a really neet clip in which the action plays smoothly along with the soundtrack switching languages every few seconds. The "Monsters Only" menu gives us a few things: "New Monster Adventures", which includes "Mike's New Car" , a music video and material featuring "Monsters Inc" characters created for a Japanese TV program (I haven't watched this section yet, i believe it's an interactive game), and two interactive games created for this disc. "Behind the Screams" is a section representing primarily the "Outtakes" and the "Company Play", also found on Disc One. and, finally, "Orientation" is your welcome as a new employee of Monsters Inc. I understand that this disc has some enhanced features for use in a computer DVD ROM drive, but i haven't experimented with that yet. All in all, this is a Very Classy Package; well worth the price just for the film, and containing simply an incredible array of Good Stuff as well. You Should Buy It.
Rating:
Summary: cool flim
Review: this is the best movie in the world the story line is great it is a movie that the whole famliy will want to wacth again and again
Rating:
Summary: fun family fim with LOTS of great dvd extras
Review: Having a young child, we were waiting for this movie to come out on cable or dvd -- no chance of going to a theater yet! So we were delighted to receive an advance copy from an online store and Disney/PIXAR. We've watched the film at least six times in the past four days. The movie is terrific -- one of those films that children of different ages can enjoy AND adults can watch multiple times without going insane. This is the story of Monsters Incorporated, an energy supply company based in Monstropolis. In this reality, energy comes in the form of children's screams, and to that end Monsters, Inc. employees emerge from closets all over the world in order to collect a few GigaHowls and keep everyone's lamps and toasters running. The best scare team at Monsters, Inc. is John "Sulley" Sullivan (John Goodman) and his assistant Mike (Billy Crystal). One evening after hours, a child gets through a closet door and enters Monstropolis. Not good, considering monsters are scared of kids and believe their touch is toxic. Over the course of the movie Sulley and even Mike become attached to "Boo", risking health and careers to get her back to her home. In the meantime, incorrigible adorable Boo is having a great time scaring all the big monsters. The film is incredibly well done, as technically flawless as earlier PIXAR productions, the Toy Story series and A Bug's Life, but even funnier. John Goodman perfectly voices gentle, affable Sulley, and Billy Crystal creates Mike, a frantic egotist who is also optimistic and loyal. In other words, with more depth than half the human characters being written today. The animation is stunning, and the story is lots of fun. Nothing here to disturb little kids, and a lot to entertain them. The only part I didn't like much was the opening credit sequence, which was reminiscent of 60s bedroom farces, but that's what the Select Scene feature is for. There are two discs here. On Disc One you can view the film in fullscreen or widescreen format. Audio commentary by the director and staff is available with the latter. English captions, audio and video optimizers, and sneak peeks at PIXAR's upcoming "Finding Nemo" and Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" are also here. Disc Two contains almost three-and-a-half hours of amazing dvd extras. There's an interesting 20-minute tour of PIXAR; a very funny bloopers reel (that also plays during the credits of the fullscreen version); storyboards; deleted scenes; recording studio footage; character design; trailers and tv spots; footage of the Hollywood premiere; discussion of tie-in toys; a poster gallery; two Monsters Inc.-related segments from Ponkickies, a goofy Japanese animated show; Peek-a-Boo, a game; a history of Monster World; a Monsters Inc. employee handbook; and an introduction to Monsters Inc.'s version of baseball cards called Scarer Cards. The 13-minute original treatment and several scenes from an alternative story are presented that are as funny as the one that made it to the screen. Our favorite extras were the outtakes; a new animated short, "Mike's Car"; the Oscar winning PIXAR short, "For the Birds"; fly-arounds of several movie locations; the guide to "in" jokes (eg, the appearance of Toy Story 2's Jessie when Boo is showing her favorite toys to Sulley); a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the technical wizardry required to produce complex backgrounds, Sulley's fur, Boo's shirt and the city of Monstropolis; being able to watch a scene as it was done in storyboard, layout, animation or finished presentation; and a fun 4-minute clip with a few seconds of dialogue in each of the 30+ languages into which the film was translated. There's even a brief appearance by PIXAR CEO Steve Jobs. Packaging and foldout are nice, and include a contest entry form (to win Disney dvds), a free tie-in storybook offer, and a coupon book (for popcorn; Monsters Inc. tie-ins; Disney storybooks, videos and dvds; and Disney on Ice). With one exception we ran everything on our dvd player without a glitch, and could not be more pleased with this very funny family film and the many many extra features. Highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Monsters lead such interesting lives!
Review: I loved this movie in the theaters (saw it 3 times in one week) and I love it even more on DVD. How is that possible you ask? Well, this 2-disc set is simply jammed packed with monsterously good information and entertainment for the entire family. Disc 1 - A smile immediately came to my face when the widesceen version played as a default (you can select the fullscreen version from the menu). But the widescreen issue isn't as big a deal with PIXAR films since they restructure each frame of the film for a fullscreen presentation. I haven't read any cooberating info but this seems to be the case with Monsters, Inc. too. The only other options on this disc are a directors commentary (quite good, with minimal pauses) and an option to watch the film with an isolated sound effects track (very cool). Disc 2 - After you've watched the movie it's time to delve into the worlds of PIXAR and Monsters, Inc. The disc is separated into the Monster World which is aimed at kids and the young at heart and the Human World which offers much more depth and insight into the creation of the film. The games offered in Monster World are fun and easy to learn. Slowly but surely, games offered on DVD are getting better every day. And lest I forget the Monster Handbook is a laugh riot! There is a terrific tour of the new PIXAR studios as well as fly-throughs of some key sets created for the film in The Human World section. This is also where you will see production art, deleted scenes, the original story treatment as well as a guide to the "in" jokes, original trailers, and much much more. It will take a truly dedicated fan (and most of your day) to sit through it all in one sitting. All of PIXAR'S DVD releases have been stellar and Monster, Inc. pushes the bar even higher. By keeping the fun level high (keep an eye out for a wacky monkey) as well as separating the features into a fun and games section and a making-of section they have created a flawless DVD presentation and proved the old addage, "monsters lead such interesting lives."
Rating:
Summary: What If... A Human Entered the Monster World?
Review: If your kids (or you) have ever been worried about what lurks behind that closet door, this is the film you've been waiting for! Not only do you get to see a delightful conceptualization of the monster world, but you get to see how good things can be when you face the things that scare you. Lovable fuzzy monster James P. Sullivan (aka "Sully") and his eyeball shaped side-kick, Mike Wazowski, are best friends who also to work together as partners at Monsters, Incorporated. Their jobs consist of scaring children around the world, popping out through closet doors and doing their very best to get those boys and girls to scream -- because those screams keep the electrical power running in the monster world. Mike handles the controls as closet doors drop down into special door holder portals, keeping an eye (literally!) on Sully as he leaps through doorways into the human world. Sully is the top-scarer at Monsters, Inc., who garners praise from the boss and is often requested to demonstrate his scaring techniques to scaring trainees. While other monsters might just look scary, Sully has mastered the art of leaping out and roaring to full effect. Sully's career success incites Randall, another top-scarer at Monsters, Inc, to engage in plotting ways to surpass him. Sully's world turns upside-down when an adorable little girl follows Sully back into the monster world... panicking the Monster metropolis (who routinely "decontaminate" anything human which finds its way into the monster world). Sully befriends the little girl, names her "Boo", and helps her find a way to get back home without being captured by the overly zealous human-decontamination teams. Many surprising twists, turns, and sub-plots lead to a particularly satisfying conclusion. This is one movie you won't easily second-guess, and the action scenes are spectacular! The special effects are excellent and add a lot to the thrilling story... but what gives this film it's soul is the outstanding vocal talent of it's entire human cast (which includes John Goodman and Billy Crystal). Besides getting an awesome DVD movie, this 2-DVD set includes some wonderful extras that are truly worth the money. There is a very funny Academy award-winning short called, "For the Birds", a hilarious animated short made just for this DVD release called, "Mike's New Car", a special feature on the making of the original Randy Newman song "If I Didn't Have You", some very funny story board monsters, a wonderful game, a feature that shows how this story was originally written... and much, much more. I have never seen a better special effects disc than this.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging, captivating and sentimental
Review: From start to finish this movie is pure joy for the whole family. We start with a unique storyline in a part of the world where all of the monsters live and work. Their job is to come through the closet doors of unsuspecting children as they sleep at night, and scare them. The screams are collected for power that lights their world. The glitch is the monsters are deathly afraid of the children and when one sweet child finds her way back through the closet, chaos erupts for our "#1 scarer" Sully, whose voice is creatively executed by John Goodman. The fun is fast and furious, as Sully, and Mike his sidekick, an eyeball with teeth and skinny green legs, performed by Billy Crystal, feel compelled to keep her safe from and evil plot that is lurking in the underworld of Monsters, Inc. Wonderfully imaginative, with bright vivid colors, animation so sharp you can see each and every piece of fur on Sully as it ruffles in the breeze, and characters you will fall in love with. This DVD is a big-time winner for the whole family. Kelsana 8/31/02
Rating:
Summary: Buy this CD set, you WON'T regret it!
Review: James Sullivan (voice by John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) make a great team...a great monster team that is. Monstropolis, the city of the monsters, gets all of its power from the screams of little human children, and though scarers such as Sulli work real hard, sneaking through children's closet doors and scaring the daylights out of them, there just doesn't seem to be enough power. But, when a human child (toxic, like all children) sneaks into Monstropolis, Sulli and Mike find themselves in real trouble. They can't tell the good monsters from the bad monsters, but it's up to them to save the day! [Color, released in 2001, with a running time of 1 hour, 33 minutes.] I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Monsters, Inc. Collector's Edition, and boy am I happy! This movie is an absolute masterpiece. The story is clean enough for any kid, it is extremely funny (I loved it!), and it is just the right balance of being suspenseful but not too scary for the young viewers. The monsters themselves are funny, creative, and very well-done. Now, let's talk extras, this CD collection is crammed full of them. It has an all-new short (Mike's New Car, which my little ones had to watch three times in a row!), the short seen when the movie was in the theatre (For the Birds), outtakes, the Monsters Inc Company Play (it's kind of hard to explain, you've got to see it), Monster World (for the new Monsters Inc employee), a game [pant, pant, pant], and so much more. OK, if that's not clear enough, let me put it this way: Buy this CD set, you WON'T regret it!s film is that, no matter what state you come to see it, you will leave with a smile on your face and a joy not often given to us by movies. This is a movie to warm the heart, the spirit, and the corners of your mouth, not to mention your stomach as you laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining for all ages!
Review: I laughed, I cried (even though my 5 year old goddaughter got a kick out of me crying over it!). Saw it twice in the theaters and I am 26 years old! This is one of the best childrens movies I have seen in a long time. So great and a must have!
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