'Monster Inc.', a real treat with lots of heart

'Monster Inc.', a real treat with lots of heart

Joko E.H. Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta

There is little reason to doubt that Disney will continue to
deliver enjoyable animation features well into the future,
yielding success at the box office and praise from the critics.

Other giant studios like DreamWorks SKG do try to develop
their animation division, on the other hand, but their films are
still hit-and-miss.

Some think that recent non-Disney entries are either too
violent, too sophisticated for kids (Antz) or, despite great
animation, are simply lacking the characters people can relate to
(Road to El Dorado).

Disney's animations, not surprisingly, continue to hit the
bull's-eye.

The studio's computer-generated animation is more impressive
lately compared to the traditionally-drawn ones.

Its latest hand-drawn (and slightly computer-animated) entry,
Atlantis: The Lost Continent, was well-received by the moviegoing
public by Disney standards, though it failed to create a big
splash as a commercial success.

The film was gained notoriety for accusations that it was a
rip-off of a Japanese animated film.

Meanwhile, the studio's computer-animated entries, produced by
Pixar Animation Studios, continue to score big.

After the huge success of the Toy Story sequels and A Bug's
Life, the animation studio once more created a very enjoyable
film in Monster Inc.

It is amazing that no matter how high someone's expectation
for this film, (like I did before I saw it), the film's
incredible animation is still likely to blow their minds away.

The story is interesting without being too complicated for
younger audiences to comprehend.

What makes Monster Inc. a real treat is that the film has more
heart than recent animated features -- Disney or non-Disney.

The movie will make you laugh, but it might also make you cry
since it's also very touching.

There is, according to the storyline, a world which we humans
do not know exists. It is a place inhabited by grotesque-looking
creatures simply called monsters who live and behave just like we
do.

Somehow they find a way to enter our world by creating doors
enabling them to come out of a human's closet to scare little
kids. The monsters are professionals since they need the sounds
of the children's screams, which they collect in special tubes,
to generate electricity for their city.

While humans, especially little kids, are afraid of these
monsters, the monsters, ironically, are scared of the kids, too.
That's because, according to their authority, there is nothing
more toxic and poisonous than a human child. Even a single touch
by a kid can kill any of them instantly.

A little girl accidentally enters the monsters' world,
creating chaos at the other side. The incident changes their life
forever.

Monster Inc. is arguably the best Disney's film in years since
it succeeds to make the audiences really care about the
characters.

The actors who lend their talented voices to the effort,
include John Goodman and Billy Crystal. They do a very good job
in bringing their characters into live.

The usual eye-popping visual effects courtesy of Pixar
Animation still looks fresh as if invented yesterday. It is also
excellent in giving every character great mimicry, like of the
top scarer monster James P. Sullivan and the little girl.

The film also offers a good amount of adventure while sure to
entertain young audiences while touching older audience -- not
only because it brings out the inner child in us like most Disney
film do.

It's just that we don't have to unleash the little child
inside us to connect with the film. It just does.

Monster Inc., ***1/2 out of four stars;
Animation/Adventure/Comedy, 92 minutes;
Voices by John Goodman, Billy Crystal,
Steve Buschemi, Jennifer Tilly, James Coburn, Bonnie Hunt;
Directed by Peter Docter, David Silverman;
A Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures Presentation