(Monsters, Inc.) Ultimate Pixar Tribute- Movie #4: Monsters, Inc.

by Nick DeVito

Plot: What if when kids said that there were monsters in their closets, they were telling the truth? In a world where monsters of every kind roam free like everyday citizens and they are just as feared of humans as we are of them; all of the monsters’ electricity is generated by childrens’ screams.

Monsters Incorporated is the “power-plant” where monsters compete to be the biggest “scarer” by scaring kids through individual doors. The number one scarer Sulley (John Goodman) and his best friend Mike (Billy Crystal), accidentally release a human child into the monster-world. They find out that their biggest rival Randall (Steve Buscemi) is planning to kidnap the children and extract their screams with his large and terrifying invention.

When Mike and Sulley go to the CEO (Mr. Waternoose) to solve this problem, it is revealed that he is working with Randall and they are banished to the Himalayas, where they meet the Abominable Snowman. He helps them escape back to “Monstropolis”, where they try to put the human child (Boo) back into her door. They go through a huge chase as they try to find the right door, while Randall tries to stop them.

When Randall finally confronts Sulley, Boo reveals herself to no longer be afraid of him, and he is banished to the human world. As Waternoose gets arrested, Boo is put back into her room and her door is shredded (making the door unusable by monsters).

A few years later, Sulley is made the new CEO, and instead of scaring kids, the company now extracts their laughter (which is much more powerful). Mike reveals to Sulley that he has reconstructed Boo’s door, and the movie ends when Sulley peeks inside to see a much older Boo.

Well: Monsters Inc. was a phenomenon during my childhood in 2001, and it became my favorite movie for years (until Pixar made their next picture). The millions of hairs on Sulley’s skin were revolutionary for the history of computer animation.

The reason why I liked this movie so much (apart from the outtakes at the end), is that there were numerous “Oh My God” moments; where a scene is so spectacular that you just have to say “Oh My God”. Of course, the main moment I’m talking about is when Randall chases Mike, Sulley, and Boo through the doors.

It starts out with an incredible overview of the huge storage facility, then it turns into a roller coaster with huge drops and wide turns, and finally it becomes a cat and mouse chase as the monsters go to many places around the Earth. There are so many funny moments as well, mostly revolving around the hideous slug named Roz.

However, as always, there is a lot of heart, such as when Sulley has to say his final goodbye to Boo even though she doesn’t understand that he will be gone forever.

It became the fourth biggest movie of 2001, behind Shrek, The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The best line is: “We scare because we care.” My favorite character would have to be Billy Crystal’s fantastic performance as Mike Wazowski.

Easter-Eggs:
• John Ratzenberger: as the voice of the Abominable Snowman.
• Pizza Planet truck: when Randall gets thrown into the door and is therefore “banished”, the Pizza Planet truck is parked next to the trailer.
• A113: the location of A113 is unknown as of now, however most people believe it is when Sully thinks Boo is in the trash compactor. He runs down to the 13th floor, but where the A1 comes in is unknown to me.
• The guitar in the child-simulation’s room is the same one from the Woody collection in Toy Story 2.
• Rozz is played by Bob Peterson, who co-directed Up.
• The Luxo ball is in Boo’s room.
• The restaurant “Harryhausen’s” is named after special effects pioneer: Ray Harryhausen. He is most famous for his monsters (such as the Kraken in Clash of the Titans, and the skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts) and one of his creations was a six-legged octopus, who is a chef in the restaurant.
• The trailer where Randall gets banished to is the same one from A Bug’s Life, only it is night instead of day.
• Boo has a Jessie doll (from Toy Story 2), and a Nemo toy (from the then unreleased Finding Nemo).
• Nemo also makes an appearance when Randall is thrown into the door, and a clownfish plaque is hanging in the room.
• Rex from Toy Story is in the outtakes.

Final Thoughts: Sure Monsters Inc. was hugely successful, and it won an Oscar for Best Original Song, but let’s talk about Nemo’s cameo. Of course nobody knew who this young clownfish was as of 2001, but everybody knows him now.

This Easter-Egg became huge shortly after 2003, as it began a new Pixar tradition of hiding characters from their upcoming films in older movies. Who knows; maybe twenty years from now the giant turtle fossil from Charles Muntz’s blimp in Up will be revealed to be the starring character in a new Pixar film (actually that would be awesome). In conclusion, I give Monsters Inc. three and a half sushi rolls out of four. ***1/2