Monsters, Inc. Reviews

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Quotes From Mainstream Press Reviews of Monsters, Inc.:

David Germain of the Associated Press - "...With Monsters, Inc., Pixar maintains its perfect batting average, going four-for-four with another smart, funny, adorable animated world populated by endearing characters and propelled by a premise even more clever than that of Toy Story. Pixar continues to hoist the bar higher on computer animation, crafting a dazzling universe that big-foots the images of Toy Story 2 from 1999 and even runs lengths ahead of DreamWorks' Shrek, barely half a year old..."

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter - "The artistic and commercial success of Pixar Animation Studios is getting scary. Monsters, Inc. is a witty, uncommonly intelligent and savvy journey into the world of childhood nightmares, strides to the plate. This is a monster, all right, certain to dominate multiplexes past New Year's Day and possibly an even bigger grand slam than the previous three..."

Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune - "...Monsters, Inc., the first Pixar Animation/Disney feature since the great Toy Story 2, is every bit as sly-witted as Shrek but not nearly so self-conscious. The pop-culture references here are neither as numerous as in Shrek nor as central to the concept. If you don't get the humor of a restaurant being called Harryhausen's, no matter; you're probably too busy chuckling at the imaginatively conceived creatures to notice..."

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times - "...despite occasional references to drinking lattes and rolling blackouts, the dialogue here is not up to the usual Pixar standards and only sporadically appealing to adults...As a childhood entertainment it is certainly fine, but Pixar's celebrated lure for adults is largely absent."

Paul Clinton of CNN - "Monsters, Inc., the latest animated production from the folks at Disney and the Pixar Animation Studio, will be a solid hit and will surely do well on DVD and video. But on the whole, the film lacks the heart, depth, and breath of those studios' previous successes, Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), and A Bug's Life (1998) -- which earned a combined total of $1.2 billion dollars worldwide. While the film's sweet, simplistic storyline will hold up for young audiences, Monsters, Inc. lacks the all-important edgy layer of adult humor, so vital to DreamWorks' mega-hit Shrek..."

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times - "...Monsters, Inc. is cheerful, high-energy fun, and like the other Pixar movies, has a running supply of gags and references aimed at grownups (I liked the restaurant named Harryhausen's, after the animation pioneer). I also enjoyed the sly way that the monster world mirrors our own, right down to production quotas and sales slogans. 'We Scare,' they assure us, 'Because We Care.'"

TV Guide - "An inspired idea - that the childhood monsters in our closets are not only real, but just everyday Joes doing their jobs - is buried in a bland, computer-animated feature that, despite the claim, is only sort-of 'from the creators of Toy Story.' John Lasseter, the brilliant director behind Toy Story 1 and 2 and such signature Pixar shorts as 'Luxo Jr.' and the Oscar-winning 'Tin Toy,' is simply the executive producer. (To put this in perspective, Steven Spielberg was the executive producer of The Flinstones)..."

Elvis Mitchell of the New York Times - "...Pixar has created a genre that others merely imitate, and while they may do a creditable job - Shrek from DreamWorks, for example - they don't get all the small touches right, like the thunderous and jazzy score of Monsters. The composer Randy Newman shows touches of Carl Stalling, whose brass construction kept Bugs Bunny and his clique moving..."

Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel - "...The illusion of life just gets more and more convincing in these computer-animated movies, and in Monsters, Inc., it is truly remarkable. Sulley's fur, in particular, looks real enough to irritate your allergies...this film deserves to be a monster hit."

Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Times - "...Monsters, Inc. may prove to be one of the best animated films ever made, a marvelous combination of lollipop visuals, brilliant screenwriting, sharp comedic timing and, above all, overflowing amounts of heart. The final moment delivers a deep satisfaction, leaving you with a profoundly delighted glow that stays with you for hours and days afterward..."

Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle - "...It's not as photo realistic as Shrek's wondrously detailed fantasy realm, but it doesn't try to be. Monsters, Inc. shows a world parallel to our own, with homes, streets and factories...it's an 800-pound gorilla of a movie, and now PDI has the challenge of answering back. Whoever winds up on top, this war already has a winner, and it's the moviegoing public."