Wading Through...

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IMDB #9: Monsters Inc.

Title: Monsters Inc.

Year Released/Rating: 2001 G

Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs

Directed By: Pete Doctor, David Silverman

Written By: Pete Doctor, Jill Culton

Genre: Children's animation

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Trivia:

  • It normally took 11 to 12 hours to render a single frame of Sulley because of his 2.3 million individually animated hair strands (Total number of hairs: 2,320,413).
  • Mary Gibbs was so young that it proved difficult to get her to stand in the recording studio and act her lines. Instead, they simply followed her around with a microphone and cut Boo's lines together from the things she said while she played.
  • John Goodman pushed for Steve Buscemi to voice the villain Randall.
  • There are retro Disneyland posters in the Monstropolis travel store and some of the children's bedrooms.
  • John Goodman and Billy Crystal sometimes recorded their lines in the same room together, an unusual move for animated films, where actors more often work alone.Steve Buscemi and Frank Oz (Randall and his assistant Fungus) also recorded their lines together for the bathroom scene.
  • In the first scene, one of the toys on the boy's bedroom shelf is the toy plane that hung from the ceiling and caused Buzz to "fly" in and as Mike and Sully go through the scare floor, the rolling clown, from Toy Story (1995) can be seen in the background. Also, when Randall is practicing camouflaging into backgrounds of walls, one of the images given to him is the wallpaper Andy had in his room.

Summary: Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley finds his world disrupted.

Review: 

The interaction between Mike and Sully is what really makes this film.

Best Bits: 

  • Mike: Roz, my tender, oozing blossom, you're looking fabulous today. Is that a new haircut? Come on, tell me it's a new haircut, isn't it? It's got to be a new haircut. New makeup? You had a lift? You had a tuck? You had something? Something has been inserted in in you that makes you look... Listen, I need a favor. Randall was working late last night out on the scare floor. I really need the key to the door he was using.  Roz: Well, isn't that nice? But guess what? You didn't turn in your paperwork last night.  Mike: He didn't... I... no paperwork?  Roz: This office is now closed. [closes the window on Mike's fingers] Mike: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
  • Yeti: [Referring to despondent Sully] Aw, poor guy. I understand. It's not easy being banished. Take my buddy Bigfoot. When he was banished he fashioned an enormous diaper out of poison ivy. Wore it on his head like a tiara. Called himself "King Itchy".
  • Randall: Okay, I think I know how to make this all go away. What happens when the whistle blows in five minutes?  Mike: I get a time out?  Randall: Everyone goes to lunch! Which means the scare floor will be...  Mike: ...Painted? Randall: EMPTY! I'll be empty, you idiot! See that clock?When the big hand is pointing up... [forces Mike's arm up]  Randall: and the little hand is pointing up... [forces the other arm up] Randall: the door will be in my station. But when the big hand is pointing down...  [forces Mike's arm down]  Randall: the door will be gone. You have until then to put the kid back. Get the picture?
  • Sulley: Hey, Mike, this might sound crazy but I don't think that kid's dangerous.  Mike: Really? Well, in that case, let's keep it. I always wanted a pet that could kill me.
  • Mike: I think I have a plan here: using mainly spoons, we dig a tunnel under the city and release it into the wild.  Sulley: Spoons?  Mike: That's it, I'm out of ideas. We're closed. Hot air balloon? Too expensive. Giant slingshot? Too conspicuous. Enormous wooden horse? Too Greek.