A Reel 20: MONSTERS, INC.

“We scare because we care.”

 

This month marks the 20^th anniversary of Pete Docter and Pixar Animation Studio’s monster comedy, MONSTERS, INC. 

 

The fourth feature film from Pixar, MONSTERS, INC. centers on two monsters, Mike and Sulley, employed by an energy company which generates power for the city by scaring human children. But when a young child makes her way into the monster-world, things rapidly change for all involved. The story for the film was conceived as far back as 1994 in the now-famous lunch attended by eventual Pixar legends, Peter Docter, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Joe Ranft. That meeting would spawn the films A BUG’S LIFE (1998), FINDING NEMO (2003), WALL-E (2008)…and MONSTERS INC.  

 

The story for the film went through several versions. Docter’s original idea was to center on a man in his thirties dealing with monsters that he had drawn as a child coming back to haunt him years later. Working with screenwriters Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon, and Ralph Eggleston, the story evolved into a buddy comedy. Legendary Disney animator Joe Grant, who had worked on SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937), suggested the title MONSTERS, INC. 

 

The voice cast would be led by big comedy names Billy Crystal (Mike), and John Goodman (Sulley). They would be joined by Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, John Ratzenberger, Bonnie Hunt, and Frank Oz. Pixar Animation Studios made strides in animating individual strands of fur. 

 

The film would open at no. 1 at the box office in 2001, and to this day sits as Pixar’s ninth-highest grossing film worldwide. It would be nominated for four Oscars, including Best Animated Feature, and would win for Best Original Song (by Randy Newman). The film would inspire a prequel, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013), and a streaming series. 

 

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This Blogger didn’t think much of MONSTERS, INC. 20 years ago; didn’t love it, didn’t hate it…but over the years have come to appreciate it more. The homegrown plot device of kids being scared of the monster in the closet (maybe there was something in there, after all) is used to great effect, and the film capitalizes on the theme of fear; the monsters use fear to survive, and in turn it is they who fear children. Like most Pixar films, MONSTERS operates on several levels, and is as easily watchable for adults and children. Wherever Mike and Sulley did, they had us watching. 

 

“I’m watching you, Wazowski. Always watching…”