Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Even Better on DVD
After seeing the movie in the theaters, we knew we'd be buying this one for home. With an advance copy of this DVD in hand, I became a hero with my kids this week. My daughters and I found ourselves laughing out loud at the exclusive segment "Mike's New Car," and at the familiar humor of "For the Birds," (the short Academy Award winning piece that preceded the movie in theaters). But there's more than that. You have the chance to explore Monstropolis from a human or monster eye view. You'll find games and more. This 2-disc edition is well worth it."Monsters, Inc." is a great family film. It looks great, sounds great, and tells a good story. The scenes are full of life and color and imagination. My kids loved every minute of it. By taking us into the world of monsters who are trained to scare children, Pixar somehow teaches children not to be afraid. They demystify the terror of the dark closet, while never forgetting to throw in chuckles for the parents in the audience. When the monsters' world is turned upside down by the unexpected intrusion of a human child, hysteria breaks loose, and everyone's bound to learn something by the end--with heartwarming and humorous moments galore. This is one of my favorite animated films ever, and it get's even better with the release of this packed disc.
Rating:  - Fantastic animated fun
Pixar is quickly becoming a gold mine. Not only does it manage to produce witty, intelligent movies but they are also visually stunning and a hit with both adults and children. This particular movie takes another look at an old theme, just as the 'Toy Story' films did, by taking a peek at the monsters that live in our closets. We're told that they don't live in our closets but in a world of their own and their power source is us or, more specifically, children's screams. Our two heroes are Sully, a big hairy blue creature, and his little one-eyed green friend. Sully is the best worker at Monsters Inc, managing more screams than any other worker. There's a fuel crisis though, and children aren't as easily scared as they used to be, so something has to be done. All of a sudden, a little girl called Boo enters into the monster world and is swiftly taken under the arm of Sully. Meanwhile, villains are afoot building a new and terrifying device to extract human screams from kidnapped children.Although the fact that the initial feelings of fear and trepidation turn into feelings of love and caring is quite obvious, it's the way it's done that's so good. In this part it's even comparable to movies such as 'Three Men and a Baby', but it's so affectionate, funny and thankfully un-cutesy that you have to give it credit. Also worth mentioning are the countless little details that will make both adults and children laugh - i.e. a newspaper headline reading 'child born with five heads; parents delighted'. Just like the 'Toy Story' movies, there are plenty of visual gags and a host of likeable, well-drawn characters such as Cecelia, a one-eyed Medusa, and the abominable snowman that deludes himself that his icy home is both pleasant and accommodating. With all this, you can't fail to fall under its spell. It's well acted, visually interesting, innovative and even gently touching. The inevitable separation scenes are not only done well, but they are devoid of schmaltz and sentimentality that would ruin the moment. Even if this isn't as funny as the 'Toy Story' movies that it's bound to be compared to, it's actually more touching and yet more proof that children's movies can be good too.
Rating: - Excellent entertainment for kids
"Monsters Inc" is first-rate family entertainment. This Pixar Studios production is visually stunning and shows off digital computer technology at its finest. Its monsters wouldn't scare the average four-year old, which is what the moviemakers intended. This is sheer fantasy, and delightful fantasy at that. Adults should know that the movie lacks the sophistication of "Shrek", "Antz" or other Pixar works like "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2". In this highly imaginative tale, those monsters who come out of kids' closets at night are actually residents of Monstropolis, where energy is provided by the screams the creatures elicit from unsuspecting children. Times are tough, though, because kids today aren't so easily frightened. The monsters must never actually touch any child because they believe that human beings are deadly poisonous. So, the beasts are actually more frightened of kids than kids are of them. [Who knew?] Much comedy and pandemonium results when a little child called Boo follows one of the monsters, Sully, into Monstropolis. For kids, this is one of the best animated features ever made. For adults, it is painless to sit through and, for the most part, quite entertaining.
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