Pixar: Monsters Inc

• 9th Feb 2011

Monster’s Inc is my absolute favourite of all the Disney/Pixar collaborations and contains my two favourite characters. I adore Sully and, sadly, now packaged away somewhere in my loft is the shrine I built up to him over my years at university, with the only remaining piece of memorabilia free from the attic’s confines being the tea mug I drink out of every morning.  Surprisingly, my second favourite character isn’t Mike, although I do have a soft spot for him, it is the only animated being to make my womb twitch (too much information there?!) Boo makes me melt in ways young members of my own family can’t (although I love them to bits) and if, when I eventually have a child of my own, she isn’t like Boo I’ll be heartbroken! She’s amazing.

Anyway, enough of my ticking body clock and on to the film!

Monster’s Inc is the huge corporation that powers the sprawling Monstropolis by collecting children’s screams. It employs “scarers,” monsters who go through the doors of the unsuspecting kids’ bedroom cupboards, scare them and collect the results. It’s an interesting explanation for why we’re afraid of what’s in the dark recesses of our bedrooms and under our beds. Eleven-time winner of employee of the month at the company is James P. Sullivan, voiced by John Goodman, and although he may be top scarer it’s clear his a big softy at heart. His assistant is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), sarcastic, cynical and pretty much the opposite of Sully, in every way. Their rival – and the eventual villain of the film – is Randall (Steve Buscemi), a shape-shifting, horrifyingly ugly purple monster who will do anything to get his name up on that Top Scarer’s board, including coming in late at night and surreptitiously collecting extra screams.

Now, Monsters have always been told a child’s touch is fatal, so when Sully returns through a door one night with a small girl pinned to his back much hysteria follows. Sully and Mike know they will cause wide spread panic over the city if anyone is find out a child has crossed over into the monster’s world and they are forced to try and hide the girl until they can return her to her room.

Whether this story would have worked if Boo wasn’t quite so adorable will never be known, but during the time the monsters spend with her, they come to realise that kids aren’t all that bad and that scaring them isn’t necessarily the best way to harness energy from them.

Watching Monster’s Inc again to write this was an absolute joy from start to finish. It made me laugh, cry and feel broody all at the same time. The magic of this film is that somehow it manages to portray everything about childhood, growing up and open-mindedness without being patronising or talking down to the audience. It’s beautiful and it made me feel good about life and reaffirmed my faith in humanity. It’s a total feel good movie that everyone should see at least once.

P.S. I’ll keep you informed about the baby situation!!

Laura Johnson