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Newest Disney film brings monsters out of the closet

Film:  Monsters, Inc.

Cast:  Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi

Rated:  G

Now Playing:  Harkins Chandler Fashion 20, Harkins Arizona Mills, Centerpoint 11

Viewbility Rating: ***** (Excellent)

 Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios have teamed up to take on every small child’s worst nightmare: the dreaded monster in the closet.

From the makers of Toy Story, A Bugs Life and Toy Story II, Monsters, Inc. offers a behind-the-scenes look at how monsters go about the business of scaring children.

It’s an original, imaginative, computer-animated adventure story that will excite and entertain children of any age.

Oh, and by the way, don’t be scared off by the title. The monsters in this movie are just doing their jobs and are frightened by the prospect of coming into direct contact with a real child. In fact, there’s a good chance your child or grandchild, niece or nephew who’s afraid of monsters will overcome any such fears after seeing this film.

Our story takes place in Monstropolis, a large city inhabited by a bizarre collection of colorful monsters.

Monstropolis’s main source of power is processed human screams. This energy is gathered at the towns factory called Monsters, Inc., where monsters go about their jobs each night entering the bedroom doors of children all over the world to scare them and collect their screams.

Competition among the monsters to collect the most scares sets the stage for the good-humored mayhem that follows. 

John Goodman plays Sulley, a big, hairy, blue-green monster cast as top dog in the scare department. 

Billy Crystal plays Sulley’s assistant, Mike Wazowski. Mike looks like a one-eyed, 100-pound lime, and he’s in love with Monster, Inc.’s Medusa-like receptionist Celia (played by Jennifer Tilly).

All is well until a little girl named Boo (played by Mary Gibbs) accidentally follows Sulley back into his world.

Problem is: real children are toxic to monsters, and a touch from a human child can be fatal.

Slimy, slithery and sometimes invisible Randall (played by Steve Buscemi) exploits Sulley’s little problem and conspires to send Sulley and one-eyed Mike to the most desolate place on earth. (No, it’s not Yuma, Ariz.)

Casting Billy Crystal as Mike was an excellent choice by Disney. Crystal’s character strikes you as a feisty and overly protective celebrity agent from New Jersey. His hilarious one liners convinced me he had to be ad libbing some of them.

And who else but Billy is capable of making an eyeball disarmingly charming, suave and streetwise.

Crystal’s worldly character butts heads with his more naïve buddy Sulley. As Sulley, Goodman reminds you of Bear from the Big Blue House. He fills his animated character with the warm, friendly demeanor of someone who couldn’t hurt a fly and is willing to risk everything to protect the little human child Boo.

Director Pete Docter and Executive Producer John Lasseter succeeded in creating a clever comic story that takes the monster out of the closet and into the light.

Monsters, Inc. should compel children to open their closet doors and happily confront any fearsome fiends the next time one dares to come a-knocking at the door.

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