Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc. is not as good as Toy Story. That said, it is pretty good in its own right, and it proves that Pixar’s technical wizardry doesn’t overshadow the fact that these guys put together entertaining and enjoyable stories that adults won’t mind sitting through. And that’s saying a lot.Two working-class monsters, Sully (John Goodman) and Mike (Billy Crystal), spend their days scaring children, because the screams power their monster city. Monsters, Inc. has the same mixture of silliness for kiddies and in-jokes for adults that Toy Story had (for example, the hip sushi resturant in the city is called Harryhausen’s—a reference to the great monster-effects pioneer). Goodman and Crystal are great, once again providing evidence that a lot of actors do their best work when they stay behind the scenes, so to speak (Eddie Murphy in Shrek, anyone?). With other voices provided by Steve Buscemi (as the villain, Randall), James Coburn, Frank Oz, and John Ratzenberger (as a hilarious Yeti), Monsters, Inc. has more going for it than just breathtaking animation, all of which makes it more than OK to want to see it. Don’t be embarrassed—go ahead.