Toon Talk
Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt

Monsters, Inc.
Collector’s Edition 2-Disc DVD
Monster Mash

Those guys and gals at Pixar sure seem to have a lot of fun making their movies, as evidenced by the supplemental material in the new DVD collector’s edition for their latest computer animated hit, Monsters, Inc. But not only does this peek behind the curtain reveal that it must be a heck of a lot of fun working there, it also shows just how they are able to channel such a wacky worth ethic into the creative and technical brilliance of all their productions to date.

And that spills over into the subsequent DVD incarnations as well, as evidenced in such previous releases as The Ultimate Toy Box Set for the Toy Story films, the collector’s set of A Bug’s Life, and this latest addition. A whole lot of love and imagination went into the creation of these home video collectibles, just like for the films they showcase.

Not merely a random culling of previously available material, Pixar’s Monster, Inc. DVD features a ton of new (or at least new to most) animation that rewards almost every click of the remote with some more fun from Mike, Sulley and company.

The Movie:  Created directly from Pixar’s original digital source, the film is presented in a choice of two viewing presentations:

• Fullscreen version (1.33.1), specially reframed for standard televisions.
• Widescreen version (1.85.1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions with the original theatrical ratio.

One always likes to have choices, and Pixar has been very good at providing them in all their DVD releases. (Although for me, it’s widescreen or nothing … ) The image is crisp and clean, making everything from each hair on Sulley’s body to Randall’s slimy skin crystal clear.

The sound on the DVD is THX certified (including a THX optimizer option) and is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, making each scream (or laugh) ring out.

As for the film itself, it (like A Bug’s Life) plays better after repeat viewings, although the major plot hole of how Mike returns to the Monster World from the Himalayas and ends up in the Secret Lab (a location he never went to before) to find Sulley still stands out like a sore thumb for me. The ‘monster-at-work’ gags, which I found a bit stretched in my original review for the film, go over better now, and Randall and Waternoose as the villains of the piece feel more fleshed out as well.

What remains a joy to watch is the relationship between Mike and Sulley and, even more so, that of Sulley and Boo, a true ‘cutie and the beast’ tale if their ever was one. (Click here for the original Toon Talk review of Monsters, Inc.)