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Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray Review

The Movie

At this point, Pixar and Blu-ray basically go hand in hand. The studio has yet to make a truly bad movie (even their worst [in my opinion], Cars, is better than 90% of the movies out there) and their Blus have constantly been reference material, and must-owns in any collection.

So it should come as no surprise that their latest catalogue release, Monsters, Inc., is once again a must-buy for Blu-ray viewers, Disney fans, Pixar fans, and fans of great films.

Like many of Pixar's pre-Wall-E films, Monsters, Inc. is fairly simplistic in terms of its story. It revolves around the world of monsters. The monster in your closet or under your bed when you were little? Totally real. And they scare humans to capture their screams so that they can power their city, Monstropolis, with the efficient energy. The large, blue-furred Sulley is the best scarer at Monsters, Inc., and his best friend is the diminutive one-eyed monster, Mike Wazowski. Things are going great for both of them, until one workday when Sulley manages to bring back a human child (named "Boo") on accident.

While humans are afraid of monsters, monsters are afraid of children. As expected, they find out a human child has infiltrated Monsters, Inc., and everyone is in a scurry to find the little demon and dispose of it. Sulley, however, learns that maybe - just maybe - human children aren't quite the monsters that the monsters make them out to be.

What follows is a great comedy with a lot of memorable scenes and characters, and some great messages about the power of friendship. John Goodman (Sulley) and Billy Crystal (Mike) both do a great job with their voice acting, and you really begin to connect with the characters despite their monstrous condition.

Personally, Monsters, Inc. isn't one of my absolute favorite Pixar films, but it's above the fold. As I said earlier, though, even the worst of Pixar's movies (and this definitely isn't it) is better than almost any other animation out there. So for fans of the movie, or for those who have never seen it, consider Monsters, Inc. a must-see.

The Disc

In terms of the disc itself, Monsters, Inc. really benefits from the HD ability Blu-ray offers. The picture is by far the best this movie has ever looked, and is even up there with the most recent Pixar releases, Up and Wall-E. Every texture looks great, every color is vivid, and every shadow is black. Perhaps most impressive is Sulley's fur, which looks absolutely realistic.

The movie was really loved due to the huge variety of creatures present, and on DVD many of these differences were really only noticeable as differing colors, sizes, shapes, and a few extremely different textures. On Blu, however, the uniqueness of each monster really shines through, and ones that before looked like they were at least partially similar now look startlingly different.

Monsters, Inc.'s sound is equally impressive. In my opinion, this is the best example of HD sound in a Pixar release yet. Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, the audio track far outperforms the DVD release, and makes Monsters, Inc. seem like a real place you can step into. Monsters sound big, and their work environment is constantly busy on all fronts. The end chase scene is one of the best examples of audio in any animated release yet.

As with a lot of Blu-ray releases, many of the extras available are brought over from various DVD releases. Commentary, the shorts, various out-of-movie clips, etc. are all brought back. What's new however, are an intro from director Pete Docter (which explains what you can find on the discs and will make you drop your jaw), a 22-minute Filmmakers Roundtable, a corny trivia-like game, and a 12-minute look at the new Monsters, Inc. ride at Tokyo Disneyland. The Roundtable is the best of the new features, as it explains a lot of how the movie was made, and offers plenty of anecdotes. The look at the Monsters, Inc. ride feels a lot like an advert for Tokyo Disneyland, but seeing as most of us will never have a chance to see the ride in person, it's an interesting bit - especially for those who love going to the Disney parks, or who grew up within a few minutes drive of Disneyland (as yours truly did).

The re-used extras are numerous, and while some are offered in HD, most are in SD. HD extras include the two Pixar shorts, the storyboard to film comparison, an alternative treatment for the early film, banished concepts, and a brief history of Monster World.

All in all, Monsters, Inc. is a must-buy Blu-ray title. The movie is one of Pixar's better works (though not their best), but the disc itself is one of the most impressive discs yet. With Monsters, Inc. out on Blu, now we just have to wait until The Incredibles and the two Toy Story films make their transition. Thankfully, the current Pixar discs are good enough to tide me over until my favorites show up on shelves.

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Movie: 4 / 5

Video & Audio: 5 / 5

Disc: 5 / 5

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Overall: 5 / 5

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