Have you ever wondered where those monsters under your bed or in your closet come from? What is the world in the back of your closet really like when your parents are asleep? And did you ever think if you were patient enough one of those big furry monsters might become your friend?

Monsters, Inc. is a huge factory that employs hundreds of monsters to creep and populate the closets of children across the globe. James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), or Sulley, is one of its top scarers and an intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots, and horns. His best friend and assistant is Mike Wzowski (Billy Crystal), a green, feisty little one-eyed monster. Their co-workers consist of the factory's CEO, a fat, crablike monster named Henry J. Waternoose (James Coburn) and the snake-headed, receptionist named Celia (Jennifer Tilly). One of the top scarers, competing for Sulley’s #1 position is a sarcastic chameleon named Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi). The Monster world is about to be turned upside down when a tiny girl, named Boo, journeys into their realm.

For many years, I believed “Toy Story” was the perfect film for the emerging CGI animation world. “Toy Story 2” arrived and continued the tradition. I became convinced after “A Bug’s Life” that maybe it would be hard for Pixar-Disney to make a film that would embrace the concept of “Toy Story” but with an original angle. Well “Monsters Inc” placed all those doubts and conclusions in the dust.

The animators behind “Toy Story” did go back to the world of a child’s room but this time took it a step further and opened a portal to another dimension of sorts. This idea and brilliance both encompasses the innocence of a child’s room and the new world in which “Monsters Inc” is apart of. Incorporating the enchantment of children and their world is the key to what makes this film work so well.

Like all the successful animated films before it, “Monsters Inc” not only appeals to children but to adults as well. There are jokes and laughs that will go over the kids’ heads but will make us laugh hysterically. It truly is remarkable when films like these can do this kind of magic.

We don’t need to talk about the performances or the brilliant animation but instead know that this film has a heart and truly that’s what children react to the most. The gurgling, laughing and smiles of the little CGI child let us know that this is the audience who will scream “kitty” when they see the giant 10-foot Sulley on the big screen. You will cry, laugh and become enchanted with a world that only your child knows exists in real life and you will know for a moment that you are apart of. This is truly something special for young and old.

I haven’t had these feelings for a children’s movie since I saw the original “Toy Story” and it’s because I felt all these emotions in one film that I know it is a gem.

Go to it, love it, and tell your friends about it.

(5 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.

Side Note: I watched to the end of the credits and saw that this film is based on a children’s book series. I have searched far and wide to find pictures, excerpts or even the author’s name of this series. If anyone out there knows the name of the author or has pictures (from the original children’s series) please mail this information to me. I really want to know more about the origins of this project and the other stories that were told about this concept. My email is dwkish@home.com

Rating *** 1/2 (out of 5)

Last November, I bought the Toy Story Toy Box on DVD, which boasted a wealth of extra stuff for all of us Pixar maniacs and also included a teaser trailer for their next big project, Monsters, Inc. The teaser trailer, if you haven't seen it, is set inside a child's bedroom at night as two creatures, noticeably voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman, emerge from the closet. Upon realizing they are in the wrong room, they argue with each other and then head back to their domain inside the closet. IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!! Then came the kicker: Opens November 2, 2001. "You mean I have to wait a whole year for this thing????"

But now, fellow Pixar fans, the wait is over and Monsters Inc. has emerged from the Disney/Pixar closets. Was it worth the wait? Yes, but......

The plot of the film is simple (duh, it's a kids film...): there exists another world beyond the closet door where Monsters live on their own plane of existence. The biggest opportunity for work in their world is a company called Monsters, Inc ("We Scare Because We Care"), and the competition for the most scares is almost a dead heat battle between the top scarer, James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), also called Sully, and Randall (Steve Buscemi). They creep through doors, collect the scares and tally up the points. Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) is James' assistant, roommate and best friend. When they discover that a little girl has accidentally gotten through one of the closet doors to their side of the world, panic sets in. It is believed that if humans touch the monsters, they will die because "Children are toxic!!!", according to the boss of Monsters, Inc, Henry J. Waternoose (James Coburn). so Sully and Mike attempt to hide the girl from the authorities only to discover that kids aren't really that bad.

The one thing that Pixar prides itself on, one would hope, is their animation. In this respect, the film is better than anything they have done before. The textures are more real, things look even smoother (if that's possible) and the colours seem even more brilliant than the toy store scene in Toy Story 2. (watch for a scene where Sully's fur is blowing in a light breeze....you'd swear it was a live stuffed animal on screen).

The downside? Unfortunately, there is one. Monsters, Inc doesn't have the heart that the previous films had. It's hard not to compare, because of Pixar's strong reputation for consistent brilliance, but this one is not their best. It has some really funny moments (mostly when Sully and Mike attempt to hide the little girl from their co-workers), and the voice of the little girl (aptly named 'Boo' by Sully), is so cute it's hard not to instantly fall in love with her. But a sub-plot involving Waternoose and Randall only makes the story a little more serious than most kids want it to be. There are no songs (as in the previous films) and when things start to get a little emotional, it almost seems forced.

The imagination is present, and you can't help but smile consistently through the first 25 minutes of the film, but something has gone missing between the monster world and the closet door....if you find it, see if you can find that set of keys I lost in there about 3 years ago....