“Kitty!” The word stuck in my brain as I was brought near to tears. From the creators of hit movies Toy Story and A Bug’s Life, Pixar returns once again to highlight why they are considered the best of the industry, in one of their most emotional, moving and inspiring films yet. In a blur of often mediocre to downright awful animated films, Monsters Inc. stands out among the rest as not only a fantastically animated film but a true masterpiece for all ages with highly enjoyable characters, animation and story.

Monsters Inc. was released on November 2nd, 2001 by Pixar Animation Studios and was directed by Pete Docter. It is a film about the monster world, one similar to our own, in which doors such as closets are used to access the human world. The company of Monsters Incorporated generates electricity through entering these doors and scaring children, which harvests their screams. The main story revolves around James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, two monsters who work as a duo to scare. One day after work, a child finds Sulley and antics ensue. The monsters have to try to get the child back to her home before everything goes awry. As the story progresses the monsters learn to care for the child and protect her from the threats that could do her harm.

The first thing you’ll notice about the film is the animation. Immediately the intro to the movie is a very stylized and beautiful 2D animation. It uses the letters and doors to maneuver around and give credits as well as introduce the killer soundtrack, which will be discussed later. After the intro, the style switches to a 3D computer-animated style. Despite this, the animation has the substance of a hand-drawn film. Everything flows so naturally, even for the time period in which it was released, and it is clear the maximum effort was put in to make everything feel fluid. It makes you forget you’re looking at an animation, and it feels like you’re truly looking at a living, breathing world. The second scene of the movie has Sulley being trained by Mike, and the way he moves is simply so smooth and fitting. It has a cartoony vibe yet refrains from being choppy. As a whole, the animation is vibrant, excellent and shows a high amount of craftsmanship.

The film also has fantastic humor and creativity. The entire concept of the movie is vibrant and unique. The idea of harvesting electricity through screams is perfectly fitting and would explain why the monsters scare in the first place. This creativity stretches to the monsters too, with each individual monster being distinct and colorful. This is highlighted in the two main characters, with Sully being tall, menacing, blue and hairy while Mike is smooth, short, circular and only has one eye. It all reeks of creativity and the fun of the world’s setting is infectious. On top of this, the monsters are actually scared of the children! This is a great and intelligent twist on the norm of what we consider “monsters” and elevates the humor of the movie. We get many great and hilarious scenes of monsters freaking out over basic things, such as in one scene where the monsters are terrified over a sock. The monster affected is literally quarantined! It’s one of the best scenes in the movie. Though, as a whole, not all of the humor hits, due to some humor being clearly aimed for children, but most of it is great and enjoyable by all ages.

Sulley and Mike as characters are also absolutely amazing. Their duo dynamic is perfect, with the basis of it being Sulley is the main “scarer” and Mike does all the handy work of fitting the canisters and preparing the doors. Their dynamic only heightens when the child is thrown into their lives. Sulley is an expressive, outward, brave and caring character, developing a bond with the child, which he nicknames Boo. On their way Sulley protects her many times, putting his livelihood at risk to save her. Mike is a lot more serious and stern when it comes to the child, originally very eager to return her, and yet opens up to the child more as time goes on. Mike is also a lot more comedic, and Boo latches onto this, laughing at many of the things he does. They both serve their own roles in taking care of the child and making efforts to return her. The trio is just such an adorable group and they truly make the story excellent.

The soundtrack is magnificent. Many pieces have this jazzy and vibrant tone, which for the film are very stylized and fitting. In the scenes which are meant to be more emotional, the music pulls its weight and hits the nail on the head. The end credits song, sung by Sulley and Mike, also is a testament to their lifelong friendship and fits their dynamic perfectly. All of the music is excellent and I’ve found myself many times listening to the soundtrack while doing chores or homework.

It is also a very poignant movie, having many moving scenes which have you near to tears. Sulley and Boo’s relationship is just such a driving force of this. Their dynamic is so great, you never want them to be separated, yet you’re made aware that in the end she will need to be returned. This thought, which stays with you throughout the film, is finally put to the test in the ending. I will not spoil it for you as you should definitely watch it, but it is truly moving and a great ending which fits the tone of the movie.

It leaves off with multiple important messages, teaching those who watch to not be afraid of change, to aspire to your dreams (no matter how far-fetched you consider them to be), and to never give up hope for a brighter future.

Overall, Monsters Inc. is truly a masterpiece. There is no doubt that it is one of Pixar’s greatest and it will forever be amongst the best animated pictures of all time, spouting fantastic characters, an extremely well-written story, great animation, excellent music, and good messages for people of all ages.