Comprehensive Guide to 'Monsters, Inc.'

'Monsters, Inc.' tells the story of Sulley and Mike, two monsters employed at Monsters, Inc., the leading scream-collection facility in their world. Their lives take an unexpected turn when a young girl named Boo accidentally enters their realm, threatening Sulley's career and turning their world upside down.

Pixar, the studio behind 'Monsters, Inc.,' offered a behind-the-scenes look at this 2001 blockbuster. In this article, we delve into the film's creation process and provide a detailed analysis of its scenes. But first, here's some additional context:

The original concept for 'Monsters, Inc.' involved a 32-year-old man who could see monsters invisible to others. Over time, the protagonist evolved into a young girl. The film highlights the bond between Sulley, a towering eight-foot monster, and Boo, a curious toddler.

Sulley, the main monster, transformed from a janitor to a clumsy, unlucky character before becoming a top scarer. Director Pete Docter explains, "Monsters are often seen as terrifying, snarling creatures, but in our movie, they're just regular folks. They have jobs, chat about doughnuts, and stress over things like dental care. Scaring kids is simply their profession."

The name "Monsters, Inc." came from Joe Grant, the renowned Disney artist and storyman who co-wrote the 1941 classic "Dumbo" and contributed to the original "Fantasia." Grant shared his storytelling wisdom with Disney's Feature Animation team until he passed away in 2005.

Docter, who greatly admired Grant's work, often consulted him about the project. Grant would send over sketches and notes in his beautiful handwriting. Docter remembers, "It was the ideal title. Joe was a huge inspiration to us."

On the following page, we'll explore the process behind designing the distinctive characters that bring the world of "Monsters, Inc." to life.

Creating the 'Monsters, Inc.' Characters

Crafting the characters for "Monsters, Inc." involved a meticulous process. In this section, we’ll delve into the intricate details of how these beloved monsters came to life.

The primary characters were sculpted in clay, digitized, and brought to the screen, while around 50 additional monsters were designed digitally using a library of virtual components. Building on lessons from earlier Pixar films like the "Toy Story" series and "A Bug's Life," the team utilized a custom tool named "Geppetto" to enhance control, enabling more nuanced animations.

John Kahrs, the animator behind Sulley, the towering monster who faces unexpected challenges, drew inspiration from John Goodman’s voice acting. Kahrs notes, "Goodman’s performance was incredibly dynamic and layered. His voice had a unique rhythm and depth, with a bear-like resonance that perfectly matched Sulley’s character. His delivery guided much of my animation work."

Andrew Gordon, the lead animator for Mike Wazowski, the spirited one-eyed character, took cues from Billy Crystal’s improvisational voice work. Gordon shares, "Crystal would often riff on lines, adding humor and spontaneity. Since Mike is essentially a giant eyeball, I studied close-up videos of my own eye to capture subtle movements, like pupil shifts and eyelid reactions, to make the character feel authentic."

Dave DeVan, a seasoned Pixar animator with five years of experience, led the animation for Boo. Reflecting on the process, DeVan shared, "Boo was the most complex character I’ve tackled at Pixar. During production, some animators brought their children to the studio, and Mary Gibbs, who voiced Boo, visited my office once. Full of energy from eating jelly beans, her playful nature perfectly captured the essence of the character."

"My role was to ensure we achieved the desired level of control and that Boo’s face was as lifelike and emotive as possible. The final version of Boo boasts around 900 animation controls. While animating humans has always been a challenge in CGI, Pixar made significant strides with projects like 'Geri's Game' and this film."

Now that we’ve explored the characters, let’s dive into the incredible world they inhabit. We’ll cover that in the following section.

Inside Monstropolis: Creating the 'Monsters, Inc.' World

Designing the monsters' world was both a challenging and rewarding task for the creative team behind "Monsters, Inc."

Director Pete Docter explains, "Monstropolis features massive steel and stone structures to support the weight of three-ton monsters. Everything, from doors to phones to vehicles, had to be versatile to accommodate creatures ranging from eight feet tall to just two inches."

During the initial research phase, the production team visited factories, refineries, and industrial sites to gather inspiration for Monstropolis. They even traveled to Pittsburgh to study the architecture of an older industrial city.

Production designer Harley Jessup notes, "We wanted the monsters to stand out as the most vibrant elements in Monstropolis. To achieve this, we kept the city’s palette subdued and the factory’s colors cooler." The film features 22 distinct sets, including Boo’s bedroom, the stylish sushi restaurant Harryhausen's, and the Yeti’s snowbound home.

Discover how Pixar’s animation process works in the next section.

Animation Magic: Creating 'Monsters, Inc.'

'Monsters, Inc.' is part of Pixar’s legacy of iconic animated films. The Pixar animation process starts when an employee pitches an idea to the development team, similar to a sales presentation. A treatment, or brief summary of the story, is then written. Often, multiple treatments are created before the final narrative is selected.

Once the treatment is finalized, the script is developed, and storyboards are created. These storyboards act as a visual guide, resembling a comic strip that outlines the film’s action and dialogue. Artists use these to conceptualize their sequences, sketch them out, and present their work to the director.

Temporary 'scratch' voice recordings are made for the storyboard reel. As the story and dialogue progress, professional actors step in to record the final lines, following the script and sometimes improvising. Actors deliver multiple takes, and the best performances are animated. Occasionally, the scratch voices are so effective that they are used in the final animation.

In the next phase, characters, sets, and props are either hand-sculpted and then 3D-scanned or directly modeled in 3D on the computer. These elements are equipped with 'avars,' or hinges, which animators use to bring movement to the objects or characters. Some characters feature as many as 100 avars just in their facial structure.

Following this, the 3D sets are constructed and 'dressed' with prop models like furniture, curtains, and toys. Set dressers collaborate closely with the director to ensure the world feels authentic and aligns with the director’s creative vision.

The scenes are then laid out. The layout team arranges the characters within the sets and uses a 'virtual camera' to craft shots that convey the emotional tone and narrative purpose of each scene. Multiple takes are created, and the most effective ones are selected.

After a scene is finalized, it moves to the animation stage. Unlike traditional animation, Pixar’s animators don’t draw or paint the scenes. Instead, they act like puppeteers, using animation software to choreograph character movements and expressions. They manipulate the avars and computer controls, and the software generates the in-between frames.

The final step involves shading the sets and characters. This is done using 'shaders,' specialized software that enables intricate color variations and adjustments. For instance, shaders allow colors to change under different lighting conditions, such as the reflections in a character’s eyes.

Lighting is the final touch that brings the scenes to life. Digital lights, functioning like stage lighting, are used to illuminate every scene. Key lights, fill lights, bounce lights, and ambient room lighting are all carefully designed to enhance the mood and emotional impact of each moment.

Rendering is the next step, where all the data in the shot’s files — including sets, colors, and character movements — is converted into a single frame of film. Each frame, representing 1/24th of a second, takes approximately six hours to render, with some frames requiring up to 90 hours.

The final stage involves adding the musical score and sound effects. The photo science department then records the digital frames onto film or prepares them for digital projection.

An animated feature wouldn’t be complete without music. In the next section, we explore the soundtrack of the "Monsters, Inc." cartoon.

The Music in 'Monsters, Inc.'

This film marked the fourth collaboration between Pixar and the renowned composer and songwriter Randy Newman. For "Monsters, Inc.," Newman crafted a charming score inspired by 1940s jazz and big band music, along with the end-credit song "If I Didn't Have You," performed by John Goodman and Billy Crystal.

Director Peter Docter notes, "Newman has composed distinctive themes for each main character. Sulley’s theme has a heroic quality, while Mike’s features a jazzy vibe with woodwinds."

Newman’s score for "Monsters, Inc." stands out due to its unique blend of instruments. The soundtrack includes bass harmonica, accordion, marimbas, cimbasso (a hybrid of tuba and trombone), bass oboes, and saxophones, giving it an unconventional and playful tone.

Newman explains, "Every film demands a range of emotions, but this one required creating an entirely new world through music. It’s a parallel universe where monsters live like humans, going to work and facing challenges. The score aims to amplify the emotions and tension of the perilous situations."

Everyone has a favorite moment in "Monsters, Inc." For a detailed breakdown of each scene, head to the next page.

'Monsters, Inc.' Scene Highlights

The film’s success is partly due to its unforgettable scenes, which children love to revisit repeatedly. Download the "Monsters, Inc." scene guide for a complete overview of the movie’s scenes. Below are some of the standout moments.

Scene 2: "Monster in the Closet"

A young boy believes monsters are hiding in his room at night. Suddenly, a massive monster appears by his bed, and an alarm sounds. However, the boy isn’t real—this is a simulation for scare training at Monsters, Inc. The rookie scarer, a monster named Bile, is reprimanded by his instructor for leaving the closet door open.

Scene 3: "Mr. Waternoose"

Mr. Waternoose, the octopus-like president of Monsters, Inc., warns Bile and the monster class about the dangers of children. He explains how monsters enter the human world through closet doors to scare kids, collecting screams that are converted into energy to power Monstropolis. He praises Sulley as the top scarer.

Scene 4: "Morning Workout"

The scene introduces Sulley, a blue furry monster, and Mike, a giant eyeball with legs, as they start their day. Mike, the taskmaster, leads Sulley through scare exercises like "Scary Feet" and "Don’t Let the Kid Touch You." Later, they watch a Monsters, Inc. commercial featuring themselves and their colleagues.

Scene 8: "Scare Floor"

The scarer monsters head to work, each entering a unique door set up by their assistant (Mike assists Sulley). Upon opening the door, they step into a child’s bedroom in the human world, scare the kids, and return to Monsters, Inc., closing the door behind them. Randall is performing exceptionally well, even surpassing Sulley in his scream collection numbers.

Scene 9: "23-19"

A scarer named Georgie returns through a door with a child’s sock stuck to his back, triggering contamination alarms. The Child Detection Agency (CDA) rushes in to destroy the sock and shave Georgie’s fur. Waternoose is furious as the plant is forced to shut down for half an hour.

Scene 12: "Harryhausen's"

Mike and Celia are on a date at Harryhausen's, a sushi restaurant packed with monsters. Sulley barges in to inform Mike about the child, but the toddler escapes from his bag. With a single "Boo!," she terrifies everyone in the restaurant. Sulley and Mike manage to sneak Boo out just as the CDA arrives.

Scene 16: "Potty Break"

Boo needs to use the restroom, so Sulley waits outside the stall to keep watch. Inside, Boo sings, and they play hide and seek among the stalls. Mike eventually finds them, but Randall shows up shortly after.

Scene 20: "The Trash Compactor"

Believing Boo is trapped in the trash compactor, Sulley rushes to the trash bin to rescue her. He watches in horror as the trash is crushed, thinking Boo is inside. However, she’s elsewhere in the building, still disguised as a monster and playing with other monster kids. Eventually, Sulley and Boo reunite.

Scene 21: "Mike Kidnapped"

Sulley, Mike, and Boo discover Boo’s door on the scare floor while everyone is at lunch, just as Randall mentioned. Mike opens the door and steps into Boo’s dark bedroom to confirm it’s safe, but Randall mistakenly traps him in a box, thinking Mike is Boo. Sulley and Boo hide as Randall takes off with Mike.

Scene 26: "Schmoopsie Poo!"

Reunited, Sulley, Mike, and Boo attempt to escape Randall. During their flight, Celeste briefly joins them, and Mike reveals Randall’s scheme. They eventually reach the scare floor and resume their search for Boo’s door.

Scene 28: "Tricking Waternoose"

Sulley, Mike, and Boo nearly fall into a trap set by Mr. Waternoose and the CDA security team, but Mike cleverly sends them on a false trail. Sulley escorts Boo through her door, returning her safely to her bedroom. However, Waternoose follows them into Boo’s room. During their struggle, Waternoose reveals his scheme to kidnap children and connect them to the scream extractor. The twist? They’re not in Boo’s room but in the Monsters, Inc. simulation room, where Waternoose’s confession is recorded. The CDA security team apprehends him.

Scene 30: "The Laugh Floor"

Mike sneaks into a child’s bedroom at night, but instead of scaring the boy, he tries to make him laugh with silly jokes. As a last resort, Mike lets out a massive burp, which finally makes the child laugh. It turns out laughter generates ten times more energy for Monsters, Inc. than screams, transforming the scare floor into the "laugh floor."

Walt Disney once remarked that every child enjoys a good scare. This sentiment is perfectly captured in "Monsters, Inc.," a film that delivers thrilling fun time and time again. After watching it with your child, remember to shut your closet door.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Allen, a writer based in Los Angeles, has contributed to animated series on MTV and Nickelodeon. His all-time favorite cartoon is "Scooby Doo."