monsterhouse

THE SYNOPSIS

Suburbia, the mid 1980’s. For 12-year old DJ (Musso), life is about school, hanging out with his best bud Chowder (Lerner) and spying on the large, creepy Nebbercracker House across the street. It’s the kind of house that growls and attacks. It also eats up people, bicycles, balls and pets.

Old man Nebbercracker (Buscemi) himself is a creepy, nasty person. Did he murder Mrs. Nebbercracker (Turner) years ago? That’s the local myth.

He and Chowder aim to find out when 3 happy accidents occur: 1) DJ’s parents leave for a weekend--but stick him with bitchin’ babysitter Zee (Gyllenhaal); 2) they hook up Jenny (Locke)--a brainy but cute Girl Scout who joins their crusade to stop the evil house; and 3) Nebbercracker ends up in the hospital with a heart attack--so he’s out of their way.

With no help from the inept Sheriff (James) and his equally inept Deputy (Cannon), the trio of kids take on the house, which as it turns out, is possessed by the bitter ghost of the obese Mrs. Nebbercracker--who wasn’t murdered by her husband, but instead fell into the concrete pourer as the house was being built. Her restless spirit has haunted the house ever since.

The kids battle the house, and even Nebbercracker himself helps out (after realizing that she must be stopped). It all ends well, so don’t worry!

THE CRITIQUE

MONSTER HOUSE is a big-budgeted (around $75 million) animated movie that kind of mixes the stylish musings of Beetlejuice with post-modern Generation Z mentality (Gen Z referring to those tweener brats who have a computer, an iPod and a cellphone and can quote you last weekend’s box office grosses--yeah, those kids).

Shepherded and executive-produced by the powerhouse team of Steven Spielberg & Robert Zemeckis, this is one animated movie that appeals to kids as well as adults. But don’t be fooled by the PG-rating--it’s a tad strong for the wee ones; plus the themes of puberty, teenage angst and death may be a bit lofty for the tykes, so parents tread lightly.

Directed by first-time filmmaker Gil Kenan (a UCLA graduate championed by the executive producers) and animated in an elegant style, MONSTER HOUSE strives to be more than just “cute.” It was created using the new motion-capture process (which was also pioneered by Zemeckis on his last animated feature, The Polar Express)--courtesy of Sony Pictures Imageworks--the in-house VFX firm. top-notch work, I say.

Loved the cast also, with everyone really working their roles and imbuing the characters with some energy. Ditto the animated, widescreen cinematography, courtesy of Mexican DP Xavier Perez Grobet (Nacho Libre/Lucia, Lucia/Before Night Falls).

Really my only complaint is that the movie dragged on a little longer than necessary--though 91 minutes is not exactly David Lean proportions. At least, I felt that the movie dragged on a bit...

All in all, I kinda liked this movie. Then again, I like anything Halloween-themed.

THE BOTTOM LINE

An entertaining animated family flick with a solid cast of voices and some terrific, 3D-type animation that pushes the boundaries for the craft. A bit long in running time, but still a fun jaunt. But remember: stay out of creepy old homes!

CAST (VOICES): Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, John Heder, Kevin James, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner, Fred Willard, Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner & Spencer Locke

CREDITS: Director: Gil Kenan; Screenwriters: Dan Harmon & Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler; Producers: Steve Starkey & Jack Rapke; Director of Photography: Xavier Perez Grobet; Production Designer: Ed Verreaux; Editors: Adam P. Scott & Fabienne Rawley; Costume Designer: Ruth Myers; Music: Douglas Pipes

AC/V 2006 91m ENGLISH