Sprint to the Oscars - Monster House

The Sneaky Cheetah continues his quest to see every nominated film before the Academy Awards!

Figured I'd round out the animated feature category so I rented...

Monster House

Nominated for Best Animated Feature

Right off the bat, I knew this was going to be a fun film. It's exec producers are Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemekis. Creators of the films that defined my childhood. Monster House reminds me of one of the best of those films, The Goonies. It's just kids on a fantastic quest with no adult help. The Goonies were following a treasure map, while the kids of Monster House battle a truly Monstrous House. Which can be pretty scary at times (at least to a 4 year old). But it's a better film because of it. The story of the monster house is creepy and morbid, it's got clever dialogue where the kids actually talk like kids, and it's funny on different levels, for adults and kids. The film uses 3D motion capture animation, a la Polar Express, but the technology has advanced and the humans don't look as mannequin-esque as that film. The vocal cast is very good, in that there's some big names that you don't immediately recognize, as opposed to Robin Williams hamming it up as multiple Penguins in Happy Feet.This is the most enjoyable animated film I've seen since The Incredibles, and believe me, I've seen 'em all. The animation is not the best you'll see, but the story is. Even if you don't have kids, rent this on a Saturday night, pop some popcorn, and prepare to enjoy a good film that 'll take you back to the fun films of your childhood. A

Spielberg and Zemekis put this film into the hands of first time director Gil Kenan. I heard he created a short animated film that caught Spielberg's eye and landed him this job. Good call Steven. You're pretty good at this.