Then, of course, there's the house everyone says is haunted. A neighborhood kid knew a kid, who knew a kid who entered and never came out... you know the drill.
In Monster House, that kid is DJ (Mitchell Musso), who spends his days spying on Mr. Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi), the old man across the street who claims anything that goes into his yard. When Mr. Nebbercracker dies, the house takes on a life of its own. When people begin disappearing, DJ enlists his friends Chowder (Sam Lerner) and Jenny (Spencer Locke) to enter the house and discover its secrets.
I'm surprised a film like Monster House wasn't released sooner. The concept is right out of everyone's childhood and should instantly strike a chord. However, while shows have done the "creepy old house" thing, it's never been done with the child-like logic employed here. There's a real sense of dread throughout the film; you really feel like there's a real danger and someone might not make it out. It may be a little too intense for younger viewers, though there's still a playful spirit throughout the film.
Beyond the 3D treatment, Monster House's most striking feature is its look. Though completely CGI, you could probably tell someone Monster House was stop motion and they'd have to look twice. Rather than go for "realism," the visuals aim for something with more of a sculpted model edge. The look, when combined with the incredibly accurate performance capture, creates a look that is somewhere between CG and stop motion in appearance. It's neat and helps give the film its own unique style.
As to the 3D, this was my first experience with the at-home 3D experience. I'm still on the fence when it comes to the technology, but I really liked the experience. I usually get headaches while watching, but that wasn't the case here. I think most of it has to do with how 3D is implemented. Rather than use 3D for visual gags, it adds a sense of depth that isn't too distracting.
Without jumping on my soapbox, my only reservation with home 3D is screen size. 3D works in theaters because the image fills your entire view. That isn't the case here. While I can lose myself in a theater, at home there was a constant, nagging reminder that I was watching the movie in 3D.
The 3D treatment extends to a collection of trailers for upcoming releases for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Open Season.
If you're not outfitted for 3D don't worry, a 2D version is available on the same disc. The picture quality is excellent. Monster House is a dark movie visually, so some scenes felt a little heavy on the black, but I'm willing to attribute this to my TV's calibration setting. I like to keep my blacks dark.
Monster House doesn't come with too many extras, but what's here is excellent - particularly for viewers interested in the production aspect. The first, and probably my favorite, is "Evolution of a Scene." My praise of storyboard features is well documented, and I think this may top them all. Viewable as either one longer feature or several smaller ones, "Evolution" takes the intro scene from storyboard to final. Footage is accompanied by commentary and provides a strong example of how much work goes into a film like Monster House.
"Inside Monster House" is similar in tone to "Evolution." This feature is also viewable as a smaller feature or longer one and goes through the entire production process, including animation and motion capture.
Finally, there's commentary by members of the production team and a still image gallery. Commentary reminded me of the tracks found on the Season Thirteen collection of The Simpsons. It's chaotic and there's no real indication of who is talking, but its still informative and clear these guys love what they're doing and are not just talking because it's in a contract somewhere.
As for the Stills Gallery... well, it's a Stills Gallery.
As releases go, Monster House is a solid release. It's one of those rare, non-Pixar animated releases that entertains kids, but is still incredibly smart in its execution. It's a fun watch. But, as it usually goes with releases, I can really only recommend this for viewers who either don't own it on Blu-ray (make sure you have a 3D enabled player first) or have taken the 3D plunge.
