Movie #21 - Monster House

There are some positives to discuss about this film. First of all, the animation style achieved in this movie are quite impressive. I remember the first time that I watched Toy Story, I was taken aback by how well that movie was done. Special effects and animation, this movie is top notch based on the current technology available.

However, on the movie side - especially from the child's perspective, I didn't really like this film. Although I am not a child and I do not have any children, I believe I can discuss this movie from an objective perspective. I have seen many children's movies and have watched countless hours of cartoons and kids shows over the years to know which films are hits and which ones are misses.

This film is a major miss.

I was excited to see this film when I saw the trailer for it last Christmas. The plot reminded me of how many of us used to be like when we were young, bratty pre-teens or "tweens." We used to spy on the neighbors and gawk at the girl next door. We all used to believe that there was one haunted house in our neighborhood or an crotchety old man who would never give back our stuff when it landed in his backyard - or in this case, his property.

However, despite those nostalgic moments, there are too many adult scenes in this film and not enough good-hearted fun for the kids. I know that this film is rated PG-13, so it was probably written for the older crowd, but since it is a cartoon and was promoted otherwise, I was surprised that there weren't more kid friendly scenes.

I completely understand that these movies are viewed by children with their parents, but whose to say that many a young child wasn't scared by some of these scenes. Also, there are some adult undertones in this movie that definitely deserve the PG-13 rating.

The film was cast with some key cameo voices - Steve Buscemi, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, John Heder, and Kathleen Turner. However, halfway through this film, I found it quite boring by the ending. The ending seemed tacked on and everything was resolved in the final 10 minutes of the film, something that you only expect in live action movies.

Writers Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab had the opportunity to create a great cast of characters here while Director Gil Kenan could have taken advantage of the unique technology being used in this film's creation. The plot line was strong, but the film itself was in the dark most of the time and had no sense of direction.

From the kid's perspective, this might have been a joy to watch and a fun night out with Mom and Dad (depending on the age of course), but its no Lion King.

Reference: I originally published this article on Helium.com