Monster House (2006)

Director:

Gil Kenan

Writers:

Dan Harmon (screenplay) &
Rob Schrab (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 July 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

There Goes The Neighborhood.

Plot:

Three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.

Plot Keywords:

House | Halloween | Neighbor | Babysitter | Kid

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ryan Newman	...	Little Girl (voice)
Steve Buscemi	...	Nebbercracker (voice)
Mitchel Musso	...	DJ (voice)
Catherine O'Hara	...	Mom (voice)
Fred Willard	...	Dad (voice)
Sam Lerner	...	Chowder (voice)
Woody Schultz	...	Paramedic #1 (voice)
Ian McConnel	...	Paramedic #2 (voice)
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Zee (voice)
Jason Lee	...	Bones (voice)
Spencer Locke	...	Jenny (voice)
Kevin James	...	Officer Landers (voice)
Nick Cannon	...	Officer Lister (voice)
Jon Heder	...	Reginald 'Skull' Skulinski (voice)
Kathleen Turner	...	Constance (voice)

Also Known As:

Neighbourhood Crimes & Peepers (Philippines: English title) (review title)
Zemeckis/Spielberg Motion Capture Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Ireland:PG | Sweden:11 | Norway:11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:MG6 | Australia:PG | USA:PG (certificate #41005) | USA:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | Hungary:14 | France:U | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Philippines:G | Iceland:7 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | Malta:PG

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

The motto on the police car reads "We Wanna Help".

Goofs:

Continuity: Jenny says they have one hour, probably implying she has one hour until her Mom picks her up. She arrives at DJ's house early in the morning, and it is dark when her mother arrives, meaning she was there far more than one hour. We also see her make or receive no calls to/from her mother.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Little Girl: Hello, fence!

Movie Connections:

Spin off Domus Mactibilis: Real Monster Houses (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Thou Art Dead

A trio of preteens must work together to conquer the frightening house across the street when they discover that it is alive.

Let's be clear - Monster House is not your typical 'feel-good' children's movie. That isn't to say, however, that there are never any points where the viewer is allowed to feel good. In fact, I discovered, despite my initial resistance to a movie that I thought would simply impress me graphically, copious moments of warmth and humor within the unembellished and utterly human actions of the characters. This is the movie's paramount success. Not the plot, the myriad celebrity voices, or even the decisively unique and dazzling computer animation. Where Monster House really shines is within the dialogue and behavior of its perfectly believable personalities. From the girl-musings and growing pains of the pubescent DJ and Chowder to the cantankerous rantings of their crotchety old neighbor Nebbercracker, the cast is so natural that one would expect to run across such people within day-to-day life. It is this element that helps Monster House transcend an entirely surreal plot to make an idea so bizarre and twisted seem entirely real.

It is true that Monster House does contain a predominantly dark theme, with a considerable amount of eerie scenes to support it. I don't believe, however, that this should keep it from being shared with children, especially those preadolescences that will soon enough be able to relate to the emotions and actions of its protagonists. As long as younger children have the guidance of a parent or other compassionate adult, this film has the potential be viewed and adored by all ages.