Common Sense Media Review
Cute, kid-friendly monster movie; may scare sensitive kids.
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Monsters, Inc.
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 92 parent reviews
Parents say the movie is a delightful blend of humor and heartwarming story, making it a favorite for children and adults alike, with memorable characters and impressive animation. However, many reviews caution about some scary and intense moments that could frighten younger viewers, especially sensitive children, and suggest that parents be mindful of the film's darker themes, like kidnapping and torture, which might not be suitable for all kids.
- engaging characters
- humor and heart
- scary moments
- parental caution
- mixed age appeal
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 178 kid reviews
Kids say that this family-friendly film offers a mix of fun and humor, highlighting themes of friendship, courage, and loyalty through lovable characters like Mike and Sully. However, some viewers express concern that certain scary scenes and intense moments may not be suitable for very young children, particularly sensitive ones, suggesting parental guidance is advisable for younger audiences.
- family-friendly
- lovable characters
- scary scenes
- positive messages
- suitable for teens
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
The monsters in MONSTERS, INC. are more afraid of kids than kids are of monsters. But monsters need to collect kids' screams to fuel their world, and children are getting so hard to scare that the monsters' world is suffering from rolling blackouts. Top scarer John "Sulley" Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman) and rival Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi) work as hard as they can to break the scream-collection record. But when Randall inadvertently lets a human child into the monster world, the monsters find out what being scared is really like.
Is It Any Good?
This movie has the same delicious mixture of heart, humor, and technical wizardry that made A Bug's Life and the two Toy Story movies into instant classics. It's utterly delightful. It should be put in the dictionary to illustrate the word "adorable." Like Jim Henson, who decided to make his Sesame Street characters monsters so that kids would never be afraid of monsters again, the people behind Monsters, Inc. have created monsters that even the shyest child will find completely unscary. In fact, kids may decide that multiple heads, removable eyes, and hair made from snakes are kind of cute.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Sulley learns about kids and how he changes the factory for the better in the end of Monsters, Inc.
They can also talk about how each kid was scared by a certain kind of monster. Why was Boo scared of Randall and not Sulley? Why was Sulley considered such a top-notch scarer then?
How do the characters in Monsters, Inc. demonstrate courage, compassion, and integrity? Why are those important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 2, 2001
- On DVD or streaming : February 19, 2013
- Cast : Billy Crystal , John Goodman , Mary Gibbs
- Director : Andrew Adamson
- Studio : Pixar Animation Studios
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Integrity
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : January 22, 2026
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