Scene Selection — Geoff Carter: ‘Monsters, Inc.’ scares up a great DVD

Friday, Sept. 20, 2002 | 9:58 a.m.

Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures can do no wrong, it seems. The DVD of the $256 million 2001 box office hit "Monsters, Inc." (Buena Vista Home Entertainment, $29.99) is every bit as enjoyable as the movie itself, densely packed with in-jokes, belly laughs and genuine wonderment.

The story of an alternate world populated by monsters that rely on the screams of children as an energy source -- and the cool-looking factory that mines those nocturnal terrors -- "Monsters" is the kind of movie that practically begs for behind-the-scenes coverage, and the disc provides it in abundance.

To paraphrase Mae West, too much good collateral material can be wonderful.

The commentary track, by directors Pete Docter and David Silverman, offers a fascinating factoid every few seconds: Billy Crystal, the voice of one-eyed Mike, was originally approached to voice Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story" (he refused, and regretted it); the gruff vulnerability of "top scarer" Sully (voiced by John Goodman) was modeled on the late Walter Matthau; Steve Buscemi, upon getting a look at the bug-eyed salamander he'd be voicing, jokingly accused the directors of typecasting.

It's as complete a portrait of the animation process as I've ever heard. So determined is the Pixar crew to talk about their work that executive director John Lasseter and writer Andrew Stanton also volunteer commentary -- and when the directors find themselves at a loss for a character's motivation, they actually call another animator on the phone and ask him.

It's a neat touch, and even if it was staged (it probably was), it brings you closer to the filmmakers regardless.

But that's just the commentary. The second disc of the set is filled with so much behind-the-scenes skinny -- from the scriptwriting process to the film's custom-made trailers -- that it's as enjoyable to older viewers as the film is to children.

A tour of the Pixar studios shows its staff staging paper-airplane rallies in the atrium, directors riding Razor scooters to meetings, and even relaxing in a secret lounge accessible only through a crawlspace.

The trailers beg description. Pixar prides itself on making animated shorts -- its most recent Academy Award-winner, "For the Birds," is included here -- and that pride extends to the trailers for "Monsters, Inc." Nearly every one features animation and dialogue not seen in the film, including a hilarious game of charades between Sully and Mike in which the Crystal-voiced character guesses at a film title: "When Hairy Met Sully!"

Pixar's tradition of animated "outtakes" continues, and the filmmakers even created a new short film, "Mike's New Car," strictly for the DVD release. It's an incredibly thoughtful package, designed for passive viewers and animation aficionados alike.

It's all a matter of how much you decide to dig. Practically every layer of this two-disc set yields treasure.