2006, Columbia Pictures, Dir. Gil Kenan - Starring the voice talents of Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Kevin James, Jon Heder, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, Kathleen Turner, Woody Schultz

Chide ‘Monster House’ for glamourizing its CGI animation and nifty summer timeslot, for its wild kiddie scare tactics, for its zealous usage of celebrity voice actors. But if you’re going to argue that watching ‘Monster House’ doesn’t make you feel like a kid again, you’re definitely not going to hear the last of me. This PG-rated machine is that one-of-a-kind children’s movie that arrives every year, usually in order to pick up an Academy Award for best animation. Rather, ‘Monster House’ is sheer fun - entertainment the entire family can enjoy, as well as scare the pants off a few. Even after seeing ‘Saw II’, there’s no denying that director Gil Kenan can manage to drench some classy horror out of its kid-thin story. The humor is razor-sharp as is the animation, a departure from the glossy Kodak finish of Pixar’s ‘Cars’ and a fraction of the surrealism Dreamworks can offer. Robert Zemeckis, who produced ‘Polar Express’ two years ago, has struck gold once again - a gorgeous production with a hook-and-line premise that’ll leave everyone entertained. It can jump from being funny to scary to even a tad heartwarming. And it’ll make you think twice about your crazy neighbor.

DJ (Musso) and Chowder (Lerner) are two mischievious friends who live in the same neighborhood, and share a common fear of DJ’s neighbor from across the street - Old Mr. Nebbercracker (Buscemi). The crotchety old man has reigned over his block as the most hostile frump possible, screaming and scaring off kids and adults who even dare step on the grass. It’s Halloween weekend, and DJ’s parents (Willard/O’Hara, no surprise) are off on vacation, putting him under the supervision of the rebellious babysitter Zee (Gyllenhaal). But after DJ apparently believes he “killed” Nebbercracker after a scary encounter with him, he then believes his spirits are out for him - channelled through his house, which begins eating those who disturb. Along with Chowder and a lovely young prep-schooler Jenny (Locke), DJ must discover why lies within Nebbercracker’s walls - how the Monster House functions, how it eats people, and most importantly - why.

There’s nothing more comforting about watching an animated movie than when you feel comfortable with the characters. The screenwriters would have rather leave us with multi-dimensional roles than with stereotypes. DJ, Chowder, and Jenny are three main characters that not once annoyed me - their dialogue was that of regular 10-year old kids, albeit being a little too witty for their own good. None of the characters overlap each other, no one upstages another, and all are properly voice cast. The choice of Steve Buscemi as Nebbercracker is appropriate, and superlatively, a great move by director Kenan. Only Buscemi’s meek voice could be so fitting to the scrawny old ghoul, but that’s also to say that Steve even brings out the heart in the character. Maggie Gyllenhaal is entertaining in the voice of Zee, despite being a wee out of typecasting - quite a move from the independents she been into recently. Kevin James, Nick Cannon, and Jon Heder all make equally amusing cameos - a break from recent voice walk-ons, because even the cameos have more than one-dimension. ‘Monster House’s voice actors take full advantage of the script’s wit.

‘Monster House’ never drags. It picks up a beat and keeps moving straight ahead, until it’s almost breathless. The animation never appears too rushed or frantic, despite its horror roots and how it’s garnered towards children - it’s an animated adventure minus the adult headache. It’s truly shocking how young Sony’s animation studio has existed, yet ‘Monster House’ appears way ahead of the game. I guess you could say they just put one foot in front of the other, and went along with the rhythm. I highly doubt its story could be too convoluted for the kids, but I will give further warning to any adults: this movie is intense. More intense than your average kids’ movie, and so the PG label is more than necessary. Despite its (mostly) lack of innuendo and themes, ‘Monster House’ is primarily for kids over the age of 7, and rightfully so. If you’re a kid, you’ll want to be part of the action - like a hybrid of ‘Poltergeist’ and ‘Indiana Jones’. (Oddly enough, Steven Spielberg produced all three of these movies. What a coincidence.)

It’s fair to say that 2006’s best animated feature is (so far) a tie between ‘Monster House’ and ‘Over the Hedge’, two equally entertaining features with different tastes. But if you appreciate a good ol’ monster flick, and wanna catch an explosion or two this week, check it out. You won’t be disappointed.