Monster House (2006)

Although this movie was nominated for best animated film at the last Academy Awards, it did not win and I am not surprised, even if I thought it was a happy watch.  I would not however have thought it was overly suitable for very young children, although kids nowadays seem to be not terribly worried by horrible possibilities, and I guess plenty of fairy tales have their very dark side.  This one is about two early-teenaged nerdy friends (the geek and the fat kid) who are joined by a smart-ass girl.  The house across the street from the geek's is one of those spooky-looking places that even the best neighbourhoods seem to boast and the old guy who lives there scares the bejeesus out of the local kids.  Any toys that land on his lawn disappear into the abyss.

When the kid thinks he has killed the old man by causing him to have a heart attack, he and his friends become aware that the house is alive -- haunted they think by his ghost -- and about to devour anyone or anything that comes near it.  It is here that the film becomes scary with the shingles morphing into jagged teeth and a carpet rolling out as a seeking tongue; having seen it eat up two local cops and a little dog, our intrepid trio know they must stop its rampage.  All of the characters are well-developed, but the celebrity voice cast is somewhat wasted, especially Kathleen Turner who has at best three or four lines as the old guy's dead, fat wife.  The animation is of the motion-capture variety which is far less naturalistic looking than some digital work, but one gets used to characters with plastic-looking hair rather than the fine detail of the best Pixar productions.  Finally, adults everywhere should be thankful that this film is not directed solely at kiddies as some of the best lines and gags probably would pass over their heads. 

Tags: Monster House, animation