BeforeMonster Househad there been a mainstream animated film that strayed so far from the tropes of the genre? I am sure one could citeThe Nightmare Before Christmasbut even that film eventually plays nice with what audiences expect from animated films. No, it was 2006’sMonster Housethat, on the heels ofThe Incrediblestwo years before it, pushed the genre of animation in a bold new direction. The look, the story, the pacing, and the overall mood ofMonster Housewas both old, new and completely unlike anything done in the medium of animation before. In short,Monster Houseis responsible for opening up the genre, it paved the way for more daring films in the medium, it’s set-up was very much like a independent horror film, and it, surprisingly, never had a sequel.
Monster House, like mosthorror that is geared for younger people, features three different friends thrown together for the common good of saving something. In the film, DJ (voiced by Mitchel Musso), Chowder (Sam Lerner) and Jenny (Spencer Locke) discover that a creepy home in their neighborhood is actually a monster. Notice that I didn’t say there were monsters in the house. The actual house is the monster as the title indicates. Surely, this trope is nothing new but in the realm of animation it certainly was. Now, upon this revelation, our three heroes realize that the house has a goal: on Halloween night it is going to devour the trick ‘r treaters. Naturally, DJ, Chowder, and Jenny must stop this. This of course requires them to enter the house and, literally, go into the bowels of it to stop the possible carnage. As you can guess, this $75 million dollar film ultimately plays out the way that you expect it might. However, that doesn’t stop it from being weird, mind blowing, and utterly irreverent along the way.
Monster HouseOpened Up the Kid’s Animation Genre
Animation, by and large, features normally inanimate objects talking to each other. The objects generally have a simple goal. In achieving this goal they often use aspects of their inanimate nature to do this. For example, if a phone can talk, it might wrap up a potential villain in it’s cord.Monster Houseemploys this in regards to the character of the film’s title. This is to be expected. DJ, Chowder and Jenny are seen as intruders that are planning to upend it’s ultimate goal. However, our main characters are human. Despite being animated, they’ve got to play by the rules of the real, physical world. At the same time, they’re young kids so they’ve also got that sense of naïveté to deal with. All of this plays to great effect inMonster House. Coupled with the cannibalistic nature of the home, this film doesn’t have the usual schmaltz that comes with mainstream animated fare. Okay, the subject matter isn’tPersepolis, but it’s notToy Storyeither. This isn’t a slight on that or other animated films with similar themes. In many ways theToy Storymovies tackle bigger issues.Monster Houseis just in a class by itself. With its real characters facing real world problems, coupled with the fantastical nature of the supernatural house they are up against, this movie has a surreal quality to it that can’t be overstated. While not a massive hit on the level of Pixar films,Monster Housewas no doubt a hit. It broadened what could be done in this genre of film. Ultimately, the films it spawned would also benefit more. All of them owing a debt of gratitude toMonster Housewhose ideas and themes no doubt infected their DNA.
Monster HousePaved the Way for Films likeCoraline,ParaNormanand more…
Released in 2006,Monster Housewith its irreverent zeal seamed to be out of place in the animation landscape of that time. Other films released that year wereOpen Season,Over the Hedge, andIce Age: The Meltdown. There were two animated films released that year that shared a similar desire to shake things up in the medium. They wereA Scanner DarklyandRenaissance. While these films really pushed what could be done in the animated space, they weren’t made with the mainstream intentions ofMonster House. With a budget of $18 million and a box office haul of $1.8 million,Renaissancewas simply a film that didn’t find its intended audience in a monetary way. As forA Scanner Darkly, this Keanu Reeves led vehicle didn’t make more than $8 million worldwide. Even with Reeves’ clout behind it,A Scanner Darklyjust didn’t didn’t connect with audiences.
Monster Housewould be alone in this class as a truly genre bending film. It’s effect wouldn’t be felt until a couple of years later with the release ofCoralinein 2009. That film would cost $60 million and rake in over $120 million worldwide. It may have been based on a novel by Neil Gaiman but just because something has source material, that doesn’t always guarantee that it’s going to reap financial rewards (seeArthur and the Invisibles). The same studio that madeCoraline, Laika, would also go on to make another supernatural tale withParaNormanin 2012. On a similar budget, that film would bring in $107 million at the global box office. The themes in this movie can be best be described as irreverent and adult. Oftentimes, mainstream American animated fare that is smart, is said to be for kids and adults.ParaNormanandCoralinewould actually serve adults first while dazzling kids with visuals and a solid story. ThisMonster Housebrand of entertainment would also present itself in even more traditional Laika produced stories likeThe Boxtrollsin 2014 andKubo and the Two Stringsin 2016, respectively.
Monster Houseis Paced Like an Indy Horror Film
Also separatingMonster Houseis it’s story set-up and pacing. Looking at the plot of the film, the majority of it takes place in theMonster Houseitself, the neighborhood, and a few other locations. Obviously, this film just can’t show those locations. By it’s very design,Monster Househas to feature a certain amount of thrills and chills. Within those locations is where the fantastical nature of the film is allowed to grow and expand. However, if you just look at the “sets and locations” ofMonster House, the film doesn’t really open itself up to the outside world. That ultimately gives it a claustrophobic feel that really plays well for the viewer. As we watch DJ, Chowder and Jenny try and stop the paranormal goings on on the block, we feel the sense of urgency that only they seem to have uncovered. This works on an even deeper level because they know they must act, but they are constrained by the fact that they only kids. They want to involve adults and the authorities but that would mean inviting the outside world in. They know what theMonster Houseis capable of. This creates a circular loop of actions and reactions that, ultimately, can’t be contained by our main characters. For viewers this is part of the fun because it’s in this moment thatMonster Housecan’t be contained. We get to really see all the hard work that went into this fright-filled extravaganza. Yet, in the end,Monster Housegoes back to its barebones, simple story, with minimal sets and strong characterizations. The closest thing I can liken it to is John Carpenter’sHalloween. With it’s sparse use of big set pieces and reliance on characterization,Monster Houseis both big and small in both heart and FX laden theatrics.
Made for $75 million,Monster Housewould go on to make $140 worldwide. There was a even aMonster House video gamefor the now retro-cool Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS.Monster Housewas nominated for numerous awards and it was received very favorably by viewers and critics alike. All of this begs the question why was there never a sequel? The movie, while groundbreaking, unique and game-changing, does strike all the boxes of a 4 quadrant film. That it can appeal to all the major demographics of moviegoers seems to make it ripe for a sequel. At one time there seems like there were rumblings of a sequel but to this day that hasn’t come to pass. In factMonster House, likeThe Nightmare Before Christmas, seems to have a cult of cool behind it. There are fan videos and other pieces of content that show just how deep the interest in this film goes. The simple reason for why there’s been no sequel could be a matter of dollars and cents. Perhaps the numbersMonster Houseput up at the box office just didn’t merit a sequel. Costs for motion capture films have invariably risen since 1996. Or, maybe the people involved couldn’t get a story together to match the original film? With animation opening up with movies likeCoralineandParaNorman, the bar for anotherMonster Housewould be quite high. This film may have been an unwitting victim of its own ingenuity.
Whatever the case,Monster Houseexists. It is the kind of movie that is a spooky, Halloween classic, much like the warm, fuzzy filledThe Polar Expressis to Christmas. With its odd wit, interesting storytelling, and ability turn aspects of animation on its ear,Monster Housenot only changed a genre but it’s stood the test of time.
