Monsters don't exist, right? If they did, they'd be locked up in some secret government location so the general population wouldn't know of their existence. But what if monsters do exist... and they aren't evil, or even particularly scary? What if they're funny... and smart... and what if they might just be the key to man's survival? When a meteorite crashes in California on Susan Murphy's (Reese Witherspoon) wedding day, Susan is struck by a dose of otherworldly quantonium, her bridal glow becomes decidedly green, and she suddenly swells to a gargantuan 49 feet-11 inches tall. The Feds swoop in and whisk her away from husband-to-be Derek (Paul Rudd) to a government concealment agency where they dub her Ginormica and leave her to bemoan her losses and spend the rest of her days with strange creatures like B.O.B., the brainless blob (Seth Rogen), mad professor Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), the half-fish and half-ape Missing Link (Will Arnett), and the overly huge and strangely silent grub Insectosaurus. Next, Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), ruler of an alien civilization, sends a huge robot to attack Modesto, Calif., to recover the quantonium released by the fallen meteorite. Under the ineffective leadership of President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert), the government embraces General W. R. Monger's (Kiefer Sutherland) suggestion to pit the imprisoned monsters against the robot in exchange for their freedom. The monsters are no match for the robot until Susan begins to really believe in her own abilities and embrace the power of her friendship with the other monsters. B.O.B is absolutely hilarious with his consistent propensity for misunderstanding, indiscriminate digestion of anything and everything in his path, and witless adoration of his fellow monsters. The crazy exploits of Dr. Cockroach inspire lots of laughter, Insectosaurus proves his worth in the end, and Ginormica serves as the glue that holds the whole film together. The InTru 3-D format is highly effective and if you like animation; visual, verbal, and action comedy; references to past science-fiction films; and lovable monsters; you'll enjoyMonsters vs. Aliens. (Ages 7 and older)--Tami Horiuchi


Stills from Monsters vs. Aliens (Click for larger image)










Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American computer-animated 3-D feature film from DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures. The movie was the first computer animated movie to be directly produced in a stereoscopic 3-D format instead of being converted into 3-D after completion, which added $15 million to the film's budget.

The film was scheduled for a May 2009 release, but the release date was moved to March 27, 2009, to prevent competition with James Cameron's Avatar, which was released on December 18, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray September 29, 2009 in North America. Monsters vs. Aliens features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Rudd.

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS combines B-movie nostalgia with futuristic technology to create a 3-D animated adventure for the whole family. When an alien attacks the earth, the monsters must step up and become heroes to rescue humanity. This Dreamworks Animation offering features a cast of celebrity voices, including Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, and Seth Rogen.