Feature: Monsters Inc

Directing the Monsters

Pixar’s most recent CG animated film, which proved a monster hit at the box office and will likewise dominate the DVD charts when it is released in September 2002.

A two-disc edition, packed with added value, the DVD has been compiled with help from the geniuses at Pixar, most notably the director Peter Docter, who recently spoke to Ultimate DVD...

How much input did you have into the content of the DVD?
We have a great relationship with the production company that put it together. We sent them a big list of stuff that we thought would be good for the DVD, so it was fed by us from the beginning. As we were creating the film, any time something was cut out, or if something looked really great, we’d say, ‘Yeah this’d be fun for the DVD!’ They came back with certain ideas: the whole thing of the Human world and the Monster world was their thought, and we just worked with them.

With the release of the disc, do you feel you’ve put Monsters, Inc to bed?
In a way. What’s cool about the DVD is that the film is presented the way in which we intended people to see it. It only lives in the theatres for so long: the way it really lives through history is on DVD, so this was a chance for us not only to get the film as high quality as we could, but also to include all these extras – materials from the five years it took to make are included. It’s a great way for it to be documented.

What do you think is the highlight of this disc?
Obviously the short film Mike’s New Car is a lot of fun. There are a lot of things like that – little treats that we did for television, and if you missed them then there’s nowhere else you’d see them. It’s more character stuff.
What gets me excited about this whole medium is that we’re creating characters that are really entertaining and fun for people to watch, so anything that plays more with their personalities is the stuff I really like. There’s great footage of the sets – we did these flythrough specials for the DVD, where you go down the streets of Monstropolis and you get to look at all the shops and look around the town square. There’s this great one that starts outside, goes into Monsters, Inc through the lobby, down the hallway, into the locker room, onto the scare floor and it gives you a sense how interconnected it all is. We spent a lot of time thinking about all this stuff, so it’s a great chance to show all that off.

by David Richardson

Read the rest of this interview, about the special new Monsters Inc film short Mike's New Car, and much more about the DVD in:
Ultimate DVD #33

Pixar
Feature © Visual Imagination 2002. Not for reproduction

Taken from

Ultimate DVD #33
September (Star Wars) 2002
ships from Aug 9 2002
News-stand Price
UK £3.99 / US $7.99

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