Pap the
Disney Gamer's Highlights:
Talkin' About the Monsters Inc.
Scream Arena Introduction
It's no secret
that I love Pixar's Monsters
Inc. While the likes of
Ratatouille and Up
have dethroned it as my all time
favorite, the film still remains
one of my most cherished. The
perfect humor, quirky
characters, and big heart makes
for a highly entertaining film
that should never be missed. But
we are not here today to talk
about the movie (though as much
as I want to). Today we will be
instead talking about a Monsters
Inc. video game, or more
specifically, it's introduction.
If you remember
the movie, one of the
introductions we get to the
Monsters Inc world is a
commercial that details what the
company is all about: how the
screams of children can power an
entire city, and the scares are
supplied by highly trained
monsters. The commercial itself
was hilarious in that it mocked
how company ads that focus on
their employees can at times be
awkward due to the employee's
own lack of on-screen presence.
Monsters Inc. Scream Arena the
game also employs this iconic
intro, but with a twist.
At the end of
the movie, the monsters discover
that the laughter of a child is
ten times more powerful than
that of their screams, so Sulley
and Mike set out to complete
change the corporate structure
of Monsters Inc. by focusing on
amusement rather than fright.
Much like the Monsters Inc.
Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom's
Tomorrowland, Scream Arena takes
us back to Monstropolis right
after said discovery was made.
The game's intro
is a refined version of the old
Monsters Inc. commercial. It
starts off just like the
original ad...

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AT MONSTERS
INCORPORATED!
And they still
power their cars, warm their
homes and light their cities...

And they are
still matching monsters to their
ideal child...

To make them
laugh their little hearts out!
And yes, their
laughter is spread throughout
Monstropolis. If it is powered
up, Monsters Inc was there...
Poor George
Sanderson, though, is still
stripped of his bright orange
fur and adorned with the cone of
shame...

New Monsters
Inc. though, still has many
challenges when delighting
children. Simply put, they are
not easily amused...

Of course, James
P. Sullivan, aka Sulley, assures
us that they are prepared...
The commercial
doesn't last long, though, as
Randall launches a ball onto
Sulley, interrupting Mike's
shooting of it. It is here where
we are introduced to the game's
concept: in order to keep their
heads in fun, the monsters have
decided to play several rounds
of dodgeball at the factory!
The game itself
is mainly par. It can be fun but
far from the most polished game
out there. The intro, however,
gets major kudos from me. It
takes the already fun commercial
and changes it to reflect the
brand new story the characters
are experiencing. It further
expands on the Monsters Inc.
universe without altering the
original film too much.
But don't take
my word for it, you can watch it
for yourself!