The Art of Monster, Inc. (Hardcover)

by Pete Doctor (Author), John Lasseter (Introduction), Pete Docter (Introduction) "Monsters may creep out of our closets, but they don't live there..." (more)
Key Phrases: background monsters, concept art, monster world, Harley Jessup, Dominique Louis, Ricky Nierva (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
This book gives us an over-the-shoulder peek, with some spectacular artwork that deserves to be seen, admired, and kept. -- Animation World Magazine, January 3, 2002

What a treat!

Pixar's Monsters, Inc. was, as far as I'm concerned, the best animated feature released this year. This art book, published by Chronicle (not Disney -- how odd?), is the only "making of" tie-in created for the film and a delightful visual companion to the movie.

This book is a wonderful collection of preliminary inspirational artwork created for the film. Most of the pieces selected contain characters and concepts that bare no relation to the monsters and mayhem in the final product. But by allowing us to see all the hard (but funny) creative work that goes into the visual decision making, the filmmakers shed some light on the secrets of creating classic animation; they add to our knowledge of the development process and garner our respect for the enormous talent at large within Pixar.

Inspirational art is a vital component of every great animated film but average moviegoers never get to see any of it. As John Lasseter and Pete Docter point out in their intro, "Once the film is completed, the inspirational artwork is filed away in the archives, never to be seen by the general public."

What makes this book so enjoyable is the array of talent Pixar assembled for inspiration. The paintings, sketches and layouts, done in pastels, markers, acrylics, gouache, pencils and mixed media presented here, are just plain fun to look at. Many of the artists were given a few details about the settings or the characters, and were then allowed to let their imaginations run free.

The artists themselves are amazing. Some of my favorite pieces are from Lane Smith, J. Otto Siebold and Oscar Grillo. Stealing the show however, are striking works from Geefwee Boedoe, Ricky Nierva, Lou Romano and Dominique Louis.

Though famed for their landmark work with computer graphics, this book reminds me that Pixar is first and foremost a "cartoon studio" the finest in the world, at this point in the 21st Century. Dominique Louis' painting of Sulley's apartment exterior, showing a street filled with sinister looking brownstones, or Harley Jessup's grand concepts for the Monsters Inc. factory, are filled with tiny details that can't be written. The inherent humor of these design defy a literal, verbal description and the wit in the color and line cannot be produced in a word processing program. (Yes, even color has wit as amply demonstrated in Tia Kratter's color studies of Sullivan's fur and Dominique Louis' color script thumbnails.)

It's joyous to see a variety of professional cartoonists letting loose with a free reign to create creatures that defy logic and all sense of human comprehension.
The secret of Pixar's success (only one of their secrets, I might add) is that they aren't out to use the computer to recreate reality. They know the computer can already do that. They are trying to make authentic, honest-to-goodness, animated cartoons that tell great stories and touch the heart.

Walt Disney accomplished that goal in the 20th Century. Lasseter and his crew are the heir apparent. They understand what makes great, appealing characters and what it takes to bring them to life. This book gives us an over the shoulder peek, with some spectacular artwork that deserves to seen, admired and kept. Animation World Magazine

Product Description
With the sophisticated graphics of Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Toy Story 2 to their credit, Pixar has become the studio to watch for brilliant animation. Their next movie, Monsters, Inc., (releasing on November 2nd) stars John Goodman and Billy Crystal as two working-class monsters whose job it is to scare children. Graphically innovative and wildly imaginative, this book takes a sneak peek behind the scenes at the early developmental stages of this sure-to-be box office hit. Representing the pinnacle of concept art today, The Art of Monsters, Inc. is the only forthcoming title for the adult fan, and it will capture the attention of artists, film-goers, and special effects enthusiasts everywhere.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811833887
• ISBN-13: 978-0811833882
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #602,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Art Of Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Awesome visuals but lacking in details, January 21, 2002

By	Robert Adams (Bellevue) - See all my reviews

Being a longtime fan of Disney & Pixar films I found myself particularly touched by Monsters, Inc and was eagerly looking forward to learning more about the how this film came about. Previous "Art of" books from Disney and Pixar were rich sources of information on how the story and characters developed from initial inspiration to big screen. As such I was dissapointed to find this book contains primarily concept art. Rich and vivid imagery but very little commentary.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for any animator., November 30, 2002

By	Edward Juan "ghost" (Valencia, CA. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What's surprising is that in this book there is hardly any screenshots or CG graphic art. But that's what makes the book great! It really proves that computer does not dominate in the animation industry; everything is still from sketches and traditional works. The book filled with great works from Eggleton (director of "For the Bird") and many other amazing script illustrators. The only thing that is disappointing is that most of the images are already available in the Monsters Inc. DVD. Overall, no animator should miss this book! Don't want to miss those amazing prints!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Illustrated monsters, November 19, 2001

By	"orbithead9" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

In recent years everytime a major animated film, particularly those associated with Disney, is released a flood of products overwhelms the consumer market. This is not however your typical 'making of' or 'behind the scenes' look at "Monsters Inc.". I'm certain that if it is not already out there it will soon follow if that is what you're looking for. This book is unique, especially since the movie is 3-D rendered computer animation, because it is not filled with wire-frames, and storyboards, and studio character layouts. This book is more about inspiration. The vast amount of illustrations are beautiful, whimsical, and as varied as the imagination itself. I thouroughly enjoyed this book as a lover of cartoons, of paintings, of drawings, and of monsters of all kinds. I highly reccomend it to children of all ages and art lovers everywhere.