Monster House (film)
A 2006 animated film about a haunted house on Halloween.
Monster House is a 2006 American animated supernatural comedy horror film directed by Gil Kenan in his feature directorial debut. The film was produced by Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke, written by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler, and features the voice talents of Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Jason Lee, Fred Willard, Jon Heder, Catherine O'Hara and Kathleen Turner. The plot revolves around a neighborhood terrorized by a sentient haunted house during Halloween.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Gil Kenan
- Screenplay
- Dan Harmon / Rob Schrab / Pamela Pettler
- Story
- Dan Harmon / Rob Schrab
- Producer
- Steve Starkey / Jack Rapke
- Starring
- Steve Buscemi / Nick Cannon / Maggie Gyllenhaal / Jon Heder / Kevin James / Jason Lee / Catherine O'Hara / Kathleen Turner / Fred Willard
- Cinematography
- Xavier Pérez Grobet
- Editing
- Fabienne Rawley / Adam P. Scott
- Music
- Douglas Pipes
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures / Relativity Media / ImageMovers / Amblin Entertainment
- Distributor
- Sony Pictures Releasing
- Runtime
- 91 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Monster House was initially set up at DreamWorks Animation SKG based on a pitch by newcomer Gil Kenan. After Kenan received Dan Harmon's and Rob Schrab's screenplay for ImageMovers, he pitched his vision to Robert Zemeckis and later to Steven Spielberg. By 2004, the studio put the film in turnaround, after which Sony Pictures Entertainment picked up the project and began production on August 23 of that year, with Zemeckis and Spielberg serving as executive producers. The original screenplay was described by Kenan as 'absolutely brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny'; he added the idea that the house was possessed by a soul, leading to the creation of Constance Nebbercracker. Pamela Pettler was brought in to help revise the script. The film was shot using motion-capture, a process pioneered by Zemeckis for his 2004 film The Polar Express.
Reader's Guide
Monster House received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $142 million worldwide against its $75 million production budget. It received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, but lost to Happy Feet and Cars, respectively. The film was Sony's first computer-animated film produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Relativity Media's first animated film. Its use of motion-capture animation, previously utilized in The Polar Express, and its blend of horror and comedy for a younger audience marked a notable entry in mid-2000s animation. The film's plot, involving a sentient house possessed by the spirit of a deceased woman, and its resolution through the destruction of the house, contributed to its recognition as a distinctive animated feature of its time.
Did You Know?
- Monster House was Gil Kenan's feature directorial debut.
- The film was produced by Relativity Media and executive produced by Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment.
- The human characters were animated using motion-capture animation, previously utilized in Zemeckis' The Polar Express (2004).
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