[.ca] The Art of Monsters, Inc. (ISBN 0811833887)

Not nearly enough!:
I was truly dissapointed after cracking open a recent order of "The Art of Monsters Inc." Previous editions of the Pixar Legacy have overflowed with good stuff. Unfotunately this volume only skims the surface of what surely rests in the vaults. (Quite possibly Pixar might not like us to know what goes on behind the scenes.) Liken it to the out of print "Before the Animation Begins: The Art of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists". But without the zest of Tengren and others. (Carter Goodrich lends some marvelously different takes on the monster feeling.) The multitude of pastel mood pieces are lively and beautifully done but overall this book lacks the superflous character development and animation insight of it's predecessors. I will eagerly await a follow-up volume that might come remotely close to The Arts of Bugs Life and Toy Story. PLEASE!

Illustrated monsters:
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.

Excellent book for any animator.:
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!

Awesome visuals but lacking in details:
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.

A wonderful addition to a Pixar classic:
This book is full of wonderful, imaginative illustrations that show the time and effort that was placed into Monsters Inc. The numerous different illustrators that have provided work make this collection of images a delight. There is very little text and explanation to go along with the images, but this is exactly what I was looking for. Its interesting to see how many changes the characters appearances went through to reach the final animated film. A definite buy for any fan of Pixar.