Now put that thing back where it came from or so help me…
Tracie revisits the classic Pixar animation Monsters, Inc in today’s episode of Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit. This family film, which was released just after 9/11, offers the deeply reassuring message that laughter is much stronger than fear, and Tracie argues that our country’s collective mental health needed that pop culture lesson in late 2001.
But in addition to the lovely psychology, this classic movie also gave us gorgeous and groundbreaking digital animation, plenty of comedy, a heartwarming relationship between Sulley and Boo, and masterful storytelling. The artists and writers behind this animation clearly took their craft seriously–check out the punny names of the DVDs Boo de-alphabetizes that are only onscreen for a second–while not taking themselves too seriously.
That said, the gender dynamics don’t quite hold up to nostalgia. Not only are there a surprising dearth of women and girls in the film, but consider how different the story would be if Boo had been a boy-child. Still, there’s much to love in this delightful comedy.
Throw on your headphones and take a listen. Every time you laugh, you help power Monstropolis!
We are Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls.
We both have super-serious personas in our "day jobs." No, really. Emily is a Finance writer who used to be a classroom teacher. Tracie writes and consults on social justice and mindfulness and works as a copywriter and project manager for non-profits. If you really need to see the bona fides, please visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com
For our work together, what you need to know is that Tracie is older (3 years), Emily is funnier (by at least 3 percent), and we're both hella smart, often over-literal, and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love movies and tv, science fiction and murder mysteries, good storytelling with liberal amounts of dramatic irony, and analyzing pop culture for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, and whatever else we find there.
Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video version, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon.
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