REEL CRITIC:Take the family to visit ‘Monster House’

Most everyone growing up had a house in their neighborhood that was supposedly haunted or was rumored to be inhabited by mysterious or even criminal individuals. Such a house is usually dilapidated and out of place in the neighborhood due to its neglected appearance. Children hurry past and avoid stepping on the lawn or otherwise trespassing lest they be victimized by the shadowy occupants.

That scenario serves as the basis of the plot for the new animated feature “Monster House.” In this case, the crumbling edifice is inhabited by an old man named Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi). If any child has the temerity to step foot on his property, Nebbercracker immediately storms out the front door threatening to kill the offender if they don’t leave at once. Any toy that strays onto his lawn is immediately confiscated, never to be seen again.

Nebbercracker’s house is directly across the street from the home young DJ (Mitchel Musso) shares with his parents. This proximity is a minor annoyance until the day DJ’s friend Chowder (Sam Lerner) bounces his new basketball onto Nebbercracker’s lawn. When DJ summons the courage to retrieve the ball, he is confronted by an enraged Nebbercracker. During the struggle for the ball, Nebbercracker suffers an apparently fatal heart attack and is carted away in an ambulance.

DJ is completely distraught thinking he has caused the old man’s death, but is soon terrified when he receives a mysterious phone call in the middle of the night. When he uses the callback feature on his telephone, he can hear the phone ringing in the supposedly abandoned Nebbercracker house where smoke has been emitting from the fireplace since the old man was taken away.

Due to these strange occurrences, DJ puts the house under constant surveillance with the help of Chowder. Eventually, they realize the house is in fact alive and devours all things within its reach. When an enterprising young girl named Zee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) goes to the door to sell candy, she narrowly escapes. Of course, the house exhibits none of this behavior when adult witnesses are present, including the police. Since that evening is Halloween, DJ, Chowder and Zee must try to prevent the parade of unwitting children from going to the door of the possessed house.

“Monster House” is the directorial debut of Gil Kenan, and the writing crew (Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler) has only slightly more experience. They were, however, guided by the very experienced hands of executive producers Steven Spielberg and Richard Zemeckis, among others. This also appears to be the fledgling effort for Sony Pictures Animation, which has three additional major animated features in production.

“Monster House” has a unique look and will not be confused with offerings from other studios. As is the case with other computer-generated animated features, the action and detailed images are far beyond anything possible with traditional techniques. Appropriately scary when necessary (and garnering a “PG” rating as a result), “Monster House” is an effective adventure yarn. The film is action packed, and a brisk pace is maintained for the relatively short 91-minute running time. There are also a few unanticipated plot twists that will surprise most viewers. “Monster House” is suitable for all but the youngest children and is entertaining enough for most adults.

This is an auspicious debut for Sony Pictures Animation, which is releasing its second feature, “Open Season,” later this year. Judging by the trailers, “Open Season” also promises to be a highly entertaining feature in this burgeoning genre. With quality animated family pictures already being produced by Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks and others, another major player will make things interesting.