Movie Description
MONKEYBONE, directed by Henry Selick (JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS), is a fantasy adventure that combines live action, stop motion, claymation miniatures, puppets, and computer imaging. Monkeybone is a cartoon character created by a successful comic book illustrator named Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser). (He wears a coat with the tag S. Miley, which is a good hint at the film's brand of pun-filled humor.) On the night that Stu is going to propose marriage to his girlfriend, Julie (Bridget Fonda), a freak accident throws him into a coma. Though he appears unconscious, lying in a hospital bed, he is actually having the strangest experience of his lifetime inside his own head. Trapped in a bizarre amusement park called Downtown, the land where nightmares are stored, Stu comes face to face with a living version of the small, mischievous Monkeybone (a stop-action paraffin sculpture voiced by John Turturro). The other inhabitants of Downtown are either part-humans like the seductive cat woman, Kitty (Rose McGowan) and the mysterious face of Death (Whoopi Goldberg), or beasts--Cyclops, Minotaurs, and Centaurs. While dodging obstacles from his own nightmares, Stu strives to break out of his coma and return to his true love. Little does he know, Monkeybone has plans of his own.
| Credits | | Producer: | Mark Radce | | Cast: | Bob Odenkirk, Bridget Fonda, Chris Kattan, Dave Foley |
| Details | | Edition: | Spanish Subtitled | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound |
Notes
Theatrical release: February 23, 2001.
The film was originally entitled DARK TOWN and is based on the comic book of that title written by Kaja Blackley.
MONKEYBONE is the furthest into the live-action realm that director Henry Selick has ever delved.
Selick experimented with the main character being a weasel or a frog before settling on a monkey.
Editorial Reviews
"...The far-out fantasy's originality is its draw....Kattan maintains his composure even while decomposing, a marvelous balancing act..."
USA Today - p.4E - Susan Wloszczyna
"...It's a welcome antidote to the epidemic of witless [comedies]....Fraser has some splendid moments..."
New York Times - p.E10 - A. O. Scott
"...Frenetic....Wacky....MONKEYBONE is packed with comic talents..."
Variety - p.39-49 - Dennis Harvey
"...[An] admirably eccentric comedy....There's also unruly brilliance to this dark and funny story....Fraser walks upright, lithe and blithe, an actor in touch with his inner ape..."
Entertainment Weekly - p.55 - Lisa Schwarzbaum
"...The kinetic Kattan bursts forth with some fantastic physical comedy..."
Box Office - p.61 - Christine James
"...MONKEYBONE is often giddily hilarious....David Foley is delightful..."
Sight and Sound - p.56-7 - Andrew O'Hehir
"MONKEYBONE is grand fantasy, in which Brendan Fraser and stylish design and energetic special effects play off one another for maximum fun....MONKEYBONE is well-aimed to hit you in the funny bone..."
Los Angeles Times - p.F2 - Kevin Thomas
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