DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind the hit Shrek comedies,
introduces a new set of outrageously funny characters in a new 3D
animated film inspired by sci-fi classics of the 1950's. Here's a look
at Monsters Vs. Aliens.
It certainly is a strange way for perky,
petite Susan Murphy to begin her wedding day; but things get even
stranger when she reaches the altar.
Suddenly Susan starts growing taller and taller.
Almost
a 50-foot tall woman (49 feet, 11 inches), Susan - now nicknamed
'Ginormica' - finds herself locked away in a super-secret facility
along with some other unusual characters.
But when an alien spacecraft arrives and threatens the entire planet...only one thing can save us - Monsters!
Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon does the voice of Susan, a.k.a. 'Ginormica.'
"I
guess this was the first movie that I ever did that had this much
action in it," Witherspoon says, "so I was sort of surprised about that
and kind of thrilled because I can't imagine any other world in which
that opportunity will present itself to me. It was kind of awesome
creating a female super-hero. It feels like a unique opportunity."
Among
her "Monster" cohorts is Bob, a cheerful gelatinous blob with no brain.
Comedy star Seth Rogen was the natural choice for that voice.
"I
was glad to see it was animated; but, yes, I've played a few gelatinous
blobs with no brain," Rogen jokes. "It's time I do it in the animated
world as well as the live action one. I'm in on the joke. I get it. I
was flattered more than anything.
"I think it is actually a lot
easier to be funny when you have hundreds of geniuses who are paid to
animate your every facial expression with painstaking thought and
minutiae," he adds. "These guys really put a lot of thought into every
second of the movie that winds up in front of you guys; and I think
they add a lot of the humor that's in it. I actually didn't know a lot
of the stuff that Bob does until you see the movie. I watched it and
thought 'this is hilarious. I wish I was that funny.' "
Also in
the voice cast: Hugh Laurie as the mad scientist 'Dr. Cockroach,' Will
Arnett does the amphibian 'Missing Link' and Rainn Wilson is the evil
alien 'Galactar:'
"I play an evil alien guy so it's not like I
have necessarily such a difficult, textured nuanced role to play. I
just had to be …just evil," Wilson jokes.
Kiefer Sutherland, who portrays the pompous General Monger, says it is fun, but there's also a message he appreciates.
"What
I liked about it is it was geared to young people and it told them that
it is all right to be different; and not only was it all right to be
different, but the thing that might make you uncomfortable or make you
feel weird could be your greatest quality," says Sutherland. "That
quality in the context of our movie allows Ginormica to save the planet
and certainly when I was growing up I felt different than other kids.
That scared me a lot, so what I liked about this movie is that it told
children and young people that it was all right."
Monsters Vs.
Aliens is co-directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman. It is among a
growing number of features filmed in three-dimension or 3D making the
characters and action pop off the screen in theaters equipped with 3D
projection equipment.
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