Delayed Reaction: Monster House

The Pitch: It's a house...that's a monster. There's not much more to it.

How I Came Into It: The credentials behind this are unassailable. Steven Speilberg and Robert Zemickis were both Executive Producers. Dan Harmon's shared screenplay credit. The adult cast is features so many names I like such as Maggie Gyllenhaal, Steve Buscemi, Catherine O'Hara, and Fred Willard. This had all the indicators of a children's movie that would play surprisingly well for adults.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) This is very Goonies. It's nearly a spiritual sequel. Now, I'm not someone who beloves the Goonies, but I totally get the appeal. The same goes here. The core three kids are broad but nonetheless sketch out well. Most of the adult voice cast shows up for a good joke or two, then disappears. I especially enjoyed Kevin James training the rookie cop voiced by Nick Cannon who overreacts to everything. Unlike a lot of these animated movies I've seen for this list of mine, this is one I'd happily watch again, even if I won't be going out of my way to.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: There's some obvious inconsistencies to the plot and many of the characters are without nuance. While that is to be expected in a movie like this, it's not excused for it either.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend