Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy • 1h 32m
Director: Pete Docter
Cast: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz, Daniel Gerson, Steve Susskind, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Pidgeon, Samuel Lord Black, Jack Angel, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Gino Conforti, Jennifer Darling, Patti Deutsch, Pete Docter, Bobby Edner, Ashley Edner, Katie Scarlett, Paul Eiding, Bill Farmer, Keegan Farrell, Pat Fraley, Teresa Ganzel, Taylor Gifaldi, Marc John Jefferies, Joe Lala, Noah Luke, Sherry Lynn, Danny Mann, Mona Marshall, Mickie McGowan, Laraine Newman, Kay Panabaker, Bret Parker, Phil Proctor, Josh Qualtieri, Guido Quaroni, Jan Rabson, Lisa Raggio, Joe Ranft, Sophia Ranft, Katherine Ringgold, Bob Scott, David Silverman, Jim Thornton, Lee Unkrich, Wallace Shawn
Original credits: 2009 Blu-ray/2013 3D Blu-ray
Outtake credits: 2002 Collector's Edition DVD
Best English-friendly release · updated 1 month ago
Overview
Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly, and it's up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home.
Video format: 4K Streaming
Directors: Bill Roberts & Paul Satterfield & Wilfred Jackson & Ben Sharpsteen & James Algar & T. Hee & Hamilton Luske & Samuel Armstrong & Jim Handley & Norman Ferguson & David Hand & Ford Beebe Jr.
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
1991 CAV LaserDisc includes an approximation of the original Fantasound mix in Dolby Surround using the surviving magnetic mixdown, using Stokowski's original mixing notes as a reference. Original aggressive pans and dynamic range are left in tact.
The 2000 DVD uses this same mix in discrete 5.0, but with some unnecessary dynamic range compression + a redub of all Deems Taylor audio with Corey Burton.
The 7.1 mix on the 2010 Blu-ray sounds poor, having been hit with excessive noise reduction, dynamic range compression, original aggressive pans no longer in tact, and the channel usage no longer resembles Stokowski's original intended sound design.
2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Japan Studio Ghibli 4K Blu-ray announced for a November 25, 2026 release
Japanese audio: 2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray/US GKIDS Blu-ray
English dub (Disney): 1998 US Disney VHS has better sounding vocals despite altered music and sound effects, the US Disney LaserDisc has limited audio
Releases from 2010 onward have the original music and sound effects, but distorted vocals
English dub (Streamline): 1996 Japan LaserDisc, available in Ghibli Aa Ippai Collection boxset
Director: Chris Columbus
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Disney 4K Blu-ray has encoding issues with bitrates dipping into 40mbps, and Kaleidescape has better encoding than Disney see caps
Old Fox Blu-ray master is stretched and sharpened
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray or US Disney Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · lddb.com (opens in a new tab)
2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray
2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray
Comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/6JWnlfit
All sources are within margin of error. Comparisons: Japanese, English
Alternate Streamline English dub is available only on 1994 Fox LD.
Video format: 4K Streaming
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Video format: 4K Streaming
Director: Simon West
Video format: 4K Streaming
Director: Joel Schumacher
Video format: HD Streaming
More Animation on Blu-ray
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Has English subtitles, better than 2015 Maiden Blu-ray which lacks the original mix
Bandai 4K Blu-ray? vs 2008 Japan Bandai Blu-ray (BCXA-0085): same video but includes Bandai English dub and original mix
2026 Bandai 4K Blu-ray
Director: Michael Arias
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
GKIDS 4K Blu-ray is a sharpened upscale. Caps
GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has a true lossless English dub and correct volume levels for the Japanese audio
Director: Henry Selick
2D Version: Laika/Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
3D Version: 2011 3D Blu-ray
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
2D Version: Laika/Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
3D Version: 2011 3D Blu-ray caps
Director: Jan Švankmajer
Director: Mamoru Oshii
US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
US GKIDS/Australia Umbrella 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM with identical encodes
UHD vs BD comparisons
4K restoration includes a high-fidelity Dolby Atmos remix sourced from new transfers of original magnetic elements, with inconsequential content differences from the original mono mix. Umbrella 4K Blu-ray only includes a 5.1 mixdown of the remix, other discs have it in Dolby Atmos.
Umbrella/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray's 2.0 track is a stereo downmix. Older BDs and LDs have the original mono mix in varying quality, but are all inferior in fidelity to the new Dolby Atmos remix. The digital track on the Bandai/Emotion Japan LaserDisc BELL-942 is the best of the bunch.
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23714400&postcount=159
Only the GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has the English dub.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Japan Studio Ghibli RM4K Blu-ray
Japan Studio Ghibli 4K Blu-ray
UK StudioCanal Blu-ray for the English dub
4K Blu-ray includes the original 5.1 mix in its unaltered form, all other releases after the LaserDisc had its dynamic range lowered.
US Disney Blu-ray has dubtitles.
For the English dub, the UK StudioCanal Blu-ray is the least limited mix.
Director: Marcell Jankovics
2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray
3D version: Turbine Germany 3D Blu-ray
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Director: John Lasseter
Original theatrical render: 35mm scans or 1996 Disney Deluxe Edition CAV LaserDisc boxset
Digital render: 2010 3D Blu-ray
(every version since the 2000 DVD release, including the 2010 2D Blu-ray, has animation errors. The majority of those were corrected for the 3D rerelease.) The 4K Blu-ray is merely upscaled from the 2K render.
Stereo Mix: 1996 Disney Deluxe Edition CAV LaserDisc boxset
5.1 AC3 Mix: 1996 Disney Deluxe Edition CAV LaserDisc boxset
The 1997 DTS LaserDisc is a virtually untouched transfer of the theatrical 5.1 mix and should theoretically sound the best being that DTS has higher bitrates than AC3. However, the original pressing of the DTS LaserDisc has an error where the right channel is 8.5db lower than the rest. This is an easy fix in a program like Audacity, and if you can find a corrected transfer, like the ones on various fan projects online, it should be the best sounding version of the film.
The AC3 audio on Side 2 of the CLV LaserDisc has the LFE channel muted. This was left intact for the CAV release.
The 2000 and 2005 UK DVD has an error where one of the shots is brightened up way too high (when the rest of the toys hold onto Slinky as he clings onto Woody during the moving truck rescue). Plus the end credits are interlaced (the PSP UMD video is the only way to get that version of the credits without interlacing).
The 4K Blu-ray has a further remixed Atmos track.
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Researched and maintained by
tyyux,DISKANBGR8,JojoTheMovieOtter,reubenward895· last reviewed 1 month ago
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