Film Opening Analysis

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Claude Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposites:-

• Monsters vs. children.
• Soft bed contrasts with sharp teeth and claws.
• Its quiet and peaceful, but monster enters and theres screaming (from monster and child).
• Fear of monster at first, but monster is comedic.
• Normality of bedroom and abnormality of monsters.
• Monster factory seems normal , until you see the workers.
• Order of room at first, but monster enters and wrecks the setting.
• Small room vs. large monster.-Room compared to the factory it is in.
• Normal children are being called "dangerous" by the monsters whereas humans would call the monsters dangerous.

Roland Barthes' Five Codes:-

Enigma Code:-

• Whats behind the door?
• Why is the monster scaring the child?
• Why is the monster scared of the child?
• Who are the other monsters?
• Who is the overgrown spider
• Why do they think that a child's touch will kill them?
• Does the touch of a child actually kill them?
• Who is James P. Sullivan?

Action Code:-

• Child to tucked into bed.
• Wardrobe door creaks open.
• Monster is underneath bed.
• Monster rises and looms over child.
• Child and monster scream at sight of each other.
• Monster trips backwards and wrecks room comically.
• Sirens blare and part of the wall rises to reveal a room full of monsters.
• The room appears to be some sort of testing facility.

Semiotic Code:-

• Toys; warm, homely, innocent, child like.
• Blue colours suggest calm and cool.
• Wardrobe; dark, you don't know whats lurking inside it.
• Glowing eyes; menacing, sinister, mysterious.
• Tripping over; comedic, clumsy.
• Suits imply wealth and authority.

Cultural Code:-

• Starts with a scene we all know, a child's bedroom full of toys.
• Plays with the way we percieve monsters.
• Shows the typical toys that a child might have had at that time.
• Spotlights suggest a stage, a show of some sort.
• Monsters wearing clothing, this is showing that they are "civilised" and equal to humans.

Symbolic Code:-

• Monster comes in from the shadows; dark, mysterious, may be hiding something.
• Monster wearing suits next to monsters wearing nothing show that they are of a higher class than most.
• Some of the monsters look like real life animals; spiders and sea creatures.