Monsters vs. Aliens

Last updated

Monsters vs. Aliens
Monsters-vs-aliens-poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Rob Letterman
  • Conrad Vernon
Produced byLisa Stewart
Starring
Edited by
  • Joyce Arrastia
  • Eric Dapkewicz
Music by Henry Jackman
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures [2] [1]
DreamWorks Animation [1]
Release date
  • March 27, 2009 (2009-03-27)(United States)
Running time
94 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States [1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$175 million [4]
Box office$381.7 million [4]

Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American animated science fiction action comedy drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. [5] The film was directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman from a screenplay written by Letterman, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger based on a story by Vernon and Letterman. Featuring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Stephen Colbert, the film involves a group of misfit monsters hired by the United States Armed Forces to stop the invasion of an extraterrestrial villain and save the world in exchange for freedom.

Contents

It was DreamWorks Animation's first feature film to be directly produced in a stereoscopic 3D format instead of being converted into 3D after completion, which added $15 million to the film's budget. [6]

Originally slated for release on May 15, 2009, Monsters vs. Aliens was released on March 27, 2009 in the United States in 2D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX. [7] The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $381 million worldwide on a $175 million budget. The film was the start to the Monsters vs. Aliens franchise, and was followed by two television specials, Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space and Night of the Living Carrots , and a Nickelodeon television series in 2013, that all take place after the film.

Plot

In Modesto, California, Susan Murphy is going to be married to weatherman Derek Dietl. Just before the ceremony, a meteorite from a destroyed planet strikes her and its radiation is absorbed into her body. Though she initially appears unharmed, during the ceremony, the energy causes Susan's hair to turn white, and turn her into a 50 foot-tall giantess, accidentally destroying the church in the process. Soon, a U.S. military detachment tranquilizes and captures her. Susan awakens in a top-secret government facility that houses monsters, where she meets General W.R. Monger, the Army officer in charge of the facility and her fellow monster inmates: Dr. Herbert Cockroach Ph.D., a scientist who became half-human, half-cockroach after an experiment gone wrong; B.O.B. (Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate), a brainless and living indestructible mass of blue goo that is a result of a food flavoring mutation; the Missing Link, a prehistoric 20,000-year-old fish-ape hybrid who was thawed from deep ice by scientists; and Insectosaurus, a massive bug mutated by nuclear radiation standing 350 feet in height that attacked Tokyo, Japan. Susan is renamed “Ginormica" by the government and is forbidden any contact with her friends and family.

Meanwhile, on a mysterious spaceship, a squid-like extraterrestrial overlord named Gallaxhar is alerted to the presence of a powerful substance known as "quantonium", and sends a gigantic robotic probe to retrieve it. The probe lands on Earth, where the President of the United States attempts to make first contact with it by playing "Axel F" on a keyboard, but the probe goes on a destructive attack, heading straight for San Francisco, despite unsuccessful attempts by the U.S. Armed Forces to destroy it. Monger convinces the President to grant the monsters their freedom if they can stop the probe. In San Francisco, the robot detects the quantonium within Ginormica's body and targets her. At the Golden Gate Bridge, the monsters manage to destroy the giant robot by using parts of the bridge itself; ergo, the government honours their deal with the monsters and sets them free.

Gallaxhar sets a course for Earth to obtain the quantonium himself while the now-free Ginormica returns home with her new friends and reunites with her family. However, the odds of being shunned catch up with all of them as her companions are alienated at a party due to their blatant inexperience with the real world; and Derek is no different from Ginormica's family. The former coldly breaks off his engagement with the latter, admitting that he wouldn't want someone who would literally overshadow him and his career, and he doesn't even bother to help Ginormica. Although heartbroken at the last-minute revelation, Ginormica soon realizes that her life was better as a monster and she swears to the other monsters to never underestimate herself again. Suddenly, Ginormica is pulled into Gallaxhar's ship by a tractor beam. Insectosaurus tries to save her, but is shot down by the ship and seemingly killed.

Onboard the ship, Ginormica furiously breaks free from her prison cell and chases down Gallaxhar, only to be trapped by a machine that extracts the quantonium from her body, shrinking her back to her original size. Gallaxhar then uses the extracted quantonium to create clones of himself in order to launch a full-scale invasion of Earth. Monger manages to get B.O.B, Link, and Dr. Cockroach on board the ship, where they rescue Ginormica and make their way to the main power core where Dr. Cockroach sets the ship to self-destruct to prevent the invasion. Ginormica personally confronts Gallaxhar on the bridge. With time running out, she sends the ball of stored quantonium down on herself, restoring her monstrous size and strength. After rescuing her friends, they flee the ship and are rescued by Monger and Insectosaurus, who was actually metamorphosing into a giant butterfly the whole time. The ship then self-destructs, killing Gallaxhar and his army.

Returning to Modesto, Ginormica, B.O.B, Dr. Cockroach, Link, and Butterflyosaurus receive a hero's welcome. Derek suddenly appears from the crowd and hoping to take advantage of Ginormica's fame for his own career, tries to get back together with her and gain an interview, but she rejects and also humiliates him live on camera in retaliation for leaving her. Monger then arrives to inform the monsters that a monstrous snail named "Escargantua" is slowly making its way to Paris, France after falling into a nuclear reactor, resulting in the heroes taking off to confront the new menace.

Voice cast

Reese Witherspoon at the British premiere of the film. Reese Witherspoon, 2009.jpg
Reese Witherspoon at the British premiere of the film.

Production

The film started as an adaptation of a horror comic book, Rex Havoc, [11] in which a monster hunter Rex and his team of experts called "Ass-Kickers of the Fantastic" fight against ghouls, ghosts and other creatures. [12] The earliest development goes back to 2002, when DreamWorks first filed for a Rex Havoc trademark. [13] In a plot synopsis revealed in 2005, Rex was to assemble a team of monsters, including Ick!, Dr. Cockroach, the 50,000 Pound Woman and Insectosaurus, to fight aliens for disrupting cable TV service. [11] In the following years, the film's story diverged away from the original Rex Havoc, with directors Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman finally creating the storyline from scratch. [14]

Production designer David James stated that the film is "a return to what made us nerds in the first place," getting classic movie monsters and relaunching them in a contemporary setting. Director Conrad Vernon added that he found it would be a great idea to take hideous monsters and give them personalities and satirize the archetypes. [15] Each of the five monsters has traits traceable to sci-fi/horror B movies from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, although none is a mere copy of an older character. [16] Susan, who grows to be 49 feet 11 inches tall into Ginormica, was inspired by Attack of the 50 Foot Woman . Dr. Cockroach represents The Fly and The Curse of Frankenstein , while B.O.B. is an amalgam of slithering and slimy characters that were featured in the films, including The Blob and The Crawling Eye . Insectosaurus, a 350-foot-tall monster, is a nod to the 1961 Kaiju film Mothra . According to Vernon, the Missing Link has no direct inspiration. He "just represents anything prehistoric that comes back to life and terrorizes people." [16] For the San Francisco sequence, the producers researched many films and photographs for an accurate depiction of the city, and filmed animator Line Andersen, who had a similar body type to Ginormicatall, thin, and athletic-lookingwalking alongside a scale model of San Francisco, to capture better how a person not comfortable with being too big with an environment would walk around it. [15]

Ed Leonard, CTO of DreamWorks Animation, says it took approximately 45.6 million computing hours to make Monsters vs. Aliens, more than eight times as many as the original Shrek . Several hundred Hewlett-Packard xw8600 workstations were used, along with a 'render farm' of HP ProLiant blade servers with over 9,000 server processor cores, to process the animation sequence. Animators used 120 terabytes of data to complete the film. They used 6 TB for an explosion scene. [17]

Starting with Monsters vs. Aliens, all feature films released by DreamWorks Animation were produced in a stereoscopic 3D format, using Intel's InTru3D technology. [18] 2D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX versions were released.

Release

Marketing

To promote the 3D technology that is used in Monsters vs. Aliens, DreamWorks ran a 3D trailer before halftime in the U.S. broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009. Due to the limitations of television technology at the time, ColorCode 3-D glasses were distributed at SoBe stands at major national grocers. The Monsters, except Ginormica and Insectosaurus, also appeared in a 3D SoBe commercial airing after the trailer. Bank of America gave away vouchers that covered the cost of an upgrade to a 3D theatrical viewing of the film for its customers. [19]

Home media

Monsters vs. Aliens was released to DVD and Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on September 29, 2009 and on October 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. The home release for both the DVD and Blu-ray format only contain the 2D version of the movie. However, the release is packaged with a new short, B.O.B.'s Big Break , which is in the anaglyphic 3D format that requires red and cyan glasses. [20] Also included are four pairs of 3D glasses. [20] On January 6, 2010, it was announced that a 3D version would be released on Blu-ray. [21] On February 24, a tentative March release date was set for the United Kingdom, where anyone who buys a Samsung 3D TV or 3D Blu-ray player will get a copy. [22] On March 8, it was reported that the 3D Blu-ray would be released in the United States, also with Samsung 3D products, on March 21. [23] As of February 2011, 9.0 million home entertainment units were sold worldwide. [24] In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures and transferred to 20th Century Fox; the rights are now owned by Universal Pictures following its parent company NBCUniversal's acquisition of DreamWorks Animation in 2016, and the expiration of their distribution deal with 20th Century Fox in 2017. [25]

Reception

Box office

On its opening weekend, the film opened at number 1, grossing $59.3 million in 4,104 theaters. [26] Of that total, the film grossed an estimated $5.2 million in IMAX 3D theatres, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing IMAX 3D debut, behind Star Trek , Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen , The Dark Knight , and Watchmen . [27] The film grossed $198.4 million in the United States and Canada, making it the second-highest-grossing animated movie of the year in these regions behind Up . Worldwide, it is the third highest-grossing animated film of 2009 with a total of $381.7 million behind Up and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs . It was the highest-grossing film worldwide in Witherspoon's career until Sing overtook it in 2017. [28]

Critical response

Based on 217 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, Monsters vs. Aliens has an overall approval rating from critics of 73% and an average score of 6.5/10. The critical consensus reads: "Though it doesn't approach the depth of the best animated films, Monsters vs. Aliens has enough humor and special effects to entertain moviegoers of all ages." [29] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating from mainstream critics, the film has received a score of 56 out of 100 based on 35 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". [30] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an A− grade, on an A+ to F scale. [31]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, writing, "I suppose kids will like this movie", though he "didn't find [it] rich with humor". [32] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote that " WALL-E had more charm, more soul, more everything. But there's enough merry mischief here to satisfy, even if you're way past puberty." [33]

Accolades

In 2009, the film was nominated for four Annie Awards, including Voice Acting in a Feature Production for Hugh Laurie. [34] Reese Witherspoon and Seth Rogen were both nominated for best voice actor and actress at the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards for voicing Ginormica and B.O.B, [35] but lost to Jim Carrey for Disney's A Christmas Carol . [36] Monsters vs. Aliens was also nominated for Best Animated film but lost to Pixar's Up . [36] On June 24, 2009, the film won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film. [37]

Awards
AwardCategoryNameResult
Annie Awards [38] Annie Award for Best Animated Effects in an Animated Production Scott CegielskiNominated
Annie Award for Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production Tom OwensWon
Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Hugh Laurie Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards [35] Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie Seth Rogen Nominated
Reese Witherspoon Nominated
Favorite Animated MovieRob Letterman
Conrad Vernon
Nominated
Saturn Awards [37] Saturn Award for Best Animated Film Rob Letterman
Conrad Vernon
Won
Visual Effects Society [39] Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion PictureTerran Boylan
David Burgess
Scott Cegielski
David Weatherly
Nominated
Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion PictureDavid P. Allen
Amaury Aubel
Scott Cegielski
Alain De Hoe
Nominated

Expanded franchise

Future

Despite its success in the United States market, DreamWorks Animation's CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg was quoted in the Los Angeles Times that a sequel would not be made because of the film's weak performance in some key international markets. [40] "There was enough of a consensus from our distribution and marketing folks in certain parts of the world that 'doing a sequel' would be pushing a boulder up a hill." After the release of Megamind , Katzenberg commented about Shark Tale , Monsters vs. Aliens, and Megamind : "All shared an approach and tone and idea of parody, and did not travel well internationally. We don't have anything like that coming on our schedule now."

Television series and specials

The film was followed by two television specials titled Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space and Night of the Living Carrots , respectively, then a television series which started airing on Nickelodeon on March 23, 2013, and was cancelled after one season due to low ratings and the network's desire to refocus on making the more "Nickish" shows. [41]

Related Research Articles

<i>Attack of the 50 Foot Woman</i> 1958 film

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 independently made American science fiction horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. It was produced by Bernard Woolner. The screenplay was written by Mark Hanna, and the original music score was composed by Ronald Stein. The film was distributed in the United States by Allied Artists as a double feature with War of the Satellites.

Conrad Vernon is an American voice actor, director, writer, and storyboard artist best known for his work on the DreamWorks animated film series Shrek as well as other films such as Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, and Penguins of Madagascar. He also co-directed non-DreamWorks animated films such as Sony Pictures' Sausage Party and MGM’s The Addams Family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DreamWorks Animation</span> American animation studio

DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA) (also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio owned by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The studio has released a total of 48 feature films, including several of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Shrek 2 (2004) having been the highest at the time of its release. Its first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film, Kung Fu Panda 4, was released on March 8, 2024. They have an upcoming theatrical slate of films, which includes The Wild Robot on September 27, 2024, Dog Man on January 31, 2025, The Bad Guys 2 on August 1, 2025, and Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025.

DongWoo Animation Co. Ltd is an animation studio located in Seoul, South Korea. It has produced many animated series and films created and produced in the United States, Canada, South Korea and Japan. The current CEO of the studio is Kim Young-doo.

<i>Shrek</i> (franchise) DreamWorks Animation media franchise

Shrek is an American media franchise created by DreamWorks Animation, loosely based on William Steig's 1990 picture book Shrek!. The series primarily focuses on Shrek, a bad-tempered but good-hearted ogre, who begrudgingly accepts a quest to rescue a princess, resulting in him finding friends and going on many subsequent adventures in a fairy tale world. It includes four animated films: Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010). A short 4-D film, Shrek 4-D, which originally was a theme park ride, was released in 2003. Two television specials, the Christmas television special Shrek the Halls (2007) and the Halloween television special Scared Shrekless (2010), have also been produced. Two spin-off films were made centered around the character Puss in Boots: 2011's Puss in Boots and its sequel, 2022's The Last Wish. Additionally, a stage musical adaptation was made and premiered at Broadway for more than a year (2008–2010).

<i>Shrek</i> 2001 DreamWorks Animation film

Shrek is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book of the same name by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, it is the first installment in the Shrek film series. The film stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. In the film, an embittered ogre named Shrek (Myers) finds his home in the swamp overrun by fairy tale creatures banished by the obsessive ruler Lord Farquaad (Lithgow). With the help of Donkey (Murphy), Shrek makes a pact with Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona (Diaz) in exchange for regaining control of his swamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InTru3D</span> Stereoscopic 3D

InTru3D was a brand that identifies content that may be viewed in stereoscopic 3D. Motion pictures or other visual media bearing the brand are developed through animation technology developed by Intel in partnership with DreamWorks Animation in 2008. InTru3D enables animators to author films directly in 3D for what is described as "a more realistic 3D experience." Animated films authored with InTru3D are shown in theaters using 3D stereoscopic projection technology such as that provided by Real D Cinema and IMAX 3D which both require polarized glasses to view the 3D films.

<i>Megamind</i> 2010 animated film by Tom McGrath

Megamind is a 2010 American animated superhero comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and PDI/DreamWorks, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Tom McGrath from a screenplay by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the film stars the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt. It tells the story of Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain; after defeating his long-time nemesis Metro Man, Megamind creates a new hero to fight but must act to save the city when his "creation" becomes an even worse villain than he was.

<i>Rise of the Guardians</i> 2012 DreamWorks Animation film

Rise of the Guardians is a 2012 American animated fantasy action-adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Peter Ramsey from a screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the book series The Guardians of Childhood and the short film The Man in the Moon by William Joyce. It stars the voices of Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, and Hugh Jackman. The film tells a story about Guardians Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman, who enlist Jack Frost to stop the evil Pitch Black from engulfing the world in darkness in a fight of dreams.

<i>Monsters vs. Aliens</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 video game based on the film with the same name. The game was released on March 24, 2009 on PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Monsters vs. Aliens</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Monsters vs. Aliens is an American animated television series based on the 2009 DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens. First announced in 2009, the series premiered on Nickelodeon on March 23, 2013, after the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, then began airing in its regular timeslot on April 6, 2013. A total of 26 episodes consisting of 50 segments were released, with the last episode airing on February 8, 2014. It was the third and final Nicktoon produced by DreamWorks Animation after Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and The Penguins of Madagascar. Following this, the series was not renewed for a second season.

<i>Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space</i> 2009 American TV special

Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space is a 2009 Halloween television special, based on the film Monsters vs. Aliens. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Peter Ramsey in his directorial debut. The special premiered in Ireland on RTÉ One on October 26, 2009, and aired in the USA on the NBC network on October 28, 2009.

<i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> DreamWorks Animation media franchise

How to Train Your Dragon is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The franchise also contains five short films: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010), Book of Dragons (2010), Gift of the Night Fury (2011), Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019). A live-action reboot from Universal Pictures is in development and scheduled for release on June 13, 2025.

<i>Monsters vs. Aliens</i> (franchise) DreamWorks Animation media franchise

Monsters vs. Aliens is a media franchise made by DreamWorks Animation. The franchise began with the 2009 film Monsters vs. Aliens and has since grown to include two short films, a television special, a television series, and a tie-in video game.

<i>Home</i> (2015 film) DreamWorks Animation film

Home is a 2015 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Loosely based on Adam Rex's 2007 children's book The True Meaning of Smekday, the film was directed by Tim Johnson from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, and stars the voices of Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Matt Jones. The story follows the shared adventures of a friendly alien who is shunned by the rest of his kind, and a teenage girl searching for her mother after they are separated during an invasion of Earth.

<i>Night of the Living Carrots</i> 2011 American film

Night of the Living Carrots is a 2011 American animated short film produced by DreamWorks Animation and based on the film Monsters vs. Aliens. A sequel to the 2009 short, Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, the short follows the monster team taking on a mutated carrot army that can mind control others. Dr. Cockroach determines that the only way to defeat them and free their victims is for B.O.B. to eat all of the carrots.

Aardman Animations is an animation studio in Bristol, England that produces stop motion and computer-animated features, shorts, TV series and adverts.

Megamind is an American media franchise created and owned by DreamWorks Animation, which began with the 2010 animated film of the same name written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons. The franchise follows the adventures of a supervillain named Megamind who suddenly gets a chance to defend Metro City from the forces of evil after the superhero Metro Man retires.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Monsters vs. Aliens". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  2. "Monsters vs. Aliens". AllMovie . Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  3. "Monsters vs. Aliens". British Board of Film Classification . Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  5. Scott, A. O. (March 26, 2009). "From DreamWorks Animation, a Sci-Fi Parody". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  6. Wloszczyna, Susan (March 10, 2008). "First look: Monsters vs. Aliens is the ultimate; a 3D 'first'". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  7. https://www.animationmagazine.net/2007/09/dreamworks-monsters-vs-aliens-attacksearlier-than-planned/
  8. De Semlyen, Phil (March 12, 2009). "UK Premiere Of Monsters Vs Aliens". Empire. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  9. "Monsters vs Aliens (2009)". www.michaeldvd.com.au. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. "Five things you mightn't have known about Kochie". REIQ. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. 1 2 LaPorte, Nicole (September 20, 2005). "DreamWorks grooming toons". Variety. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  12. Torfe, Pat (September 2, 2005). "Rex Havoc's a Dream". Joblo. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  13. "Rex Havoc". Trademarkia. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  14. Guillen, Michael (February 9, 2009). "MONSTERS vs. ALIENS—Jeffrey Katzenberg Presentation". The Evening Class. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Modern Movie Monster-Making", Monsters vs. Aliens DVD
  16. 1 2 Barnes, Brooks (March 19, 2009). "The Monsters That Inspired 'Monsters vs. Aliens'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  17. Boshoff, Theo (March 31, 2009). "Monsters, aliens come alive". ITWeb.
  18. "Intel, Dreamworks Animation Form Strategic Alliance to Revolutionize 3-D Filmmaking Technology" (Press release). Intel. July 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  19. Finke, Nikki (March 19, 2009). "Bailed Out Bank Of America Paying Consumers To See Hollywood Film". Deadline Hollywood Daily. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  20. 1 2 "Monsters vs. Aliens Hits DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 29". ComingSoon.net. July 8, 2009. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  21. ""Monsters Vs. Aliens" becomes first 3D Blu-Ray". January 6, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  22. "'Monsters vs. Aliens' 3D Blu-ray Hits UK in March – Only From Samsung". February 24, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  23. "Samsung 3D Blu-rays don't work?". March 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  24. "DreamWorks Animation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2010 Financial Results" (Press release). PR Newswire. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2019. News provided by DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.
  25. Chney, Alexandra (July 29, 2014). "DreamWorks Animation Q2 Earnings Fall Short of Estimates, SEC Investigation Revealed". Variety. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  26. "Weekend Box Office Estimates (U.S.) for March 27–29 weekend". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  27. "Weekend Report: 'Monsters,' 'Haunting' Scare Up Big Business". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on March 31, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  28. "Reese Witherspoon Movie Box Office Results". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  29. "Monsters vs. Aliens". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 15, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  30. "Monsters vs. Aliens". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  31. Rich, Joshua (December 20, 2019). "Box Office Report: 'Monsters vs. Aliens' opens at No. 1 with $58.2 mil". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  32. Ebert, Roger (March 25, 2009). "Monsters vs. Aliens". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017 via RogerEbert.com.
  33. "Monsters vs. Aliens : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone . March 28, 2009. Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  34. Ellwood, Gregory (December 1, 2009). "'Up' and 'Coraline' Lead the 2009 Annie Award Nominees". HitFix. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  35. 1 2 "Miley Cyrus, Twilight Lead 2010 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards Nominations". Take 40. February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  36. 1 2 "Kids Choice Awards 2010 Winners". The Wall Street Journal. March 27, 2010. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  37. 1 2 Stransky, Tanner (June 25, 2010). "Saturn Awards: 'Avatar,' James Cameron, and 'Lost' take top honors". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  38. "37th Annual Annie Nominations and Awards Recipients". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  39. Kilday, Gregg (January 18, 2010). "'Avatar' leads Visual Effects Society noms". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  40. Lieberman, David (April 26, 2011). "DreamWorks Animation Pins Hopes On 'Kung Fu Panda 2′ After 1Q Earnings Fall Short". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2020. Don't look for DreamWorks Animation to produce additional movie genre parodies similar to its send-up of mob films in Shark Tale, monster movies in Monsters vs. Aliens, and superhero films in Megamind. "All shared an approach and tone and idea of parody, and did not travel well internationally," CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told analysts in a conference call after earnings were announced. "We don't have anything like that coming on our schedule now."
  41. Schooley, Bob (February 16, 2014). "Ratings, desire of Nick to get back to the more "Nickish" shows". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.