5 Ways The Incredibles Is Better Than Monsters, Inc. (& 5 Why Monsters, Inc. Is)

The Incredibles and Monsters Inc. are two Pixar movies that have been praised by critics and are still beloved by millions of fans. Both being quite groundbreaking in their own ways, it’s no wonder that the two animated classics are remembered so dearly up to this day.

And yet, fans like to compare the two trying to understand which one is better than the other. Obviously, there are many different factors that make a movie great, but when they are compared to those of other similar movies, they can give even a better picture of whether they work well or not.

THE INCREDIBLES: Overall Success

When it comes to overall success, The Incredibles is the definitive winner. Both movies did well in many ways, including the awards, but The Incredibles just did slightly better than Monsters, Inc.

On a budget of $92 million, The Incredibles earned $633 million while Monsters, Inc. earned $577 million on a budget of $115 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Incredibles has a rating of 97% with an average score of 8.36 while Monsters, Inc. has a rating of 96% with an average score of 8.03.

MONSTERS, INC.: The Jokes

Both The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc. have some pretty impressive jokes that seem timeless and funny to people of all ages. And yet, there is something about Monsters, Inc.’s jokes that hit different when compared to those of The Incredibles’.

Mike and Sulley get into a lot of trouble throughout the movie while treating these situations with the humor required to make them into jokes. The Incredibles, on the other hand, is somewhat more serious.

THE INCREDIBLES: The Themes

Pixar’s movies are known for exploring various themes, and both The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc. are no exception. While Monsters, Inc. has such themes as teamwork and second chances, The Incredibles is much deeper in every way.

Family plays a key role in this movie with identity and satisfaction in life coming after it. An interesting and rare theme explored here is also the topic of compassion and how it isn’t a weakness but rather a strength.

MONSTERS, INC.: The Concept

The Incredibles has been compared to Marvel’s Fantastic Four numerous times. Indeed, the characters from the Parr family have the key powers of the infamous comic team.

Monsters, Inc., on the other hand, is a very fresh concept that has never been done before. This originality is exactly what makes it superior among the two.

THE INCREDIBLES: The Villain

For the majority of the movie, there is no clear-cut villain for the majority of Monsters, Inc., but when the reveal does happen, it’s one that has been done before numerous times.

The Incredibles, however, goes a completely different route. The villain isn’t revealed right away either, but the twist is way more unexpected. The villain was created by the superheroes themselves even though he used to be a fan of them himself.

MONSTERS, INC.: The Lore

Unarguably, both movies could be classified as either fantasy or sci-fi which often means that they have many made-up elements created to build their worlds and help tell the story in a setting other than the real world.

But the world of The Incredibles is pretty much a copy of the real world with the only exception being that superheroes exist in it as do supervillains. Monsters, Inc., on the other hand, has an entirely different world that is just partially based on reality. Besides, all the characters are monsters, not people.

THE INCREDIBLES: The Action

Not every animated movie requires impressive action scenes, but depending on the story, this might be inevitable for the development of the characters and the plot itself. This is definitely the case for The Incredibles.

Because it is pretty much an animated superhero movie, action scenes, and especially fight scenes, are a major part of it – and they work quite well too. On the other hand, some action that is in Monsters, Inc. looks good too, but it is nowhere near as prominent as in The Incredibles.

MONSTERS, INC.: The Atmosphere

It’s not always easy to determine whether the atmosphere of a movie was done right because it depends on so many different factors, but it seems that Monsters, Inc. has done a better job than The Incredibles when it comes to atmosphere.

Despite some darker undertones in certain scenes, the overall mood of the movie is lighthearted engaging the audience with fun. Mike and Sulley are completely freaked out by the baby which is absolutely hilarious in so many ways.

THE INCREDIBLES: The Visuals

Monsters, Inc. already looked quite good when it was released. The fur of the monsters, and particularly Sulley, was quite difficult to make at the time which made the technological achievements all the more impressive.

And yet, The Incredibles looks better when it comes to animation quality. Why? Well, it’s probably just the three-year difference between the release dates meaning that software simply became more advanced by the time The Incredibles was made.

MONSTERS, INC.: The Characters

The Incredibles mostly focuses on the Parr family with all of its members being different from each other and having to find a way to function as a family. But what makes Monsters, Inc. superior in terms of characters is its diversity in monsters.

Every monster has an appearance that fits their personalities making their designs stand out even more. And this kind of variety both among the main and the supporting and background characters is exactly what makes Monsters, Inc. so appealing.

Source: https://www.cbr.com/disney-pixar-incredibles-vs-monsters-inc-better-film/