LOOKS LIKE A MONSTER HIT.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

Having seen the ``Toy Story'' movies and ``A Bug's Life,'' we know that the Pixar storytellers and animators are experts at creating perfect, working worlds by simply remembering what it was like to be 6 years old. Their latest, though, is a real doozy: Monstropolis, a universe inhabited by the creatures that lurk in the closets of kids' rooms. The monsters come through these closet doors to scare children, harness their screams as energy and thereby provide power for their city.

But in ``Monsters, Inc.,'' the monsters are finding that modern kids, being jaded and all, don't scare so easily. In fact, some of the kids end up frightening the monsters, sending the fearsome creatures back to Monstropolis whimpering and dejected. The resulting energy crisis is a cause for a lot of the movie's witty jokes (``Rolling Blackouts Predicted,'' reads one headline), but the underlying premise behind it tells you what you really need to know about ``Monsters, Inc.'': This is a movie about childhood innocence and just how important it is.

For all the remarkable creativity that went into designing the various monsters and their world, the towering achievement of ``Monsters, Inc.'' is its depiction of a 2-year-old girl, nicknamed Boo, who comes through one of those closet doors and finds herself wandering the streets of Monstropolis.

The people at Pixar clearly know something about infants: The movie's production credits list the names of 49 children born during the five years the movie was in production. The fact that they take the time to list the names of those kids in the movie's end titles also underscores the importance Pixar places on family. It's no accident that the G-rated ``Monsters, Inc.'' contains not so much as one profanity, skimps on the bathroom humor and dwells on ``old-fashioned'' concepts like innocence and imagination.

The movie's humor tends to be pretty old-fashioned as well, going back to vaudeville traditions in the back-and-forth banter exchanged between its two leads: Sulley (voiced by John Goodman), Monstropolis' furry, 800-pound most valuable monster and his sidekick, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a one-eyed, lime-green wisecracker.

Sulley and Mike work for Monsters, Inc., Monstropolis' energy concern. The movie expertly shows them clocking in, going about their jobs, conducting office romances (Mike has a thing for a serpent-haired receptionist voiced by Jennifer Tilly) and battling professional rivals. Sulley's main competitor for the title of No. 1 Monster is creepy chameleon-like Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi), whose ability to blend into the background makes him a formidable frightener and foe.

Into this world comes Boo, a bouncy little girl, who hitches a ride back to Monstropolis and upsets everything. The monsters believe that humans are toxic; children are particularly frightening with all their drool. Rather than be frightened of Sulley, Boo calls him ``kitty,'' and he soon learns that not only is she safe, but she's also adorable and worthy of love. That complicates his job since he never before considered the ramifications of scaring all those children.

And while ``Monsters, Inc.'' is still packed with plenty of gags (the street signs in Monstropolis flash ``Stalk'' and ``Don't Stalk'') and visual detail (Pixar's computer animation continues to improve and to inspire awe), the movie is really a sweet and gentle affirmation of childhood innocence. The filmmakers acknowledge in their central conceit that fear is a natural part of growing up. But in examining those fears, the movie envisions a way beyond them and, in the process, becomes a potent declaration to the joys of imagination.

``MONSTERS, INC.''

(Rated G)

The stars: Voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Pete Docter Co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman. Screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Daniel Gerson, based on original story by Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon and Ralph Eggleston. Released by Walt Disney Pictures.

Running time: One hour, 30 minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Three and one half stars.

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Photo:

Mike Wazowski, left, voiced by Billy Crystal, ``stalks'' with best friend Sulley, voiced by John Goodman, in Disney's ``Monsters, Inc.''