In a coma, a cartoonist finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone.In a coma, a cartoonist finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone.In a coma, a cartoonist finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone.
- Awards
- 3 nominations total
John Turturro
- Monkeybone
- (voice)
Amy Higgins
- Clarissa
- (as Amy D. Higgins)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCartoon Network later went to make their hit late night block Adult Swim after receiving criticism from parents for supporting the movie and its marketing during its regular run time blocks.
- GoofsStu's hands, which were covered in cake, are totally clean in the next scene, when he jumps away from the dog.
- Quotes
Stephen King: How about that nightlight I asked you for?
Edgar Allen Poe (to King): King You Pussy!
Stephen King: Bite me Poe!
- Crazy creditsFollowing the credits a stop-motion animated statue, which gave Stu Miley his pajamas earlier in the film, is seen for a few seconds holding two flags. One reads THE and the other reads END.
- Alternate versionsThe DVD contains the following extended or removed scenes:
- The "Show Me The Monkey" short is shown in its full length. It shows little Stan's erection actually popping up through his pants, the psychiatrist looking at an ad for an expensive boat, telling Stan that it'll take many sessions to cure him of this "imaginary monkey case". Stan asks why the doctor thinks Monkeybone is not real, but is shoved out of the door. Monkeybone then pops out of the case, pushing the doctor out of the skyscraper window. Monkeybone rides the doctor like 'Slim Pickens' in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), screaming "Yeeha!" as they fall. The doctor is killed, crashing out of frame next to Stan in a splash of blood - but Monkeybone survives. Stan chastises Monkeybone, but Monkeybone tells Stan he doesn't need a psychiatrist. He sticks his finger inside his bottom, telling Stan that it's the best way to stop sucking his thumb (it's references later in the regular version with the Monkeybone toy which has ITS thumb in its bottom). Stan tells him to "get back in the pack!" (which Stu says twice to Monkeybone later in the regular version of the film.)
- After the car crashes due to the inflated Monkeybone boat, Stu and Julie exit the car. Herb runs up to them, and is inspired with an idea for Monkeybone car air bags. Stu is incensed that Herb is calling a merchandising department instead of reporting the accident. Julie tells Stu to calm down, and use a pay phone to report the accident to the authorities. Unfortunately, a pipe which had been loosened by the crash falls on the booth, putting Stu in a coma.
- Stu finds a Visible Man and Visible Woman in his psychological baggage. When arriving at Down Town, the street-squashed animals that first meet Stu rummage through his baggage, looking at a training bra and other odd items. Stu also tries to talk to coma cases on line for the Morpheum Theater, and meets a western cowboy centaur who offers him a pony ride as the street-squashed animals start to follow him. After being taken aback by the Yeti selling tickets for Nightmares Uncut at the Morpheum Theater, a Buffalo Kachina asks Stu for a smoke (which was asked by the Community Service Cigarette Sweeper in the final version ) while a strange fish-like creature with two noses, wings, and reverse legs named Ass Backwards asks Stu if he has an anchovy. After his encounters with Betty the Bovine, the Cyclops, and the BBQ Pig, Stu is approached by a three-headed Devil whose three heads compliment Stu's work, and asks for Stu's autograph with all three heads quote "in blood". The street-squashed animals catch up to Stu and he evades them by ducking into the Coma Bar.
- Stu first meets Moneybone in the Coma Bar when Jumbo the Elephant God leaves his piano and approaches the bar upon being called over by the Minotaur bartender Bull who pulls Stu onto the bar. Before Jumbo can punch Stu, Moneybone pops out of his knapsack. There are two versions of this: in one version, Monkeybone announces, "Fee fi fo fum, Something smells like..." and then pulls his thumb out of his bottom. The other version, he says, "Just kidding folks! Drinks on the house," then adds, nodding at Stu, "On him, of course." In both versions, he then kisses him and says, "Hiya, Boss", as he does in the regular version.
- In an extended version of the "Love Is A Drug" scene, Stu spies his macabre paintings on display at Hypnos' party. Monkeybone tells him that he finds them disgusting and repelling. Stu gets angry, and tells him that the paintings are art, and that Monkeybone is only a doodle. The full version of "Love Is A Drug" is played, with more dancing by the town's inhabitants.
- An extended scene with Hypnos. Monkeybone gets drunk on Hypnos' wine, annoying Stu. The Wasp Woman that Hypnos is laying down with flies away. Hypnos reveals that he is Death's brother (Interesting to note Stu is never told that Hypnos is Death's brother at anytime except for the extended version of the scene, yet reveals this knowledge when being tortured by Death). Stu decides to go to the Land of Death on his own, but Monkeybone, despite his fear, desperately convinces Stu to take him along, telling him "You gotta take me with you!" At that point, one of the Reapers comes to the party, and claims a party guest named Lulu LaRue after she hits on him as the man he was making out with throws his drink on the Reaper. This is the same dead girl Stu and Monkeybone follow in the regular version.
- There is a brief scene in which Death's Helper complains that "no one understands I was born to dance", then goes through "Death's Door" to help Death process souls.
- Monkeybone in Stu's body, is shaving off the beard he had in a coma, when Kimmy comes in, apologizing for wanting to pull the plug. She tells him that if there is anything she could do to make it up to him, she would do it. Monkeybone Stu closes the hospital room's door, tells Kimmy that she's awfully attractive, and starts dancing with her suggestively, exclaiming, "ALL ABOARD! BABY GOT A BIG CABOOSE!" Scene cuts to Julie walking toward the room, while Stu can be heard crowing, "GET ON THE BOOTY TRAIN!" A second later, Stu screams "Ow!" after being punched by Kimmy then kicked in the groin, who comes out the door looking flustered by her brother's sexual advances. Stu, still clutching his groin, says "nothing happened".
- The scene in which the "Little Jack Horner" Monkeybone doll is extended, with the other executives actually getting on the table and rubbing bottoms with Monkeybone Stu. After they leave, Monkeybone Stu tells Herb that at the Monkeybone benefit that they should have a giant pinata full of Monkeybone dolls. As Stu continues to behave strangely, taking one of the Burger God reps white jackets, Herb is asked if Stu has been improving since the accident. Herb gleefully says, "Has he ever!"
- The alternate ending has instead of the Monkeybone cartoon ending where Herb tells people to take off their clothes, Death calls out to Hypnos as Kitty directs her giant robot to Hypnos' hideaway. Hypnos is shown with two suitcases stating that he's glad to see her and that he can explain his actions. Death's giant robot then grabs Hypnos out of his tower as he begs for another chance and drags him down to the Land of Death to deal with him as Down Town closes for the night.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Troldspejlet: Troldspejlet Special: Stop Motion (1999)
Featured review
I don't know how, but somehow Henry Selick got his hands on millions of dollars to make a movie that's going to appeal to only a small handful of odd movie goers. Monkeybone is a visually delightful, darkly humorous, and totally refreshing fantasy flick full of great special effects, likable characters, and a style that mixes everything from "Brazil" and "Cool World" to "Hellraiser" and "Eraserhead". It reminded me of "Dark City", "Freaked", "Forbidden Zone" and the work of Sid and Marty Krofft, but at the same time completely fresh and original.
"Monkeybone" does suffer from some flaws, but they seem like the manipulations of some behind-the-scenes tinkering to make the movie more "normal". The most visible scars occur when our hero Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser, who is quickly becoming a great comedic actor) first arrives in Monkeybone's nightmare land. These early scenes in the fantasy world seem rushed and poorly plotted. I hope there's a special edition DVD or something to see more stuff.
But the stuff that was left in is great. I couldn't believe what I was seeing sometimes- Stu's black and white surgery nightmare was one of the creepiest things I've seen on the big screen, and Bob Odenkirk appears as a organ-hungry doctor in scenes that seem to be taken right out of his HBO series "Mr. Show". Chris Kattan is outstanding, providing some hilarious, "Re-Animator"-style hi-jinx as "Organ Doner Stu", Dave Foley is also funny as Stu's manager, and Whoopie Goldberg is really good as Death, whose head explodes when she gets mad.
But the real stars here are the fantasy characters who inhabit the nightmare town. Like in "The Nightmare Before Christmas", the background characters are just as cool-looking and diverse as the leads. It's a shame that more time isn't spent dwelling in this world or in Death's land, and that most of the movie takes place in the "real" world.
Anyway, see this movie while you can- it'll probably be out of theaters by the time I finish writing thi- too late.
"Monkeybone" does suffer from some flaws, but they seem like the manipulations of some behind-the-scenes tinkering to make the movie more "normal". The most visible scars occur when our hero Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser, who is quickly becoming a great comedic actor) first arrives in Monkeybone's nightmare land. These early scenes in the fantasy world seem rushed and poorly plotted. I hope there's a special edition DVD or something to see more stuff.
But the stuff that was left in is great. I couldn't believe what I was seeing sometimes- Stu's black and white surgery nightmare was one of the creepiest things I've seen on the big screen, and Bob Odenkirk appears as a organ-hungry doctor in scenes that seem to be taken right out of his HBO series "Mr. Show". Chris Kattan is outstanding, providing some hilarious, "Re-Animator"-style hi-jinx as "Organ Doner Stu", Dave Foley is also funny as Stu's manager, and Whoopie Goldberg is really good as Death, whose head explodes when she gets mad.
But the real stars here are the fantasy characters who inhabit the nightmare town. Like in "The Nightmare Before Christmas", the background characters are just as cool-looking and diverse as the leads. It's a shame that more time isn't spent dwelling in this world or in Death's land, and that most of the movie takes place in the "real" world.
Anyway, see this movie while you can- it'll probably be out of theaters by the time I finish writing thi- too late.
- How long is Monkeybone?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $75,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,411,999
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,685,078
- Feb 25, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $7,622,365
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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