MONKEYBONE, directed by Henry Selick (JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS), is a fantasy adventure that combines live action, stop motion, claymation miniatures, puppets, and computer imaging. Monkeybone is a cartoon character created by a successful comic book illustrator named Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser). (He wears a coat with the tag S. Miley, which is a good hint at the film's brand of pun-filled humor.) On the night that Stu is going to propose marriage to his girlfriend, Julie (Bridget Fonda), a freak accident throws him into a coma. Though he appears unconscious, lying in a hospital bed, he is actually having the strangest experience of his lifetime inside his own head. Trapped in a bizarre amusement park called Downtown, the land where nightmares are stored, Stu comes face to face with a living version of the small, mischievous Monkeybone (a stop-action paraffin sculpture voiced by John Turturro). The other inhabitants of Downtown are either part-humans like the seductive cat woman, Kitty (Rose McGowan) and the mysterious face of Death (Whoopi Goldberg), or beasts--Cyclops, Minotaurs, and Centaurs. While dodging obstacles from his own nightmares, Stu strives to break out of his coma and return to his true love. Little does he know, Monkeybone has plans of his own.

Related Categories:
Movies > Comedies

Related Keywords:
Fantasy
Death
Stop-Motion Animation
Theatrical Release

Notes:
Theatrical release: February 23, 2001. The film was originally entitled DARK TOWN and is based on the comic book of that title written by Kaja Blackley. MONKEYBONE is the furthest into the live-action realm that director Henry Selick has ever delved. Selick experimented with the main character being a weasel or a frog before settling on a monkey.

Reviews:
"...The far-out fantasy's originality is its draw....Kattan maintains his composure even while decomposing, a marvelous balancing act..." - 2/23/2001 USA Today, p.4E

"...It's a welcome antidote to the epidemic of witless [comedies]....Fraser has some splendid moments..." - 2/23/2001 New York Times, p.E10

"...Frenetic....Wacky....MONKEYBONE is packed with comic talents..." - 02/26/2001 Variety, p.39-49

"...[An] admirably eccentric comedy....There's also unruly brilliance to this dark and funny story....Fraser walks upright, lithe and blithe, an actor in touch with his inner ape..." - 03/09/2001 Entertainment Weekly, p.55

"...The kinetic Kattan bursts forth with some fantastic physical comedy..." - 05/01/2001 Box Office, p.61

"...MONKEYBONE is often giddily hilarious....David Foley is delightful..." - 04/01/2001 Sight and Sound, p.56-7

"MONKEYBONE is grand fantasy, in which Brendan Fraser and stylish design and energetic special effects play off one another for maximum fun....MONKEYBONE is well-aimed to hit you in the funny bone..." - 02/23/2001 Los Angeles Times, p.F2

Henry Selick - Director/"N'mare B4 Xmas"
Chris Columbus - American screenwriter/director
Michael Barnathan - Producer
Mark Radce - Producer, MONKEYBONE (2001)
Sam Hamm - Screenwriter, MONKEY BONE (2001)
Brendan Fraser - Star, JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT (2006)
Whoopi Goldberg - Oscar winning actress, comedian, GHOST, GIRL, INTERRUPTED
Caryn Johnson - Oscar winning actress, comedian, GHOST, GIRL, INTERRUPTED
Rose McGowan - Actress/"Doom Generation"
Christopher Franciosa - Actor, MONKEY BONE (2001)
Giancarlo Esposito - Actor
Mary Pierce - Actress, MONKEY BONE (2001)
Chris Kattan - Actor/SNL Veteran
Bob Odenkirk - Stand-Up Comedian
Bridget Fonda - American Actress, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE
Dave Foley - Actor "Kids In the Hall", etc...
Megan Mullally - American Television Actress/Singer, WILL & GRACE
John Turturro - American Actor/Director, BARTON FINK (1991)
Kaja Blackley - Comic Book Artist/ "Dark Town", inspiration for MONKEYBONE
Andrew Dunn - American Cinematographer
Lata Ryan - Executive Producer
Mark Warner
Jon Poll - Editor, MEET THE PARENTS (2000)
Nicholas C. Smith - Editor
Anne Dudley
Bill Boes - Production Designer/ MONKEYBONE (2001)