Monster House (***)

Monster House is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, and that pretty much tells you what you need to know going in. Unlike most "children's" movies of late, this is a smart throwback to the movies I loved as a kid growing up in the '80s. Most of these movies were also executive produced by Spielberg and/or Zemeckis, and if movies like The Goonies, Explorers, and The 'Burbs stir up fond memories, then by all means, check out Monster House. It may not look like much from the previews, but it really is good fun. The kids in it are real kids, and even though the motion capture process is the same as that used in The Polar Express, the animators are not trying to make things so realistic and can instead focus on important little things like character and story. I really enjoyed Maggie Gyllenhaal's voice work as the babysitter, and Steve Buscemi was also quite good as the scary-mysterious old man across the street. Check it out.