Except for the Howl’s Moving Castle imitation that takes place during the last part of Monster House, this animated movie would be much better as primarily a live-action production. The main characters are children -- not animals or robots or cars, etc. -- so why not use real actors instead of the off-putting motion-capture technique that makes humans look so weird? Granted, thus process worked beautifully in The Polar Express, but a fantasy aura was necessary for that film because it featured reindeer, Santa and elves. Although taking place at Halloween, Monster House needs animation only for the title object’s terrifying antics, which could be combined with live actors doing what they do the best -- acting with their entire bodies, not just their voices.  

The Monster House story centers around a youngster named DJ (voiced by Mitchel Musso), who’s been worrying about puberty lately but finds something more serious to be concerned about. While watching the house across the street, he’s noticed some very strange things happening there -- such as toys left on the lawn disappearing mysteriously and screams coming from the house when no one is at home.

After his best friend Chowder’s (voiced by Sam Lerner) basketball accidentally bounces onto the forbidden lawn, DJ ends up in a struggle with old Mr. Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi), owner of the bizarre abode, and the youngster thinks he’s responsible for the man’s death because of this incident. When DJ convinces Chowder and their new friend Jenny (voiced by Spencer Locke) to go inside the house with him, the three teens discover it’s alive --and very, very angry. Through their courageous efforts, our heroes not only find out about the house’s secret but also take action to stop its destructive behavior.

There’s nothing more frightening than a haunted house, but I think viewing one that’s alive, uproots itself, and storms down the street on a rampage may be over-stimulating to young children. A tiny tot sitting next to me at the screening I attended seemed frozen in fear and failed to laugh at any of the humor included in the rest of Monster House. My husband and I, on the other hand, enjoyed the amusing and sophisticated dialogue between Jenny and DJ’s babysitter (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal) as they haggle over the sale of Halloween candy.

Still, I couldn’t help recalling how great To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) was when showing real-life child actors becoming afraid of a neighbor’s eerie house and its eccentric inhabitant, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). Monster House’s fright factor simply can’t compare with the scary reality projected in that classic film.

While Monster House is not a bad movie, it seems misguided in presenting its story with the wrong technology. However, I believe pre-teens will probably welcome it with open arms. I also feel that the film’s excellent voice talent, clever dialogue, and frequent display of gorgeous autumn colors might make it worth seeing for the rest of the family.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated “PG” for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language.)